Tell us a little bit about yourself! Matt Loewen. 32. Fort Collins, Colorado. Musician/freelance video production. For fun I collect records obviously! 

Favorite album: I find it near impossible to answer this question, there’s just too many great records out there! Favorite I’ve picked up in the past six months would be  Gene Harris - The Three Sounds. 

First album: What’s The Story (Morning Glory) by Oasis

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: I was happy to see a maybe slightly guilty pleasure record of mine on your list; Dream Theater—Scenes From a Memory. I saw the tour back in 2000–Dixie Dregs opened! I need to get that one on vinyl. 

Favorite album artwork: Again so hard to choose! I dug my copy of Atomic Bomb by William Onyeabor out the other day, that one has a great cover. 

Which album do you wish you had on vinyl? Africa Brasil by Jorge Ben 

What are your favorite record shops in your area, in case any readers are traveling through your town? I travel so much I figured I’d list a few of my favs around the western US...  

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Name: Clive Young; Age: Card-carrying member of Generation X; Occupation: I’m the content director for a website and magazine about pro audio, so I cover anything happening with studios, broadcast audio, concert tour/venue sound and the equipment that they require; For Fun: Record collecting (shocking, I know), running around with our daughter, and jamming with friends in a pick-up band we call C.R.A.P (Clive’s Rockin’ Attic Project). We’re terrible; it’s great.

 In our emails, you mentioned meeting your wife at an Anti-Valentine's Day party. Care to elaborate? Yeah, that’s true. Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday that year, so a mutual friend held a Black Friday party, where everybody single could come drink and grumble about how stupid all those love-struck idiots were. Naturally we hit it off. 

Favorite album: This week, it’s the remaster of The Smiths’ “The Queen Is Dead.” The new edition did a lot to breathe life into the boring slow songs on Side One.

 First album: Wings’ “Back To The Egg,” which I still maintain is not nearly as bad as people think.

What albums in your collection would be perfect for a romantic date night at home? “Digital Dream Sequence” by Trioscapes, of course! Just kidding. Back in the day, I had no game but I did have a copy of Bryan Ferry’s “Boys & Girls” album, which is kind of the same thing. Update: I have been assured by my wife that I still have no game, except Scrabble.

 Best breakup album? Been a while thankfully, but I recall that Love & Money’s “Strange Kind of Love” was pretty good for twisting the knife in your own ribs.

 Since we're talking about love and music, who were your musical crushes? Eleanor Whitledge from The Goops was pretty appealing, but I probably have to go with Cathy Dennis.

What are your favorite places to snag records on Long Island, in case any readers are traveling through your town? Shhhh, don’t tell anyone but we have the best record stores on the planet. Seriously, the more I travel and check out stores around the world, the more I realize how spoiled I am to live here. Of particular note are High Fidelity in Amityville (a quarter-mile from the Amityville Horror house), Infinity in Massapequa and Vinyl Bay 777 in Plainview, which may be the weirdest record store I’ve ever seen—it’s in a grotty industrial park, but you go inside and it’s like record shopping in a nightclub.

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: Hands-down, it’s that gorgeous tri-color version of the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” theme. Great job!

Favorite album artwork: This week it’s “Blood Music” by Chapterhouse.

 What have you been listening to more frequently lately? Secret Machines’ “Now Here is Nowhere” – forgot how much I liked it until I picked up the vinyl reissue; Houndmouth’s “From The Hills Below The City” – I put it on for the first time in a while and it holds up; Tears For Fears’ “The Seeds of Love” – an endlessly dense album that works and doesn’t at the same time.

Which album do you wish you had on vinyl? I have a few pressings of Guru’s Jazzmatazz Vol. 1, but wish I had that Vinyl Me Please opaque blue edition from a few years ago • McCartney’s solo albums from around the turn of the Millennium would be great, but they run $200+ a pop these days so they’re out of reach • A truly pristine copy of David Sylvian’s obscure instrumental EP, “Words with the Shaman,” because that’s a Top-5 of All-Time record for me, but have yet to find a copy that isn’t noisy during the quiet passages.

What album would you like to be pressed on vinyl? Where do I begin? The ‘That Thing You Do’ Soundtrack—How is this not out with a bonus screen-replica 45 of the title track? Somebody’s leaving money on the table • Before he became the go-to producer in Nashville, Dave Cobb was the very Gilmour-influenced guitarist in an Atlanta band called The Tender Idols. Their forgotten “Distressor” is one of the great lost albums of the 2000s, throwing the entire history of British Rock into a blender, from the Stones to Floyd to Sex Pistols to Radiohead, and pouring out one killer song after another • Will Owsley’s “Owsley” is a phenomenal album top to bottom; in particular, “Good Old Days” is a gorgeous piece of picaresque songwriting, and to wit, probably my favorite song of all-time • Ivy’s “In The Clear” (and related, Fountains of Wayne’s “Welcome Interstate Managers”) • Best-ofs by power-pop classicists Cherry Twister and Splitsville would be awesome, if extremely unlikely. 

Any albums you are looking forward to grabbing in 2018? I’m currently waiting for Simple Minds’ new one, Walk Between Worlds, to show up in the mail; the last one in 2014 was unexpectedly strong so we’ll see if they can keep the streak up.

 If you could have dinner with any musician (dead or alive), who would it be and why? Probably McCartney. I would love to ask why and how he nurtures his creativity, because he keeps creating stuff at a time in life when anyone else in his position would say “why bother,” especially since he doesn’t need the money and has nothing to prove. I find that incredibly impressive—that’s a hell of a lot of effort to put into something where your sole impetus is “yeah, why not?”

If you were on a desert island and you could only fit three records safely in your suitcase, which ones would you take with you?  Donald Byrd’s “Fuego” ’cause it’s the happiest jazz record ever • Sparks’ “Lil’ Beethoven,” ’cause I’d need something to make me laugh • Maybe that Trioscapes album, because it mixes fear and beauty so well and that’s probably what being on a desert island would be like. Plus it would scare the wild animals away.

If you are interested in becoming Record Collector of the Month, send an email to michele@enjoytheriderecords.com to claim your spot - we are already booking into 2019!

Tell us a little bit about yourself! I'm Kimberly, a 27 year old hairdresser and I live in Anchorage, Alaska. Music is a huge passion of mine. My dad, older brother and I love going to concerts. I went to a metal festival with them in Sacramento this last year, it was amazing. My dad goes harder in the pit than I do. We don’t have many concerts in Alaska so I travel to them when I can. My local record store is just a few doors down from my work so I’m in there quite often. About two years ago I bought my first record there before I had a turntable. I’ve been a collector ever since.

First album: Metric’s Synthetica. It’s an album that means a lot to me. 

Favorite album: This is always such a tough question. I’d have to go with any album from Brand New and The Decemberists - Picaresque

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: Something Corporate - Leaving Through The Window - I have the clear variant

Favorite album artwork: Any album from The Decemberists. Colin Meloy’s wife, Carson Ellis is super talented.

Which album do you wish you owned on vinyl? The Gorillaz - Demon Days / Tool - Aenima / Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar

What are your favorite places to snag records in Anchorage, in case any readers are traveling through your town? Obsession Records is the best place to get records in Anchorage, hands down.

What is your favorite box set that you have in your collection? The 10th anniversary edition of The Postal Service’s Give Up that I bought in Seattle at Sub Pop.

What have you been listening to more frequently lately? I’ve been listening to a lot of 90’s albums from artists like Limp Bizkit, The Gin Blossoms, and Matchbox Twenty.

What album would you like to be pressed on vinyl? The Never Been Kissed Soundtrack would be fun!

Any albums you are looking forward to grabbing in 2018? The new Franz Ferdinand and The Neighbourhood should be amazing.

If you were on a desert island and you could only fit three records safely in your suitcase, which ones would you take with you? Brand New - Deja Entendu / The Decemberists - Picaresque / Broken Social Scene - You Forgot It In People

If you would like to be featured as RCOTM, send an email to enjoythetoonsrecords@gmail.com - there are only a few spots left for 2018!

December's Record Collector of the Month comes from Nashville musician Cory Taylor Cox.

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I was born in the year 1985 in my very favorite city: Memphis, TN. I grew up in Mississippi and went to college in the Alabama Shoals and now live in Nashville. I work for Houzz, which is a phone app and website about home decor and improvement. I also promote shows, manage bands, and put out records under my label Sons of Old Town Collective. When I'm not playing rock and roll myself and horsing around with the cool dudes who are my bandmates, my wife and I enjoy trying new restaurants and bars, going to shows, taking our dog Georgia to the park (we rescued her 3 years ago and she the most magnificent creature on the planet), and we also like to bake, (currently snacking on a matcha rice krispy treat. My father instilled in me a deep passion for music and I love music culture and community. I try to plug into that community anywhere I can, in previous cities that I've lived in, connecting with musicians and other music lovers, whether through live shows or record collecting. 

First album on vinyl: Michael Jackson's Thriller and Langhorne Slim (self-titled)

Favorite album: Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American / As Cities Burn - Come Now Sleep

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: TMNT 7" ! (I've got the Mikey Version)

Favorite album artwork: The band Anathallo had a CD with die-cut sleeve that made up flower cut outs, that blew my mind in 2005 or so. / Most and anything Sufjan Stevens, always very ellaborate and the art kind of tells a story itself.

Which album do you wish you owned on vinyl? Brand New's The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me / Wallflower's Bringing Down the Horse / Maylene and the Sons of Disaster (1 or self-titled)

What are your favorite record shops in your area? The Groove in East Nashville / Shangri-La and Goner in Memphis / Luna in Indianapolis / Landlocked in Bloomington, IN / Shake-it in Cincinnati, OH

Favorite holiday themed album in your collection? Mike Adams at His Honest Weight "Old Toy Trains" released by Flannelgraph Records, with pro wrestler Mick Foley on the B-side talking about how much he loves the song.

Favorite holiday themed record artwork? Relient K's Let is Snow Baby, Let it Reindeer not only has a punny title, but the vinyl is half red and half green, very seasonal

Favorite holiday themed wax variant?  The Mike Adams / Mick Foley record has little white specks in the vinyl like snow and an infinite loop on the end with sleigh bells!

What are some of your favorite things about the holiday season? Getting to see my family that I only see once a year. Putting a sweater on my dog. Charlie Brown Christmas. for 4 years now I've thrown a big Christmas show with my band and my friends' bands, that's been a great tradition to cary on. All the holiday tunes. 

How will you be celebrating the holidays this year? Spreading cheer, playing rock and roll

What albums are on your holiday wish list? James Brown's A Soulful Christmas (soooooo great, you need this record) and Bright Eye's Christmas album (the saddest of Holiday records)

Most unique holiday album in your collection? "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"/"Little Drummer Boy" Christmas Tree shaped record Black Friday RSD 2016 - Winton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Orchestra - I also got the Phil Spector Christmas album in a picture disc version this year

What holiday albums do you wish you had in your collection? Anything by Brian Setzer 

What have you been listening to more frequently lately? MXPX Punk Rawk Christmas / Say Anything / Willie Nelson (a regular in my rotation)

What holiday albums would you like to be pressed on vinyl? August Burns Red Sleddin' Hill is probably already on vinyl (I have a 7" of a few songs) but it's awesome!

If you were on a desert island and you could only fit three records safely in your suitcase, which ones would you take with you? Michael Jackson's Thriller / Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American / and my own Extended Play, because it'd remind me of my bandmates.

What were some of your favorite vinyl releases of 2017? Julien Baker Turn out the Lights / Death From Above 1979 Outrage is Now / Cactus Blossoms You're Dreaming (it was 2016 but I discovered it this year)

Any releases you're looking forward to in 2018? my annual subscription to Keeled Scales and all the treats they send me in the mail.

As mentioned earlier, Cory is a musician who also has a holiday record out. You can snag a copy of 7" of Sons Of Old Town Xmas Extravaganza Volume 1 on green vinyl, while supplies last. You can stream 2 of the tracks on Spotify- add them to your holiday playlist!

Tell us a little bit about yourself [age, location, what you do, what you do for fun, etc.]: My name is Will Hodge, I’m 37, and I live in downtown Chicago, IL. I’m the Music Editor and Community Manager for NoiseTrade, a platform that connects artists and fans via a mutually beneficial exchange of music for data (email and zip code). I’m also a freelance pop culture journalist for a few different outlets like Rolling Stone and Paste. My favorite musical genres are punk, early hip-hop, new wave, classic country, folk, and alternative/college rock, but I’m pretty much an “all skate” kind of guy when it comes to my musical tastes. I’m an R.E.M. lifer, a rabid Dylan enthusiast, and The Beatles, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Fat Boys, Springsteen, and “Weird Al” all share equal footing in my musical heart. I’m a record collector, CD hoarder, and book addict and my preferred drugs of choice are ‘70s-‘80s 10” EPs, ‘90s CD compilations, and anything written by Dickens, Steinbeck, or Klosterman.     

First album: The very first albums I can remember listening to on my own were from my parents’ record collection: Carole King’s Tapestry (one of the purest songwriting classics of all time) and The Beatles’ Second Album (a US compilation that captured their early “no ballads included” raucousness). The first cassettes I ever truly obsessed over were R.E.M.’s Document and the Star Wars Christmas album Christmas in the Stars. The first vinyl album I ever bought with my own money was Poor Old Lu’s Sin in 1994 and I freaked because it had a secret vinyl-only track called “Army Guy” on it.   

Favorite album: Man, this is always such a tough one! How do you decide on the most important criteria to land the “favorite” moniker? I’ll have to weasel out and give a few different albums for a few different scenarios. Favorite personal albums: R.E.M.’s Monster, Prince’s Purple Rain, and Fat Boys self-titled debut. Favorite “I wish I was born a decade earlier” albums: Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five’s The Message, The Clash’s Sandinista!, and Blondie’s Autoamerican. Favorite feel good albums: Weezer’s blue album or The Gaslight Anthem’s The ’59 Sound. Favorite fall albums: Counting Crows’ August and Everything After, Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, and Springsteen’s Nebraska. Favorite “always in the mood for it” albums: Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall, Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited, and R.E.M.’s Document.     

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: From the very first Best of Nicktoons announcement, I’ve been a huge fan of the Enjoy the Toons side of the house and I seriously love my Boober variant of the Fraggle Rock album. I’ve feverishly been looking forward to the label’s The Dark Crystal release since Ross gave me a sneak peek earlier this year and I’ll be the first in line the day that one goes up!

Favorite album artwork: This is an interesting one because so many iconic ones come to mind for me (London Calling, My Aim Is True, Parallel Lines, Mellon Collie) but lately I’ve really been digging the mixture of new artwork being commissioned for reissues and anniversary editions. I love what artists new things artists come up with based around albums or movie soundtracks that have been swirling around the pop culture collective consciousness for the last 20 or 30 years. The most recent example of this that I was struck by was the recent La-La Land Records 35th anniversary edition of the E.T. soundtrack. The cover art is deceptively simplistic perfection that seems to capture the spirit of the entire movie in a single drawn image. I wish that one got a vinyl press because that artwork deserves to be viewed larger than just a CD case.     

Which album do you wish you owned on vinyl? How much time do you have? While I know almost any release can be obtained for the right amount of money via the internet, I’ve got a couple “must own” vinyl albums that I’ve never been able to find the right combination of price, condition, and funds. My top three under those criteria are R.E.M.’s Monster, Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits, and Petty’s Wildflowers.  

What are your favorite record shops in your area? Prior to living in Chicago, I lived in Atlanta and Nashville where my favorite shops were Criminal Records, Wax n’ Facts, Grimey’s, The Great Escape, and the Third Man Records storefront. While I have visited a couple Chicago record shops since moving here, I haven’t found my regular spot just quite yet.

Favorite holiday themed album in your collection? Now we’re getting into the good stuff! I would have to say that my favorite holiday-themed album (that I actually own on vinyl) would probably be my Max Headroom 7” of “Merry Christmas Santa Claus (You’re a Lovely Guy)” from 1986, just for pure nostalgic purposes. It was never a big hit and certainly doesn’t get yearly play in the malls and grocery stores, but it’s such a quirky sonic snapshot of mid-‘80s pop culture that always makes me smile and brings back some really fond memories for me.

Favorite holiday themed record artwork? This one goes to Mondo’s 25th anniversary release of the Home Alone soundtrack by John Williams. The artwork on the front cover, inner gatefold, and back cover is a gorgeously detailed recreation of the interior and exterior of the McAllister house by artist Andrew Kolb that is just absolutely stunning. The die-cut windows on the cover reveal the inner sleeves that can be used to either give the house an illuminated yellow glow (complete with Kevin’s made-up party guests in two of the windows – I see you, MJ) or a blackened lights out look, depending on which side of the sleeve you want to go with. The inner gatefold of the interior of the house also has a lot of Kevin’s traps already in place (paint cans on the banister, ornaments under the windowsill, etc.) and there’s even a Little Nero’s pizza box in the trashcan on the back cover. All in all, the attention to detail that went into the artwork and the interactive connectivity of the artwork, die-cut aspects, and reversible sleeves makes this one a really special piece of the collection. Plus, Side B opens with The Drifters doing “White Christmas,” so it’s easy to get out your dad’s aftershave and have some fun with it!

Favorite holiday themed wax variant?  While I’m totally fine with Christmas albums being pressed on red, green, or white wax, I do like it when artists and labels try to get a little more creative with their holiday wax. From my personal collection, I’d say that David Bazan’s Dark Sacred Night on solid blue and white-streaked wax is my favorite. It beautifully evokes a snowy night and perfectly fits the aesthetic of the chilled vibe of the record. Overall, I do think there could be a little more effort put into the vinyl variants of Christmas releases. How do we not have Christmas in the Stars on C3PO gold and R2-D2 blue/white variants, the Elf soundtrack on yellow/green vinyl, the Claymation Christmas Celebration soundtrack on California Raisin purple, or the Die Hard soundtrack on flesh-colored vinyl with smeared red streaks? C’mon labels, get at me, let’s do this!    

Most unique holiday album in your collection? Hmmm… I’m not sure I have anything truly unique or hard to find in my holiday collection, but I am trying to get my hands on a super weird ‘80s vinyl single called “A Knightrider Christmas” by KITT the Amazing Car of the Future. It is a super insane nugget of ‘80s holiday foolishness that features KITT and Michael from Knight Rider (not sure why they made it one word on the vinyl single) finding a broken down Santa Claus and saving Christmas with some incredibly melodramatic lyrics, all laid out over the Knight Rider theme music. The music is not “holiday-fied” at all, but the lyrics do the more than their fair share of making the track feel Christmas-y enough. I recommend a trip to YouTube to hear the song, just so you can prove it to people who won’t believe that it exists.    

What holiday albums do you wish you had in your collection? The answer to this question doesn’t lie in a single album, but in a couple different fan club collections. I would one day like to own all of the annual Christmas fan club releases from R.E.M., Pearl Jam, and The Beatles. I’m so glad that The Beatles camp is doing the Christmas vinyl box set reissues this year, but I’m happy to piece-meal the R.E.M. and Pearl Jam releases on an individual basis as each opportunity arises to pick them up here and there.

What holiday albums would you like to be pressed on vinyl? Again, how much time do you have? My list is pretty long on this one. I would love to see a vinyl pressing of the soundtrack to A Christmas Story, the first two volumes of the Happy Christmas compilations from Tooth and Nail Records, the Just Say Noel and O Come All Ye Faithful alt-rock comps from 1996, Hanukkah Rocks from The LeeVees, Christmas Caravan from Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jars of Clay’s Drummer Boy EP, a clean repress of New Edition’s Christmas All Over the World, and I would love it if MxPx would press Punk Rawk Christmas on vinyl.  

If you were on a desert island and you could only fit three records safely in your suitcase, which ones would you take with you? Hmmm…. So tough! Probably R.E.M.’s Monster, The Gaslight Anthem’s The ’59 Sound, and Weird Al’s Squeeze Box set that’s coming out this month. Gotta have some good music and some good laughs if you’re stranded on a desert island!

What are some of your favorite things about the holiday season? Holiday road trips with my wife are probably the number one thing I love about the season. No matter how busy things can get with jobs, school, and life, we can always hop in the jeep, crank some killer Christmas music, and have such an amazing time together during the 13-hour trip to see our families in Atlanta, GA. I also love that during the holiday season you can have your normal day-to-day shenanigans going on with a background of Christmas music, lots of lights, and red-and-green awesomeness everywhere. I’m a total sucker for all the hoopla. Oh, I am all about some chill time on the couch watching Christmas movies and Christmas-themed television episodes as well. I’m a bit of a connoisseur of crappy Christmas sitcoms, so hit me up if you need some TGIF or Must See TV holiday recommendations.  

How will you be celebrating the holidays this year? Between all the light-wrapped trees, snow, red-and-green lights atop the John Hancock building, and the CTA holiday train, Chicago makes it pretty easy to get in the holiday spirit. So far this year, my wife and I took a drive up Lake Michigan in the snow and visited the Home Alone house. Hoping for a couple more good snows before we head out of town for Christmas. Of course, the season will officially be kicked off once the holy trinity of Christmas films/shows has been consumed: A Christmas Story, The Fat Albert Christmas Special, and Will Vinton’s A Claymation Christmas Celebration.  

Since we are coming up on Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for? I know it’s super cliché to say my wife, but that’s totally what I’m most thankful for every year. As far as this year’s vinyl offerings, I’d say I’m most thankful for R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People reissue, the Weird Al Squeeze Box set, and Dylan’s Trouble No Morearchive release.

Tell us a little bit about yourself! Hey Fellow record lovers! My name is Spencer Dorsey, I am 33 years old and reside in lovely Los Angeles, California. I am a songwriter and record collector. I am currently recording and releasing a Halloween themed record in my garage here in the valley. First off, I love Halloween. Inside our home, it is packed with vintage Halloween oddities of many origins. We transform the front yard into a giant cemetery for the month of October. We are the only house in the neighborhood that does this, so it’s great to keep the spirit of Halloween alive for our community.

First album: My first album was the white album by the Beatles. I took it from my mom’s collection and played it on my first record player. I loved that you could search for hidden meanings on the record.  I would play songs backwards, search through the linear notes and just play it hundreds of times over. It has so much to offer, from its concept style packing to its diverse array of songs. It’s timeless and was the first of many albums to cross over generations inside that house. I even hung the 8x10’s photos of the band on my wall, having no idea my mom hung the same photo’s on hers when she was my age.

 Favorite album: This is the hardest question in the universe. So many albums come to mind. I would have to say My Bloody Valentine – Loveless. It spawned a whole new genre of loud, ambient, catchy and moody rock and roll music. Without it, there would be no “Siamese Dream”. There would be no 90’s as we know and love it now. Brilliant record, that surpasses all the hype built around it. That record changed the world really. I also really, really love Oasis – “What’s the Story Morning Glory”. That is a perfect album, start to finish. The radio hits never get old and the deep cuts are beyond perfect. Oasis are in many ways, my favorite band.

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: I am super pumped on my 4th pressing of the “Best Of Nicktoons Vol. 1” on Green/Orange split colored vinyl. It looks amazing and brings back great memories. I have a mean Nickelodeon VHS collection, maybe about 20 or so orange tapes on the shelf right now. I would love to see you guys do a SNICK LP next that features music from Clarissa, Pete & Pete, Are you Afraid of The Dark? And maybe even Roundhouse. How cool would that be!

Favorite album artwork: As a 7 year old or so, instead of playing with toys I wanted to play with records. I was barely tall enough to reach the needle. Having no clue the types of music that were on my parents records, I would go by the cover alone. At an early age, I already loved how it was an immersive experience. My favorite records were the Led Zeppelin records, because they had interactive covers. "III" had that awesome spinwheel that you could move to change the images on the collage. The cover of Physical Graffiti had linear notes that could be flipped around to change the images looking out of the windows. I still really appreciate when a record takes it to this level, I try to do this with my own releases. My next record I am releasing will include 3-D glasses. I think it’s due to the influence of these types of interactive, conceptual record packages I love so much.

Which album do you wish you owned on vinyl? I really want a copy of the Shining score on LP. I have found it but always for a ton of money. It would scare me so badly that I probably wouldn’t be able to play it often. I love that movie, it truly is a masterpiece. My favorite Kubrick movie for sure. Well, next to the moon landing.

What are your favorite record shops in the Los Angeles area? I love Record Surplus, they are very nice with great prices and are the only record store in LA with a dedicated Halloween section. I also stop by Freakbeat Records in the valley once a week. Good vibe inside that store. Of course, any Angelino would be the first to admit we are lucky to have the massive Ameoba here in our city. It is always fun to see travelers from all over the world stopping in there to bask in it’s glory. I love how record stores bring people together, it is so important that music fans go to their local stores and support these places. It is a tough climate to keep them running, so a little support goes a long way.

Favorite Halloween themed album in your collection? I have two original Elvira records, “Vinyl Macabre” and “Haunted Hits” with the poster inside. Elvira is the Queen of Halloween.  They are my favorite due to the fact that Cassandra Peterson is on them of course. I got to meet her and take a picture; she is amazing to her fans. You get all the Halloween favorites on there, plus some weird ones too. You’ll fall in love with Red Lipstique’s disco hit “ Drac’s Back” which is as funny as it is catchy. Elvira is smart, witty, funny, and fearless with great taste in B-Movies.  Who better to curate a Halloween playlist then Elvira really? No one, that’s who.

Favorite Halloween themed record artwork? Tough call. I think The Cramps and The Misfits nailed it with the music and artwork on their early releases. It’s also really exciting to have labels pressing Horror scores with re-imagined artwork and super nice gatefolds.  If it comes down to artwork alone, I would have to go with a LP box set I have called “THE THREE GREATEST HOURS OF MYSTERY MADNESS AND SUSPENSE!” It is a original 1979 pressing, highlighting the best horror radio shows of the 30’s-40’s. It is rather affordable if you find it. The cover shows Robert Taylor, Peter Lorre, Orson Welles and Vincent Price in monochrome with a Technicolor lightning bolt striking through them. They are heroes of mine, they truly played a major role shaping the tones and vibes of Halloween. “The War of The Worlds” broadcast was originally aired on Mischief Night in 1938, so I would say that is in the key of Halloween for sure.  The cover looks so cool, nice and simple, yet bold and commanding.

Favorite Halloween themed wax variant? That would have to be the Poltergeist Glow in the dark variant from RSD 2013. I love celebrating that part of you that never grew up. That being said, it is so rewarding to turn the house pitch black and watch this one glow as it spins it’s haunting score. Speaking of which, I hope my home isn’t built on top of any ancient burial ground. As we know, that can get a little dangerous.

Most unique Halloween album in your collection? So back in the 70’s, select cereal boxes had a series of cut-out flexi Halloween 45" records printed onto the actual cereal box. You could carefully cut out the record and collect them all to celebrate Halloween. There were a series of 3 – Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Spooky Stories and Haunted House. I am happy to say I have all three. Whoever collected these all those decades ago cut them out carefully, for that I am very grateful. These are tricky to find because they were marketed towards kids, most didn’t make it through the years. These 45”s hit on my love of Halloween, Cereal and Records. Grand Slam ! I am often found haunting my kitchen at 3 am with at least 2 bowls of cereal.

 What Halloween albums do you wish you had in your collection? I really want Munsters stuff on vinyl. They did at least two Lp’s and the theme was pressed on a 45” single. It is very tough to find any of this out there for less than the price of a car payment.  The Munsters is a fantastic show, I still watch it regularly and would love to bring that love over to the record shelf. Hopefully one day !

What have you been listening to more frequently lately? I have had a copy of Catherine Wheel – “Ferment” in the CD player of my car for 5 years now and I’m not sick of it yet. On my record player, I regularly go to my jazz section. The pops and hiss of an aging record actually compliment this genre so well. I love playing Astrud Gilberto, Wes Montgomery, Art Blakey and I just love Lee Morgan records. He looks so sharp, like a mod in these tailored suits and no one plays as great as him, even today. I love it when a jazz record swings the whole time, with just a few sad numbers in there. Jazz is a genre that helped define how powerful the vinyl medium can be. I have lately been playing more rock and roll too - collecting copies of T-Rex, Slade and Can type stuff. Rock and Roll is best played loud, and on vinyl.

What album would you like to be pressed on vinyl? Verve needs to get on it and repress Blossom Dearie’s self-titled album. More Northern Soul collections. More Psychedelic 70’s Funk from India, the entire Asha Bhosle catalog should be repressed. There are some good “fan club” editions of Samhain records out there, why not make it official, come on Glenn, let’s go. Tales from The Crypt Lp’s– Imagine those haunting scores combined with the Crypt-Keeper’s amazing puns on your record player. I am so in.

As a musician, have you released any Halloween music yet? I sure have. I created a record label out of my garage called Twin Wasp records. My latest EP is titled “October Country”. It sounds like how Halloween feels to me. The cover art is me in a Frankenstein mask, in the middle of the desert in Joshua Tree. The EP comes in a vintage 1952 “Trick Or Treat” bag with candy corn included. My upcoming full length will be songs exclusively dedicated to Halloween and the horror genre. I want these songs to play like campfire tales, each song haunting you a little after it’s done playing. You can get a copy at www.twinwasp.com. You can listen for free on www.spencerdorsey.bandcamp.com. 

If you'd like to be featured as Record Collector Of The Month, contact us at enjoythetoonsrecords@gmail.com

Tell us a little bit about yourself [age, location, what you do, what you do for fun, etc.]! My name is Guy - we live on the sunshine coast in Australia the name of the area we live in is called Caloundra and we have some amazing beach’s to take our two children to play. I have just turned 45 in July of this year. I have been into music since I first I bought a CD player with the money I had leftover from buying my first car. Over the years, my taste in music has changed from early Pop leanings till I discovered Jane’s Addiction and early Britpop when I moved out of home [I do have a copy of the live debut Jane’s album which I found in a market stale at a local area where they started to do street markets - one of my best finds so far]. In my early 20’s I moved to London and fell in love with the pirate radio scene and drum and bass music, this is probably one of my biggest musical regrets - I had built up quite an impressive collection of vinyl in this genre as at the time [pre-mp3 the only way to purchase was on vinyl]. I still believe that the English dance music culture is part of the reason that vinyl did not completely die off. Due to relocating to Australia about 15 years ago, I had to let my vinyl collection go as transport cost would have bean a bit of a nightmare. I have only got back into vinyl in the last few years as like most people found that the CD and mp3 format was a great solution when on the go or with mp3 you can build up a playlist and leave it to go without worrying about have to turn over and its great at work. I am a short order cook, so music is great in the kitchen when I am working. Now my music taste is all over the place from some early glam metal to modern day pop with a little bit of everything in-between!

First album: The first album I ever bought was Duran Duran - Seven And The Ragged Tiger, but the first piece in my vinyl collection was the Kickstarter items by Kevin Devine- Bulldozer, Bubblegum and the white label b-sides.

Favorite album: Favorite album is a hard one to pin down kinda a flip between The Stone Roses debut, Jimmy Eat World - Chase The Light or Brand New's The Devil And God and Logistics - Fear Not.

Favorite bands: Brand New, Margot And The Nuclear So And So's, Death Cab For Cutie, Matt Pond PA, Jimmy Eat World and Butch Walker.

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: Favorite Enjoy The Ride release is the test press of the Honorary Title’s Anything Else But The Truth.

Favorite album artwork: Favorite artwork is Jack's Mannequin - Everything In Transit. Just love the way it had the same kinda feel as the record itself. Kinda happy on the outside, but somewhat lost and lonely when you look deeper, also a close second is Margot And The Nuclear So And So's - Dust Of Retreat.

Which album do you wish you owned on vinyl? The album I wish I owned is a hard one again but to narrow down to probably 3 albums one is Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – God Fodder and the other two are Animal and Not Animal by Margot And The Nuclear So And So's

What are your favorite record shops in Caloundra, in case any readers are traveling through your town? The town I live in does not have a record shop worth mentioning most of my vinyl comes from a wholesaler I use in Melbourne as we used to have a cafe that stocked limited vinyl and they are very nice to let me continue to use them for my collection.

What is your favorite box set that you have in your collection? Favorite box set is a easy one as only have a couple anyway but it is Margot And The Nuclear So And So's The Bride On The Box Car.

What have you been listening to more frequently lately? Over the last few weeks mainly listing to Santi[which I got from you guys, thanks again for that - love that album to bits] and also Jimmy Eat World’s Futures, Everything Everything - A Fever Dream, Hippo Campus – Landmark,  and I can’t seem to let go of Harry Styles latest album  - I upset a friend when I told her I enjoyed Harry’s new album more than the new Paramore release.

What album would you like to be pressed on vinyl? To be pressed on vinyl has to be a toss up between Forgive Durden - Wonderland, The Hush Sound- Like Vines and Manchester Orchestra's unreleased debut that I somehow found online years ago.

If you were on a desert island and you could only fit three records safely in your suitcase, which ones would you take with you? Shit, that ones hard. Can I say as I am in Australia - which is kinda a desert island -  my entire collection? if not got to say Kevin Devine - Brothers Blood, Brand New - The Devil And God, Ben Folds Five - The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner. My iPod with the rest, please!

Tell us a little bit about yourself! Greetings to all my fellow record nerds! My name is Mykee. Whilst sitting here relaxing on the couch, on a Saturday evening, blasting the wonderful Blood Incantation album, Starspawn, at maximum volume, to purposely get the neighbors back for always shaking the walls with their terrible drum and bass music; I happen to be 36 years old, and living in Raleigh, NC, where my girlfriend and I moved to from Brooklyn, NY about 3ish years ago.. maybe 4.. I don't even know anymore. I somehow found myself working in construction, which is VERY not me, but alas, here we are. It pays fairly well, so at least I can afford to pay the bills AND feed my record collecting habit! So, without waking up at 5:30am, Monday through Friday, driving in circles around the state, installing hundreds of doorknobs, bathroom accessories, and window shutters, I would never have found myself selected as RECORD COLLECTOR OF THE MONTH by one of my favorite record labels! So, silver lining: big thanks to my nightmare life in the construction game, without which I wouldn't be able to bury myself under stacks of wonderful wonderful wax circles. As for what I do for fun... not too much. Buy records, listen to records, dig through my favorite local record shops, take pictures of records, and make nerdy collages to post on my Instagram - instagram.com/vinylrecordtreasures. I am also a master ramen chef, and father of two cats, and a chihuahua; Mas, Gato, and Milhouse, respectively.

First album: I first started exploring music on my own, outside of whatever was on the radio, while picking through my parents' dusty, unappreciated, record collections, and popping ’em on my little Fisher Price turntable. I wish I still had that thing! The first albums that made it into MY collection were classics from Billy Joel (aka Uncle Billy, to all of us Long Islanders), Elton John, CSNY, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Doors, Grateful Dead, etc…I realized that music made me feel something pretty special, and it was exciting experiencing that for the first time. As I got older and came into my own a bit, these are the first albums I purchased with my own money: Cassette: Neil Young – Harvest; CD: Grateful Dead – Skeletons From the Closet; 7″: Latex Generation – I Killed the President; 12″: Dead Kennedys – In God We Trust, Inc.

Favorite album: Ah, the ever dreaded question!  For most of my life, I had Queen and KISS sitting together in the “favorite band” throne. Their albums A Night at the Opera and Revenge, respectively, holding their own titles of “my favorite album.” Over the years, those slots have been swapped around, interchanged completely, on and off, good and bad, all over the place. It’s near impossible for me to have a solid answer for “favorite album” that will forever stick in the “of all time” position, but these two held the title longest, so I suppose at this point, when it comes down to semantics, these are my favorite albums:

KISS - Revenge:
The band that changed me from a casual music fan, to an obsessed music lifer. My first concert; this tour, this album. One of their heavier moments as a band, during the no makeup days, sporting a badass biker look, as opposed to the big hair, neons, and animal prints of years prior. They were at a height in their songwriting prowess for this one, recharged with Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick in tow. All of these songs are heavy, rifftastic, and just awesome! I mean, it has one of the greatest songs of all time, that gained a little extra notoriety being in “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “God Gave Rock ‘N’ Roll To You II,” their epic reinterpretation of an epic song by a ’70s band called Argent. One of my all time faves for sure! This album is full of attitude, sex, and all the badassery you could want from a rock band like KISS. This was a real powerful moment for these guys, and I feel like it’s somewhat under-appreciated as an album. I’m always proud to call it my favorite.

Queen - A Night at the Opera:
Like most kids of my era, I was instantly drawn to Queen after watching the famous “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene in “Wayne’s World.” I had never heard anything like that before, and it was mesmerizing! I picked up their Greatest Hits II on cassette, and they basically became my favorite band right then and there. As I dove deeper into their catalogue, I discovered endless hidden gems living there. This album in particular was bursting at the seams with magical moments of songwriting and performance. The old-timey bounce of jaunty tunes like “Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” and “Seaside Rendezvous,” a rocking love song to a car; the haunting acoustic-driven Brian May song “’39,” telling the tale of a man who embarks on a space journey of a year, only to return home to find many more years have passed, and all his loved ones are dead. Sci-fi folk at its finest! I love the lyric “…in the land that our grandchildren knew.” This song held its own slot at the top of my favorites list for many years. Then there’s the mystical prog epic, “The Prophet’s Song.” Written after a dream full of powerful images of a great flood, with a huge middle section of Freddie Mercury singing overlapping harmonies with himself. It’s just chillingly incredible. Not to mention “Bohemian Rhapsody!” A true legendary masterpiece of an album, front to back.

I can honestly say that many other albums, truthfully, hold a “favorite album of all time” space in my heart, and calling any of them an all-time favorite would not be an exaggeration in the least. I suppose that is inevitable after spending so many years, with so many different albums, weaving their musical tendrils throughout my heart and spirit.

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: As I mentioned earlier, ETR/ETT are a big favorite of mine, and I've managed to scoop up a few awesome releases over the last few years. But, I guess my favorite has to be, the record that led me to initially discover the label, Dream Theater's absolute classic masterpiece of an album, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. One of my favorite albums of all time, from one of my favorite bands of all time! It still finds it's way to the turntable fairly often. I love all of my ETR/ETT records with all my heart, but YOU made me pick a favorite child, so I DID! <3 

Favorite album artwork: Another huge question! Baroness: Red, Blue, Yellow & Green, and Purple. One of my most beloved and cherished bands. John Baizley (lead singer/guitarist/songwriter) is probably my favorite artist ever. He's done all the album covers for the Baroness records, and they are all SO beautiful! His gentle asthetic, mixed with bold lines (reminiscent of works by Alfonse Mucha), and weirdly interesting concepts and ideas, make for such striking and wonderful album covers, which I've loved for years. It also doesn't hurt that the albums are all masterpieces! I don't know if it counts, but I've been pretty obsessed with the cover art for the upcoming Bell Witch album, Mirror Reaper. I don't have the album in my hands just yet (as it comes out in October!), but the art has been my phone's background since the moment it was revealed, and it is AWESOME! Definitely one of my favorite bands out there these days. Funeral doom is one of my favorite genres, and these guys are at the top of the mountain in that world. CAN. NOT. WAIT. for this freakin record!

Which album do you wish you had on vinyl? Since I have finally been making okay money at my job these days, I've luckily been able to cross a lot of serious white whale/holy grail titles off my list this year, and it's been super satisfying and rewarding. That being said, there are always more that remain out of reach! My Discogs Wantlist is a huge part of my record obsessed life these days, and the hunt never ends! These are a few biggies that come to mind: 

Manowar: Louder Than Hell (Geffen, 1996)

The Lord Weird Slough Feg: Traveler (Metal Supremacy, 2004. Red/Black splatter vinyl)

Keziah Jones: Black Orpheus (Delabel, 2003)

Beck: Midnite Vultures (Bong Load, 2000)

MxPx: Life in General (Tooth & Nail, 1996. White vinyl)

MxPx: Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo (A&M, 1998)

Millencolin: Same Old Tunes (Burning Heart, 1997)

Frenzal Rhomb: Smoko at the Pet Food Factory (Fat Wreck Chords, 2011. Pet food colored vinyl)

The New Frontiers: Mending (The Militia Group, 2008)

Let me stop myself here! The list goes on and on, forever into eternity.. But, those are some special big ones for me, that I just can't seem to get my hands on! ONE DAY!

What are your favorite record shops in the Raleigh area, in case any readers are traveling through your town? Sorry State Records is probably my favorite shop around. It’s small and clean, the staff is always friendly and the stock rotates often enough that I can swing by as often as I want. The used section is chock full of glorious old and new punk/metal/hardcore records, and a gigantic selection of awesome cassettes and 7″s too! The new records are very reasonably priced, and all the other genre sections are packed with fantastic titles as well. As an added bonus, they always have some drool-inducing rare/collectible titles on the walls, and in special bins, just to really get that wallet hurting. But, it’s always worth it in the end! Nice Price Books and Records is another fantastic local record shop right in the heart of Raleigh. I pop in here at least once a month to flip through the used “new arrivals” section, and it never fails to contain a treasure or two (or three!). It also features reasonably priced new records of all sounds and styles, a seemingly endless maze of shelves with tons of used records, walls and walls of books, comics, CDs, DVDs…this place has it all! And it’s almost all killer. I have stumbled upon some life-changing treasures in these hallowed walls.

What are some of your favorite soundtracks you have in your collection? I'm not a huge soundtrack dude in general, but I definitely have a modest little section of the collection dedicated to a few special gems anyway. My number one treasure has to be the TROLL 2 soundtrack, released by Lunaris Records back in January. This has been my favorite "bad" movie since I first randomly caught it on TV when I was a kid. Later in life, when it was finally released on DVD, I used to carry a copy with me everywhere I went, hoping for any opportunity to spread it's glory to anybody willing to sit down and witness it! When Lunaris announced they were releasing the awesome Carlo Maria Cordio soundtrack on a super limited edition, and crazy looking "Stonehenge Nebula" vinyl, I knew I HAD to score one! and boy oh boy, is it ever awesome! I like to spin this record, and act out the crazy scenes from this crazy movie, in my living room, pretending the animals are Trolls, and they're coming to get me........ my exciting life.. Also, another favorite, and crucial movie/soundtrack in the history of my life; Rockers! Probably about 10 years ago, I lived with a group of my oldest, closest, bestest friends, spread out over two floors of an old brownstone in Astoria, Queens. We were quite obsessed with reggae, and had a habit of talking to each other in fairly convincing Jamaican accents. We sang these songs, and quoted this movie all the freakin time! This soundtrack brings back tons of memories, and will forever mean Jah rasclot world to I and I.

What have you been listening to more frequently lately? I haven't officially compiled my list of favorite albums of the year just yet, but it will most certainly consist of a few of these titles that I haven't been able to keep off my turntable lately! Brutus - Burst: I haven't been this taken by an album in quite some time! By far my favorite record to come out this year, and definitely already high in my "of all time" faves! This Belgian trio is equal parts metal, hardcore, and straight up rock! With hard hitting hooks and melodies that have been stuck in my head for months! I've always been a sucker for a good female vocalist, and as an added bonus, this one just happens to be shouting her gut-wrenching vocals while simultaneously blasting it out on the DRUMS! Such an invigorating and fresh sounding bunch of songs, that hits me right in the sweet spot every single time. Zeal & Ardor - Devil is Fine: Slave-chant/satanic-gospel/delta blues/chain-gang/electronic/black metal....? However you wanna try to describe this wonder of an album; it sure is different, and it sure is awesome! One of the most refreshing and interesting records I've heard in quite a while. King Woman - Created in the Image of Suffering: Another of my most favorite acts these days. Lead by the inimitable goddess of gloom; Kristina Esfandiari, this uber-emotional, wonderfully crushing, ethereal, doomy, godamn masterpiece of an album is so fantastic. Every time it washes over you, it leaves you flattened, emotionally and physically, in the best way possible. It's hard to express just how much I love this record without breaking down into tears... uhh... I mean... without punching someone in the face!! Yeah! ------ The track "Hierophant" is my favorite song of 2017. No contest. Lightsabres - Hibernation: Another new discovery that knocked me on my ass this year! Hailing from Sweden, a nation which bubbles over with musical treasures, is this one-man psychedelic fuzzed-out stoner grunge doom punk awesomeness from multi-instrumentalist/vocalist, John Strömshed. The super lo-fi home-production fits absolutely perfect with his fuzzed out sounds and earworm-like melodies, and I just can't get enough of it! I like his prior album, Beheaded, a tiny bit more than this new one, but it is still a fantastic gem of an album either way! Impure Wilhelmina - Radiation: This band has been around for years, but I only recently discovered them when Season of Mist released this incredible new album. Some seriously top-shelf post-rock/post-hardcore/post-metal, ISIS, Cult of Luna, Katatonia, Deftones type of stuff, soaring and lush, with a Swiss Morrissey crooning away on top (he also sounds just like the singer from this band, Crumb, that nobody seems to remember. But they had an amazing album in the 90s called "Seconds/Minutes/Hours" and I wish more people knew about them! Especially because of how spot-on my reference is in comparison to this dude!) A seriously breathtaking and grand emotional album. Seems i'm drawn to the emotional stuff these days.  

If you were on a desert island and you could only fit three records safely in your suitcase which ones would you take with you? Man, these hard hitting questions are brutal! Only THREE records?! Okay, instead of cheating, and choosing some of my most treasured box sets, I'll purposely take this question too literal, and assume they would be much too heavy to fit in this theoretical desert island suitcase we speak of.. So, I will stick with three single LPs that are too important to ever live without! And, for the sake of keeping this interview fresh, I'll leave out my obvious KISS and Queen albums.. 

Fifteen - The Choice of a New Generation

Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica

Operation Ivy - Energy

There are literally hundreds of albums I would love to have with me on a desert island, but if it's gotta be three, I think these three will take care of me fairly well. These were each hugely influential during the most important and formative times of my life, and they each had their own particular hand in shaping me into the precise type of music lover I am today. Much love to my awesome vinyl collecting family out there... KEEP DIGGING and KEEP SPINNING!

If you would like to be featured as our record collector of the month, email Michele at at enjoythetoonsrecords@gmail.com!

Tell us a little bit about yourself! I'm Justin, 28, originally from Rhode Island, and currently live on the outskirts of Boston. I moved here in 2011 so I could go to more shows, and since that time I've been to an average of three shows a month, every month, for the last six years. I've seen Circa Survive/Anthony Green perform approximately 30 times and The Dear Hunter 25 times. I work full-time as a product manager for a software company and part-time in the office at House of Blues. My dream is to start a record label of my own in the next year or so. Besides going to shows, I love collecting records. It started out with collecting Circa Survive variants (which is finally complete until LP6 comes out) and a few other favorites, but it has morphed into an obsession after attending Record Store Day 2010. Besides collecting vinyl and going to shows, I also snowboard quite a bit.

Favorite album & Favorite album artwork: My favorite record in my collection, as well as favorite album artwork, is the original pressing picture disc of Circa Survive's Juturna, which I got signed by all five band members. Circa Survive is my favorite band. I remember getting Juturna on CD back in 2005 and it never came out of my car CD player. It was the one album all of my friends could jam out to as we drove around aimlessly for hours! This album has shaped everything about my music tastes today, so spending my first paycheck on getting the picture disc was the only natural thing to do! On top of that, any artwork by Esao Andrews is incredible. I really love the tree riding a bicycle, so much so that I got it tattooed on my leg!

First album: My first record on vinyl was Minus The Bear's Menos El Oso. Up until then I was all about CDs, but as cars started to connect to phones and other digital devices, I started transitioning to vinyl and digital only.

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: This is very tough choice, so I'll limit the choice to the albums I own. I'm not sure what to pick between NK's Basement Tapes, HRVRD's From the Bird's Cage, or Bad Rabbits' American Love, because as albums and works of art they are all incredible! But I think because of how well color variant goes with the album cover/packaging, I'll go with American Love—BR all day!

Favorite colored variant: My favorite color variant is Glassjaw's Coloring Book because it's actually three different vinyl rings that fit together to make a 12". They only made 120 copies, and each album is it's own unique color combo (I got #61). I remember when this went on sale and it crashed their site; I was trying to get through on three different computers plus my phone, and got lucky enough to score it!

Which album do you wish you had on vinyl? I would love to see Bad Rabbit's American Nightmare get pressed, as well as a record that is a collection of all of 1st Vows' tracks from the Red and Green EPs.

What is one of the best shows you've seen while working at HoB? The best show I've seen at HoB would definitely be the latest tour from Portugal. The Man. They were so solid! They played for an hour and a half straight, while weaving in and out of songs from their entire discography, as well as mixing in covers from Metallica and Pink Floyd. Luckily, they did a similar set at Bonnaroo and I can relive the magic anytime.

What are your favorite record shops in the Boston area? I love flipping through records at all the Boston area Newbury Comics locations with an iced coffee in hand! But there's a ton of other great shops around. I've had a lot of luck in finding some rarities at Mass Apparel in Allston where I found a copy of Dredg's The Pariah, The Parrot, and The Delusion, and Deep Thoughts in Jamaica Plain where I found a copy of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Damo Sazuki's Please Heat This Eventually.

What are some of your favorite soundtracks you have in your collection? My favorite soundtrack is the Bridge and Tunnel soundtrack (also an ETR release!) because it is a collection of the best musicians Long Island has to offer and all the tracks were new releases by the artists! (The only artists missing are Brand New and a Daryl Palumbo project.)

Any soundtracks you wish you had on vinyl? Two soundtracks I would love to have on vinyl are the soundtrack to Office Space (because it's my favorite movie) and the score to Bridge and Tunnel (because Ryan Hunter can do no wrong)!

If you were on a desert island and you could only fit three records safely in your suitcase  which ones would you take with you? If I were stuck on a desert island, I would want to take albums that could transport me to other places! Without a doubt, I would bring Circa Survive's Juturna and Minus The Bear's Planet Of Ice. The third would be a very tough choice between The Dear Hunter's Act II: The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading and Envy on the Coast's Lowcountry. I think I would choose TDH because that album pushes close to 80 minutes and tells a really great story, so it could definitely kill time and distract me while I wait for rescue with Wilson.

Tell us a little bit about yourself! Hello! This is Jason from Fort Mill, SC. I'm 47 years young and work with numbers in the financial accounting field. I enjoy biking outdoors and am a huge movie and music buff.  I also enjoy going to live concerts. Listening to metal and soundtracks on vinyl at home is what I enjoy most.

Favorite album: My favorite album is a sentimental one and the only original record that I have from my collection as a youth. It's Sweet Emma and her Preservation Hall Jazz Band that was given to me from the band backstage in the early 80's in Detroit, Michigan. My father took me to the show and I remember having a great time.  After the show, my sister and I were playing around on the stage when one of the band members saw us and asked if we wanted to meet the band backstage. The band gave us the record and they signed a sheet of paper for me.

First album: My first record was a shared album with my sister. My father, whom I owe all of my music appreciation to, used to go to record shops all the time and bring my sister and I. I was 10 at the time and wanted AC/DC's Back in Black because I listened to it at my friends house.  My sister wanted Rick Springfield's Working Class Dog.  Money being tight we had to agree on one and since my sister was older she got to choose. Rick Springfield it was.

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: The Dark Crystal Soundtrack for sure. The original had always alluded me for some reason and was happy to add this to the collection.  It sounds fantastic on crystal clear vinyl. Looking forward to seeing the deluxe version coming later this year. Runner-up: The SpongeBob SquarePants Highlights variant. My son grew up watching SpongeBob so the songs have a special connection with me.  I just have to smile looking at the Spongebob variant...it looks just like him.

Favorite album artwork: There are so many to choose from but my all time favorite is the cover from the Creepshow soundtrack from Waxwork Records. The artwork by Gary Pullin is just phenomenal.  The vibrant colors makes you stare at it for a long time and the inner book in the gatefold is more of the same. I don't think anything can top this one for me...except maybe Creepshow 2 coming later this year!

What are your favorite record shops in the Fort Mill area, in case any readers are traveling through your town? Fort Mill doesn't have any record stores that I'm aware of so I do most of my shopping online.  When I do travel into Charlotte, NC, just over the border, I do check out Manifest Discs as they have a large selection of used records.  Greensboro NC has a great little shop called Hippo Records that I've been to.

What are some of your favorite soundtracks you have in your collection? Friday the 13th Soundtrack Blood Filled -  this is a record in my collection that I've spent the most money on by far. I'm a huge F13 fan and so I had to have this. I bought this on the aftermarket right after its release since I wasn't quick enough to get one when it when on sale for about 2 seconds. As there were only 100 produced, this commands a much, much higher price now than what I paid. And yes, I do play it every now and again...then it's back on the wall to gaze at. Bates Motel - This is an outstanding release from Iam8bit. Everything about this is so cool from the blood drain picture discs to the pop out hotel in the gatefold. Even the record sleeves are detailed with appropriate artwork.  Also comes with an awesome poster and replica Bates Motel paper sheet with the credit information. Chris Bacon’s score is top notch as well. 

Any soundtracks you wish you had on vinyl? So many to list here so I'll just name a few: Wolfen - The James Horner score as well as the unused Craig Safan score.  I listen to both on CD hoping someday they'll make it to vinyl. Night of the Living Dead 1990 -  Paul McCollough score is fantastic and needs to be on vinyl.  Just think of the zombie artwork possibilities! Fright Night -  the score from Brad Fiedel is great.  We have the soundtrack but not the score on vinyl. Some others:  The Blob -  Michael Hoenig score, Stephen King's IT, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and The Funhouse.

If you were on a desert island and you could only fit three records safely in your suitcase  which ones would you take with you? AC/DC - Back in Black.  I wanted it when I was 10 and I'd want it on a deserted island.  The ultimate rock party album. Kreator - Gods of Violence.  Hard to choose which Kreator album I'd want, as all of their records are fantastic.  They find a way to always be creative and top their previous records with great success. Gods of Violence is their latest and my head bobs to every song on it.  Will be perfect on a deserted island to keep me active. :) Rush - Moving Pictures. To me this is the most perfect album ever made.  I've listened to it so many times and never get tired of it.