Alex
From the music continuously filling our basement to the captivating audio books of renowned musicians playing during our rides to my hockey games, my dad’s influence on my musical taste was undeniable. His stories about working in record stores while in his late teens and early twenties during the 70s only fueled my curiosity further, eventually driving me down a path of wanting to uncover more about that era.
Throughout most of my life through high school, I was deeply immersed in the world of hockey. However, as that chapter closed, I transitioned into college and graduated in 2020, the beginning of the COVID years. When an opportunity for work presented itself, I seized it, becoming a soda salesman. Life continued on its steady course until a profound change shook my world — two hip surgeries. These surgeries served as a wake-up call, altering my perspective on life. Suddenly, an insatiable wanderlust consumed me, and I yearned to embark on travels and document my adventures through photography and film-making. It felt as though I was penning my own story, but I knew there was more to come.
And now, I plan to venture out again, a new mission takes shape in my mind — to capture black vinyl stories from around the globe. This upcoming journey is not only an opportunity for personal growth, but also a chance to quench the insatiable thirst of my curiosity. It’s an invitation to immerse myself in the essence of what it truly meant to live, breathe, and feel the raw energy of rock and roll during its inception. With each story I uncover, my bucket of curiosity fills, and my passion for music deepens, allowing me to become a part of the timeless narrative of this extraordinary art form.
Once arriving, it was now the meticulous next steps to decide what album was I going to buy that day.
Today I still recall the overwhelming positive energy that overcame me every time I walked through that record store door in my teenage years. The sight of the record bins stuffed full of vinyl, the music drifting from the record player platter and filling the store, the smell of the sandalwood incense burning with customer shopping with their faces buried in the record bins and their fingers flicking through those albums with the speed of an accomplished keyboard player. I have arrived! And, will now spend the next couple of hours looking at and studying each and every album in those record bins going through all genres from the creative beats of Reggae, the storytelling of Folk, to the heavy guitars and drumming of Metal. Yes, I did see those same albums last week but hmm maybe I missed something on it and should take another look. I was home.
The high point of the day was the thrill of finally deciding on that one specific album I would take home with me that day.
This was the core of my personal culture; I would not realize it for decades but when I did and that realization is what is motivating me to create and launch Black Vinyl Stories.
There is so much more, come join the Black Vinyl Stories journey with me.