The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

• Ep519: Inside Levitation, Greenway & Reverb Records w/ Harry Portnof

  Record nerd Harry Portnof started Greenway Records, revived Reverb Appreciation Society, and now leads Levitation's label operations - today we discuss the elaborate vinyl variants and the clear passion for music the Levitation festival inspires. Topics Include: Harry Portnof runs Greenway Records, Levitation, and Reverberation Appreciation Society labels. Dad blasted southern rock and Allman Brothers at excessive volumes throughout childhood. Discovered dad's CD collection, dove deep into classic rock discographies. Taught himself guitar in high school after getting kicked off tennis team. Found grandmother's records in attic with broken turntable playing in mono. Mesmerized by grooves holding information, felt more futuristic than digital files. Got Project turntable in college, started seriously collecting vinyl records. College dorm had file sharing programs to download everyone's music collections. Became obsessed with seven-inch singles and exclusive B-side hunting on Discogs. Studied accounting, got CPA, worked Manhattan while spending money on records. Brooklyn DIY scene 2010-12: Death by Audio, Glasslands, 285 Kent venues thriving. Third Man Records inspired with collectible releases, impossible to get from New York. Playing in surf rock cover band The Midnight Snacks around Long Island. Started Greenway with friend Joey's pop punk band, 300 hand-screened seven-inches sold. Online forum of ten new labels supporting each other, Greenway only one remaining. Artist Dan Curran created lino cut covers for first thirty Greenway releases. Met LA Witch outside Music Hall, promised European tour records in two months. LA Witch success led to more touring bands wanting Greenway releases. Met Levitation founder Rob Fitzpatrick backstage at Desert Daze festival in California. Pandemic hit, launched Levitation Sessions producing concert films with thirty bands. Suddenly working with dream artists like Ty Segall and The Oh Sees. Levitation started as Austin Psych Fest in 2008, became major three-day festival. Flash flood disaster canceled festival one year despite bands and fans arriving. Austin's psych legacy rooted in 13th Floor Elevators and Rocky Erickson era. Levitation Sessions are filmed concerts; Live at Levitation are actual festival recordings. King Gizzard bootleg program allows labels to press their live shows freely. Learned vinyl manufacturing hands-on at New Jersey plant, experimenting with color pours. Most proud of Frankie and the Witch Fingers KEXP recording for Record Store Day. Market tightened post-pandemic, had to adjust pressing quantities and strategy accordingly. Creates regional variants for Australia, UK, EU retailers using Precision Record Pressing. High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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• Ep518: Year One of Absolute Elsewhere w/ Blood Incantation

  Paul Riedl and Morris Kolontyrsky of Blood Incantation discuss the incredible 1st year of the album "Absolute Elsewhere", how it's transformed their lives and art, the creation of the record, the band's deep interest in vinyl collecting and lots more. Enter to win a signed vinyl copy of "Absolute Elsewhere" by becoming a sponsor at Patreon.com/VinylGuide Topics Include: Absolute Elsewhere transformed their lives: bigger venues, mainstream press, entirely new audiences. Album allows new stage production; band already writing faster than ever before. Now headlining shows in US; Europe tours were always headliners, just smaller. Forbes called it one of most important death metal records in history. Record serves as gateway, exposing listeners to extreme metal and progressive influences. Vinyl LP format is their artistic endpoint; last two albums are side-long tracks. Twenty-minute sides provide perfect breathing room for their narrative-driven compositions and riffs. Maxed out Pro Tools voices at Hansa Studios during Absolute Elsewhere recording sessions. First three records recorded live on analog tape; complete takes, minimal punch-ins. Absolute Elsewhere used hybrid approach: drums on tape, then built digitally with Arthur. Recording live on tape creates collective synergy and tension they want captured. Band uses Oblique Strategies cards; asks "what would Trey, Chuck, or Eno do?" Paul designs all layouts; collects test pressings and creates prototype covers himself. Searching for roughly 200 more records; has specific rare pressings in mind. Weakling's Dead as Dreams LP extremely rare; basement flood destroyed most copies. Double album versus double LP distinction: complementary discs versus interrupted single work. Songs start with riffs that suggest where to go; excitable band keeps moving. Timewave Zero was critical palate cleanser enabling more holistic collaborative approach forward. Tangerine Dream collaboration manifested unexpectedly; Thorsten used vintage Edgar Froese Mellotron samples. Future dreams include Brian Eno, Steve Roach; already have secret collaborations lined up. High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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• Ep517: Preserving the Westbound Sound

  Mastering Engineer Dave Gardner & Audio Archivist Catherine Vericolli discuss the preservation of the Westbound Records audio catalogue, including the masters of legendary recordings by Funkadelic, The Counts, Ohio Players & more. Topics Include: Dave Gardner (mastering engineer) and Catherine Vericoli (archivist) introduce their specialized roles Mastering serves as link between creative process and manufacturing standards Catherine transfers analog tapes to highest possible digital quality preservation Physical restoration work includes extensive mold and splice remediation tasks Much archival work involves "audio archaeology" detective work with clues Working backwards from incomplete information when documentation is missing completely Common assumption that old records were always done "the right way" Reality reveals beloved records often weren't made using proper methods Got rare access to examine entire Westbound Records collection together Westbound Records started late 1960s by distributor Armin Bolodian in Detroit Detroit-based independent label achieved regional success with multiple hit records Funkadelic, Ohio Players, Detroit Emeralds were among their major successful acts Complete catalog reissue approach rather than cherry-picking just popular hits Assets moved between multiple locations over decades, not everything returned Found various generations and copies of tapes for each release Maggot Brain original masters were believed to be permanently missing Discovery of missing masters hidden in completely unmarked white archive boxes Original tape playback speeds rarely match speeds of vinyl releases Spent entire week meticulously fine-tuning correct playback speeds for accuracy Academic ethnomusicologist confirmed musical key was wrong on commercial releases Many recent European reissues contain fundamentally inaccurate speed and sound Double 45 RPM format avoids sonic compromises required for long sides 27-minute album sides on 33 RPM required major audio quality sacrifices All-analog cutting process preserves original sound character without digital conversion Unreleased material exists primarily in unprocessed multitrack tape format only Dennis Coffey played guitar on many more Funkadelic recordings than known Analog tape degradation accelerating rapidly, especially problematic for digital formats Cultural preservation mission drives their passionate collaborative archival restoration work Asset paranoia and trust issues affect access to important historical recordings Primary motivation remains saving irreplaceable music for all future generations High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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• Ep516: Punk Cinema with Kevin Smith & Josh Roush

  Kevin Smith and Josh Roush discuss punk cinema and share how the DIY ethos of punk rock influenced both their filmmaking careers and their lifelong love of music and vinyl records. September 20 at the Punk Rock Museum - book now! Topics Include: Josh Roush introduces his punk rock film "Wrong Reasons" screening at Punk Rock Museum Film described as dramedy about fan kidnapping singer to clean her up Josh discovered punk through Rancid track in Beavis and Butthead movie Kevin Smith joins, reveals his rebellion was hip hop not punk rock Kevin explains his DIY punk ethos despite loving Run DMC and Public Enemy Jason Reitman told Kevin that "Clerks" is essentially a punk rock song Kevin compares his film career to Anthrax (the band not the disease) Josh wrote "Wrong Reasons" for his love of punk rock Discussion of Punk Rock Museum displays including Lemmy's boots and Germs footage John Hughes soundtracks praised for passionate music curation and detailed planning Kevin reveals his vinyl collection started with father's stolen postal records Heavy Metal Parking Lot documentary celebrated as authentic snapshot of 1980s culture Josh secured soundtrack through Tim Armstrong connections, most artists said yes immediately Licensing music from Black Flag, The Wipers, L7 and more. Kevin shares $400,000 Fleetwood Mac "Tusk" song licensing horror story from film Lindsay Buckingham put "fuck you" price on track, producers paid anyway Vinyl collecting discussed as communal church-like experience for non-religious people Josh rips personal vinyl at high quality for authentic movie soundtrack pops September 20th museum screening includes Q&A, signed posters, and bar party High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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• Ep515: Greg Norton - Hüsker Dü's Miracle Year & more

  Hüsker Dü & UltraBomb bassist Greg Norton discusses the Miracle Year of 1985, vinyl rarities, the archive fire, Reflex records, the making of Zen Arcade, the Punk Rock Museum and more See Greg at the Punk Rock Museum Sept 9  |  Preorder "Hüsker Dü - The Miracle Years" here Topics Include: Greg Norton announces September 9th Punk Rock Museum guided tour and performance Norton discusses favorite museum pieces including Joe Strummer's guitar and burned DOA Stratocaster Band's archive mostly intact despite Grant Hart's 2011 house fire destroying materials Norton used to own 7,000 vinyl records but downsized after difficult moves Hüsker Dü formed through Minneapolis record store connections at Melody Lane and Cheapo Band members met when Bob Mould heard Grant Hart blasting Ramones music Northern Lights record store basement became their rehearsal space after hours Twin Tone rejected their demo, leading to self-releasing on Reflex Records Band assembled and sold first singles themselves, no distribution deals initially BREAKING NEWS: Numero Group announces "Hüsker Dü 1985: The Miracle Year" box set Previously unreleased First Avenue live recording from January 1985 finally gets release 1985 was pivotal year with 150 shows, multiple album releases across continents Band road-tested new songs before recording, sometimes writing during soundchecks Most basic tracks recorded in one or two takes maximum Zen Arcade conceived as rock opera double album from the beginning Minutemen rushed Double Nickels release to match Zen Arcade's double format Producer Spot mentored Hart and Mould while engineering at Total Access Studios Jello Biafra praised Zen Arcade as bringing "self-indulgence back to rock" Current band Ultra Bomb working on third album with rare vinyl issues Norton hopes to finally tour Australia after decades of missed opportunities Extended and high resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Photos by @insomniac199 Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide

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