“(Patrons) will just kinda talk with the guys, have some beers and just hang out and listen to some music,” said Sam Blackwell, taproom manager and event coordinator at Swine City Brewing, 4614 Industry Drive.
From 7 to 10 p.m. tonight and every Wednesday this month , Three Feather Records will spin vinyl at Swine City Brewing ― some they’ll bring and some patrons will bring their own ― and “it’ll be a fun, relaxing night of sharing music,” said DePrato, who runs Three Feather Records with his dad, Eric DePrato and brother Mitchell DePrato.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“I think a big part of it is having the lust of having a physical attachment to something,” said Jack DePrato, of Three Feather Records, on why there’s been a vinyl resurgence. “I think with the digital age of music, that element has been lost. You have everything in your phone, but you can’t hold the record in your hand, you can’t look at the album cover up close and analyze it, and get as invested in the music as you can with a record.”
There’s also the unique sound that can’t be duplicated, he said.
Vinyl accounted for just 2% of physical music sales in 2011, but by the end of 2021, physical album sales accounted for more than 50%, according to MRC Data, which provides comprehensive global data and analytics to the entertainment and music industries.
Blackwell said collecting vinyl “is a very healthy hobby,” and has collected records since she was a kid.
“It’s a sentimental thing,” she said. “We’re going back to our roots music-wise.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“There’s so much of the streaming and stuff like that, but there’s just a sentimental value of just sitting down, gabbing the vinyl, sitting on the floor, grabbing that inner sleeve out, reading the lyrics,” she said. “All of that is a huge part of it. It’s a new novelty, especially for this younger generation.”
Blackwell said they’ll see the response of Vinyl Night before deciding if it will continue on a weekly basis, or if it will be backed off to once a month. But she said, “I’m hoping we can still keep it weekly.”
“We really want to try to bring a community here together,” said Blackwell.
Vinyl Night is one effort by Swine City Brewing to “switch things up,” Blackwell said. They’ll be doing a mixed open mic on Tuesdays ― anything from music to standup comedy ― starting this month.
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