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Cameron Dean has his hand in many [punk, Rochester] pies. He grew up in Penfield, NY, an eastern suburb of Rochester. He's been playing in bands since he was 14: Bad Taste, Rational Animals, Rotten UK, Everything Falls Apart, Wombat Syndrome, The Inducers, and currently Tapehead, to name a few. He currently runs a record label called Strange Disc Records. He has also worked at Record Archive, Rochester's 40-year-old vinyl emporium, since 2007.
Suffice to say, he's listened to some records in his time.
Cam, at right. Photo by Lance Romance.
Me: Do you remember your first vinyl listening experience growing up?
Cam: Ya know, to be honest, I can't remember the FIRST time listening to a record. In my house, it was usually cassettes and later CDs. I remember my mom taking me and my brothers to get Insomniac by Green Day on cassette when it first came out. I was pretty young but my brothers were both really into Green Day from what I remember, so 4-year-old Cam was really into Green Day too. That was also my introduction to anything punk related. However, I do remember looking at my parents' record collection when I was pretty young, 6 or 7 years old probably. It had been put away since they owned a CD player by that point and ya know- it was the 90s, records were obsolete forever! But I definitely remember being really intrigued by records when I was looking at them at that age.
What was the first record you ever bought?
I was 13, I think the first record I bought was a reissue of Bedtime for Democracy from Hot Topic at the mall. I just remember thinking records were so cool, and it was not like it was today. This was like 12 years ago, records actually were SO not cool. Nowadays I see 15, 16 year old kids at Record Archive and they're goin' crazy for records. It blows my mind because when I would talk about collecting records casually when I was in middle/high school, both the teachers and kids thought I was crazy. "They still make those things?" This was in the thick of the MP3 revolution. I would walk around with a fucking Walkman because I thought iPods were so stupid. People thought I was out of my mind, and to be fair I kind of am, so who am I to disagree? It's changed so much now, the consciousness has shifted. Nowadays, the major labels and big indie labels all have huge vinyl runs of bestselling albums. I never would have thought it would be like this. I'm not complaining either, like some people are all like "Who are these new kids? Where were they when all the record stores were going out of business?" I'm just glad people are buying the stuff now. It's good for everyone: the labels, the stores, and ultimately the consumer, because they're not getting some whack sounding compressed MP3 download. They're getting the real deal, and I'm glad the real deal is cool again.
Do you remember your first record store experience?
My first few record store experiences were all at Record Archive, they were the only record store I knew of when I was 15. It wasn't until a little bit later that I discovered the Bop Shop and Fantastic Records, where unfortunately I only got to shop at once before they had to close their doors. I remember Fantastic had the best punk selection in the city at the time. I used to beg my mom to bring me to the Archive at their old location on Mt. Hope Ave. It was such a cool store, it was sad when that location closed, but I've really grown to love the current location and I think we've really put our roots down there now. It's a great store and I'm stoked that I get to work there.
Tell me about any other significant record purchasing experiences you can recall.
Hah, there's a lot of record purchasing experiences in my life. Do it too often. I remember going to Amoeba in San Francisco. The store I work at is huge, but the Amoeba stores are just at another level of huge. It's like an industrial megalopolis of cool shit. They're way cool places to visit, but I'm a little bit more into the smaller to medium sized shops. It's always cool to find the little boutique shops too, like Needle Drop here in Rochester, or Vinyl Conflict in Richmond. It's crazy how different the vibe can be in different shops.
What was the last record you bought?
I think the last one I got was Neurotica by Redd Kross. For how much I've listened to and love that record, I actually never owned a copy. It's one of the best punk albums that came out post-1986. I love everything about that band.
What new music are you excited for?
The Sheer Mag 7" that came out last year is completely out of this world. It was my favorite record that came out in 2014. They have an LP in the works and I can't imagine that it's anything short of amazing. I haven't heard it yet, but Anasazi out of NY just put out a new LP on Toxic State, one of the best current labels. The Vanity record that came out a few months ago on Katorga Works (my other favorite NY label) is super good too. New York City has probably the highest concentration of bands that rule at the moment. It's cool to see that city produce righteous DIY music again, it wasn't like that 10 years ago (at least for music I give a shit about).
What shows have you been to lately?
My band, Tapehead, just played a gig a few weeks ago with Harmonica Lewinsky for their record release. They just put out an awesome EP on Reel Time Records, Rochester's premier rock 'n' roll label. Last night I went and saw Danger Troll and Hot Mayonnaise at the bug jar, which was really awesome. I also realize I just listed off the most ridiculous band names ever, but I promise all of the above bands are totally righteous.
What upcoming shows are you excited for?
I'm playing New York's Alright 2015 in April, which is going to be really awesome. I went to the first one two years ago, and this is the final year so I'm super stoked to be a part of it. The whole fest is a showcase of the top (and not so "top", but equally as important) DIY bands in existence at the moment. There is a healthy mix of US and International bands from all over the globe. It's going to be a real cool time.
Favorite show you've ever been to?
Fuck, this is a hard question to answer. If I had pick, it would probably be when Municipal Waste, Annihilation Time, Caustic Christ, and The UV Rays played at the Mohawk Place in Buffalo, NY. This was right when Municipal Waste's first record on Earache came out and it was, in my opinion, the height of the band. Everybody was SO stoked to see them, there were probably 300+ people crammed into that relatively small club. I can't imagine it wasn't above capacity. People were jumping off a trampoline that was set up onstage into the crowd. It was fucking nuts. My parents drove me to the gig from Rochester too, hah! Also, this was the first time I had heard Annihilation Time, which have turned out to be one of my favorite bands of all time, and their second LP is hands down my favorite record that came out in the 00's. Easily a modern day classic.
I think a close second (or a tie for first place) might be when Nik Turner's Hawkwind played at the Bug Jar last September. Holy hell, I've never gotten such a heavy vibe from a band before. To be fair, there was a lot of psychedelic shit going on at the club that night. Pretty sure someone spiked the punch or something. But seriously, when I walked into the room during the first song, I was dumbstruck. Watching a fucking senior citizen command that much power through rock 'n' roll was truly inspiring. I didn't pick my jaw up off the ground until the end of the set.
What does the future look like for vinyl records?
That is tough to say. I want to say it's here to stay, and I think to a certain degree it might be. Eventually the growth might stop, and I think everyone involved in the "music biz" is expecting some sort of plateau at some point. Right now, it's a good time to be putting out vinyl records. You can always plan for the future, but the future doesn't always go the way you want it to. I hope for the best and plan for the worst. The business of music is always a wild card so there's no way to tell what will be cool in 10 years.
Tell me about what you do at Record Archive.
My "official" title at Record Archive would be "Manager" I suppose, I guess more specifically a "Vinyl Manager" because I'm one of three people who work more or less exclusively in the vinyl department and can buy used records for the store. There's kind of an unspoken tier of managers, but we're all just called managers, there are no "assistant managers" or like "key holder" titles or anything like that. We're all just lumped in as managers despite some specific duties or seniority that certain people may have. Duties include, but are not necessarily limited to, opening and closing the store, counting cash, buying used stock for the store, ordering from distributors, and making any sort of executive decision that needs to be made. There are lots of crazy stories, record stores attract very eccentric people. I would need a whole 'nother interview to go in depth. One time, somebody shit on the floor in the middle of the store, and no one knows how it got there. We didn't see anybody drop their trousers and do a shit, but ya know, the shit was there. It's a mystery, only the good lord knows who dropped the turd. There are a couple of shit stories actually but I'll spare the readers. You've heard one shit story, and you've essentially heard them all. Picking up human waste is no fun. Another guy covered himself in shaving cream in the bathroom, that was a pretty neat time. One time I got to go out to lunch with Chris Jericho, that was fucking awesome.
Strange Disc is the label you run that's done reissues for out of print soundtracks for cult movies. What's next for that?
Lots of stuff going on with Strange Disc right now, but unfortunately most of it is still in the "negotiation" processes so I don't want to announce any unannounced projects yet. There's the soundtrack to a film called Slime City coming out soon. It will probably be out around late April/early May. It's a really weird sounding record. All the music was done by a guy named Rob Tomaro, who is now a classical composer. Super talented guy, who made a really wacky sounding score to a wacky midnight movie. It kinda reminds me of The Screamers without vocals.
Here, I talk with local musician Forrest Green about some of his favorite records and musical memories.
Beastman live, with Forrest on the right. Photo by Noah Almekinder.
Forrest is from Hilton, New York. He's been singing in a punk rock band called BEASTMAN for five years. He also plays bass in an experimental rock(ish) band called Lamby. In his spare time, he's a barista at Java's Cafe in Downtown Rochester.
Me: Do you remember your first vinyl listening experience growing up?
Forrest: My first vinyl experience was probably when I was about 14 or 15 years old. I'm almost certain it was a punk record or something. That's when I was first starting to hang out with the kids in my actual hometown, which was Hilton; I kind of realized that I was growing into a whole new thing when I stopped hanging out with my friends in Greece. I'm sure vinyl was foreign to them at the time. Yeah, you could say I was starting to grow up. Ha!
What was the first record you ever bought?
The first record I first bought was a local 7 inch, by this band called Spoonful of Vicodin. One of my first punk rock shows I went to was at this lodge near Durand Beach. Kind of mind blowing seeing a two-piece playing punk rock/grindcore shit at the time. Intrigued I was, so I bought their record. 15-45 second songs caught my ear at the time. It's still very cool to me.
Do you remember your first record store experience?
The Bop Shop at the Village Gate was my first record store experience, now that I think of it. I purchased the Suicidal Tendencies self titled record; my friend Trevor got me into them. I was hooked on the songs 'Institutionalized' and 'Subliminal' because they felt so fucking relevant to me. I feel like that's when I subconsciously started to listen to records straight through without skipping to a specific song like you would on an iPod. We always went to the midnight sale at the House of Guitars too when we were little teeny boppers. That's always fun.
Tell me about any other significant record purchasing experiences you can recall.
The self titled record by The Velvet Underground would be one. I fell in love with that band during my senior year of high school. Ha, I listened to it most when I was going out this girl I went to school with. I felt like every song grabbed me like I was was in love, later finding out that some of the the songs were about transvestites and getting turned away from the bar. That didn't change my opinion about it. It made me love it more! Another one is Goo by Sonic Youth. It became significant to me around the same time as the Velvets record. I had a gift card to the Bop Shop and I'd had my eye on it for a while. I could see why any 17 year old problem child would love this record, it's incredibly sexy, groovy, it's rockin' as hell. Oh man, I frequently listen to Goo to this day and I get the same feeling from when I first put it on my shitty Panasonic all-in-one turntable.
What was the last record you bought?
The last record I bought was New Traditionalists by the band Devo. I'm not exactly a die-hard fan like some of my fellow peers in the greater Rochester area, but when I feel that the time is right, I put 'em on. I bought it because it has the song "Through Being Cool" on it. I went to see Heavy Metal at the Little Theatre and the song came on during this crazy bar fight scene. The song had me at hello because I've been around that block before, and eventually the record too. That's why movies and music go hand in hand.
What new music are you excited for?
I'm currently excited for the Temptators album to come out. I believe it was recorded for an LP but they're releasing it on a cassette just so people can hear it sooner. The band consists of people that I grew up with in Hilton and that also play in my band. It's something out of the ordinary for certain; it's probably the most rockin', the most beautiful band I have ever listened to. I'm also excited for the new Flip Shit record to come out, which also has good friends of mine and bandmates. Another local record that contains so much sentiment and emotion that makes you wanna dance and cry until you're fucking dead! I'm not saying this just because they're my friends but it's some of the best punk rock, rock 'n' roll, whatever you want to call it, that's going on. You see these other local bands that bend their knees and grasp on to their nether region playing this "Indie Rock" or "Stoner Rock" jive that has no soul.
What shows have you been to lately?
The last show that I should mention is the one that was beneath the streets of Rochester, New York. The lineup was Ivy from NYC along with local rockers Flip Shit, Beastman, Rotten UK, and Tapehead. I took this guy's drunken idea and made a rock show out of it. My friend Danny and I drove down generators, lights, and amplifiers, the essentials to make it happen. There was about 200 people there. The word spreads fast when you mention a secret rock show. People go bat shit crazy for these gigs. People commit such acts such as lighting off dynamite, blowing fire, getting into tussles with crackheads, I could go on for a while. It's been a Rochester tradition for nearly a decade. Going to shows in New York City kind of inspired me to make some shows happen around here.
What upcoming shows are you excited for?
I'm excited to go to the New York's Alright 2015 festival in April. It's a weekend fest. Some of the hotsy totsy NYC bands are playing, along with Cam's band, Tapehead. As Cam would say, or Iggy Pop rather, a real cool time.
Favorite show you've ever been to?
I'll name one. One was seeing Nik Turner and his band at the Bug Jar. This was back in September. Nik Turner is an original member of Hawkwind. His band consists of some younger talent that I'm unfamiliar with. He's 74 and still on the road, which is so fucking cool. He was composing his band without making any contact with them. It was by far the most deranged performance I've ever seen. So inspiring. The show itself really brought out the freaks that night. There was this kid from who-knows-where on bath salts that kicked his own ass and went headfirst into the bar's window. We were in the back ally behind the bar when we thought we heard bloody murder. The kid eventually came out of the shadows with a busted face, wearing a shirt that said ENEMY on it.
What does the future look like for vinyl records?
Well, it appears to me vinyl is making a comeback for certain. Some people are exposed to it, many are not. I don't work in a record store so I'm not sure what really intrigues the average listener these days. As I said before, movies and music go hand in hand. For instance, the Drive soundtrack, American Graffiti, Twin Peaks, Heavy Metal, you name it. A lot of music I listen to today is from what I came across in skateboarding videos and some of my favorite movies. I really hope that the kids will come to their senses and learn to appreciate music listening in the best way, ever.
Starting off small, I will begin by talking with my partner, Lauren Alberque, film archivist extraordinaire. Working all day with film as an object, she is dedicated to preserving art in its physical format. Sound familiar? What she does is basically like working with records (as in maintaining the objects in the way they were intended, cough vinyl is the format music was intended for cough), only with film. She, too, is a lifelong devotee of the arts.
Photo taken by myself in front of the Technicolor exhibit she helped install at George Eastman House in Rochester, NY.
Me: Do you remember your first vinyl listening experience?
Lauren: I vaguely recall not my parents, but maybe an aunt, having a record player and seeing it on top of their entertainment center. I thought it seemed intriguing and distinctly remember opening the clear plastic lid and pressing my hand down. I remembering feeling the grooves and how the turntable's texture was rubbery, and wrapping my fingers around the metal spindle in the center, but not seeing a record and feeling very curious into how this alien technology worked. It was immediately a very tactile thing and I was very curious as to how it operated.
Do you remember the first record you ever bought?
I want to say it was an AFI 7", I wasn't entirely sure if I knew how to play it, I just thought it was cool and knew I wanted it. I was probably 13 or 14. I bought it at Hot Topic in the mall. Secretly, of course, because my mom didn't let me shop there. I didn't even have a turntable yet. I think my second one was probably Bright Eyes' Lifted on vinyl. That was the first time in my life that a new album came out and I immediately purchased it on vinyl. I got it through Saddle Creek's [record label] mail order.
What was your first big record store experience?
Reckless Records on North Broadway in Chicago, probably 2004 or so. I was a freshman in high school visiting Chicago to see family. As a 14 year old, it was the coolest place I could imagine being in. I distinctly remember the record reviews on the stickers on the plastic sleeves and thinking that whoever writes these must be the coolest person ever. I had found this place that I didn't think could even exist. It was also in the hay day of my angsty emo era, so I came to buy the Bright Eyes vinyl box set. I had saved up for a really long time, and going there to buy it in person with my own money was a really special experience. Going to Chicago and getting to buy it in a cool record store was the coolest thing I had done up to that point in my life.
Wait... Didn't we listen to that box set?
[Laughs] We would end up listening to that same box set one of our first times hanging out.
Tell me about some significant record purchasing experiences.
Probably in like 2011, I was having a bad day and went to Reckless Records in Wicker Park, Chicago. There, behind the counter, with their special limited box sets, was Bobby Beausoliel's soundtrack to Kenneth Anger's film Lucifer Rising. That year, I got into an intense obsession with Kenneth Anger's films and had yet to hear the entirety of the soundtrack that Beausoliel had composed. The box set was the complete soundtrack on 5 LPs, originally composed for the film. I was really fascinated with Anger's films and his self-absorbed mysticism. I had read all about his relationship with the composer and the soundtrack for the film was really heavy, intense, powerful, almost cathartic stuff.
What was the last record you bought?
They've been repressing lots of world music and I bought a Cambodian pop record called Groove Club Vol. 3: Cambodia Rock Intensified! I'm really into these reissues of music that is really hard hard to find. I'm into seeing hard to find, niche world music being repressed on vinyl and being made available.
What new music are you excited about?
I like whatever the label Secretly Canadian puts out, so I'm sure they have some good releases coming out soon.
What shows have you been to lately?
I saw the Distant Worlds Philharmonic Orchestra perform songs from the Final Fantasy video game series in Newark, NJ. Being a big fan of the series, it was the second time I've seen it, and it's always an emotional experience. The series has such wonderful music and it's great to see it celebrated in such a magnificent way.
Any shows on the horizon you’re going to?
I'm thinking of catching Sufjan Stevens in Albany. I've never seen him and would like to.
Favorite show you’ve ever been to?
Owen Pallet at Hailey's in Denton in 2007. He played solo with a puppeteer doing shadow puppetry on an overhead projector. It was a small club and a small crowd and super intimate.
How does listening to music on vinyl relate to your profession?
Well, I work in a job that involves preserving entertainment and cultural media in its original medium, and holding by the belief that its original format is the best way to experience said media. So, it's no surprise that when I move from movie watching to listening to music, I also prefer to listen to music in the medium it was intended to be heard in. It really reinforced this belief when I went to the Library of Congress and had the opportunity of listening to several different formats in a state of the art listening room. In that room, I was able to really hear how the format influenced the sound on a level that I had never been able to deeply appreciate before.
What is the future of vinyl?
I think that the revival of the record pressing industry is a good example of how collectors and people who are passionate about something that is otherwise obsolete can have the power to create a demand that can generate, albeit maybe niche or small, a market. Small businesses making small amounts of things for a small amount of people. The best way we can support this is to keep buying them and listening to them.
Hello all, and welcome to crateness. This blog is a long time coming, and probably should have arrived sooner. It is my entry into the lovable, endearing, wacky world of music journalism.
Backing up a bit, what this blog will be: mostly conversational, including many interviews with
my friends
my family
records collectors, both local and not
record store owners
other music bloggers
musicians
anyone else with interesting opinions on the music industry?
We will talk about musical memories, the future of vinyl, our favorite records, favorite concerts, music news, playing shows, and what collecting records has meant to them. It will have emphasis on the presence of music in the full physical format: the vinyl record. I will also likely review some records that hold significance to me.
As for me: I am a lifelong music fanatic, and although not so much a musician, have had music take up significant parts of my life for as long as I can remember. I've dug through bins of records in countless cities, seen enough shows to probably lose significant hearing ability, and consumed years of my life curating my musical collection. I've spent some of the most meaningful and critical moments of my life absorbed in listening to a record.
I recall pretty clearly when my parents dug out their turntable sometime in the 90s and put on Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (it's still good, obviously). I have endless memories of spending my youth at shows in dingy basements and community centers, collecting extremely limited pressings of punk records. I can still feel how I felt when I inherited my parents' collection and the memories contained within. I remember hitting up Good Records in Dallas, TX and later Reckless Records in Chicago, IL weekly and spending way too long and way too much money within.
All of these experiences have led to this hobby holding much personal significance to my life and character. They take up much physical space, time, money, and effort, but having physical objects of the music that I love is essential to me. I feel inspired enough to muse on this experience and on all the particulars involved.
This blog is a work in progress, and will probably get smoother as time goes on.
I'm always open to comments, suggestions, questions, and concerns. Hope to engage in some conversation soon.
P.S. The title is a reference to the milk crates that many store their records in. Obviously.
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