Sam from Erie St Vinyl Talks Records and Audio

We had a great visit with Sam from Erie St. Vinyl in Massillon, Ohio.

Selfie time with Sam and Billy Dees on location at Erie St. Vinyl.

Do you remember the feel of old record stores back in the 1970s? In addition to vinyl record bins around the store, Erie St Vinyl is decorated with vintage audio gear and décor. They even burn incense so that the aroma of the store has a classic record store vibe.

During this interview we discuss how people’s listening habits to music has changed, and how a new generation of music fans are discovering vinyl. We also chat about the business aspect of opening a brick-and-mortar shop to cater to the vintage audio and vinyl music fan.

You can find Erie St. Vinyl on Facebook.

Regarding the production, this episode was recorded on location at Erie St. Vinyl. Since Covid, it has been difficult to do location recordings. Although online production tools have improved over the past several years, it is still a great experience to record guests in their own environment with a mobile system.

This can bring a set of technical challenges. Very often location settings are noisy, don’t have have treated environments, and will often have loud air conditioning or appliances running in the background. However, we have found it is worth it to enter someone else’s world. The audience certainly appreciates this aspect of the interview over any minor imperfection of sound or lighting.

The environment of Erie St. Vinyl itself was worth capturing. The space is absolutely loaded with charm and atmosphere. Sam deserves much credit for following her goal of creating this great place.

You can find the interview on your favorite podcasting platform including the Spotify player below. We also recorded a videocast which is also posted below. The video version contains footage of the shop.

“Tour Book” Author Rachel Pfennig Hales

Rachel Pfennig Hales

On this podcast episode we are talking with Rachel Pfennig Hales about her first full length publication “Tour Book,” which came out just this past April.

The book talks about what happens behind the scenes of your favorite concert tours. Every trick, costume or scene change, and the sound and lighting; require the preparation and skill of a dedicated support staff.

After it is done, it is time to move on to the next venue and do it again.

Tour Book

The book contains true stories from the rock and roll roadies who have helped create the world’s biggest concert tours.

Rachel Pfennig Hales has a Bachelor of Arts from DePauw University, a Master of Arts in English Studies from National University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College.

You can find the Billy Dees Podcast on nearly all of the major podcast networks. For your convenience, the episode is available in this post.

You can also view the webcam version of the podcast on YouTube.