If you’re anything like me (and if you’re reading this, I have reason to suspect you are), chances are you love listening to music on vinyl.
Maybe you’re a regular at any one of Nashville’s numerous record stores, ranging from the seminal Grimey’s to Jack White’s Third Man Records to my favorite combination-record-store-brewery Vinyl Tap. And as a reader of the WRVU blog, you’re already predisposed to caring about this unique medium of listening to music.
If that’s you, then boy, do I have the documentary for you.
This year’s Vinyl Nation is an exploration of all the things we love about vinyl, filmed mostly in spring 2019 at Record Store Day events, record conventions, and in local stores and pressing plants. The doc takes a look at what makes vinyl such an alluring form of music—and what allowed it to be resilient after the “Dark Ages” of the 1990s and 2000s.
Interviews with vinyl nerds like Third Man’s Ben Blackwell and Mark Michaels of Nashville’s own United Record Pressing showcase the nerdy love of music for music’s sake that lies at the heart of record collecting. It’s hard not to fall in love with Vinyl Nation‘s charm, and I found myself with a smile on my face virtually the entire time.
It’s a great way to pass 90-ish minutes, and the abundance of Nashville landmarks make this a great way to remind you of being at Vandy, even from afar. As a vinyl aficionado myself, so much of this film rang true to my own experience, as well as illuminating beliefs I didn’t even know I had.
The film is available now through Record Store Day Black Friday until November 30th. You can purchase a 72-hour rental from Nashville’s own The Groove here for $12, with 50% of proceeds going directly to the store.