If you're a hardcore vinyl aficionado, and you're on Instagram, then you probably already know Shawna, aka vinylxdenim. The Orange County, CA music head posts shots of her many wax finds from her gorgeously decorated home. Yes, think of her profile page as a combination of Discogs and Dwell magazine.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I present Shawna to our Record Collector series.
When did you start collecting records?
I started collecting records around 1996. In junior high I was really into grunge and alternative music, but when I started high school, I met a group of guys that got me involved in the straight edge hardcore scene. The first bands that really opened my eyes to the scene were Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today. I started going to shows regularly in 1995 and collecting records shortly after that. There's a record store in Huntington Beach, CA called Vinyl Solution and that's where all the hardcore kids went in Orange County back then. It was open late so we would just go there and hang out and buy records. Unfortunately, I stopped buying records in the early 2000s because you know, CDs, but luckily I held on to all the records I had bought for many years until I started collecting again a few years ago.
Where do you usually get your records?
I still go to record stores often (Bionic, Port of Sound, Burger Records, etc.), but social media these days is how I usually find out about pre-orders or special releases. If I'm looking for something older then I go to Discogs. I've never actually bought a record off ebay and I've never sold a record, I like to hoard them.
What is your most prized record in your collection?
My most prized record, I have a few, but I'll pick one: Unbroken Life.Love.Regret on blue (1994). I got it when I did a short intern stint at Network Sound/New Age Records. Colin Buis (Mean Season) got me the gig because we were good friends and they would pay me in merchandise. He handed me that record and said "you need to have this." I've had it ever since and it's just one of those records that I still listen to and it still fills me with so many emotions. It's just truly an amazing, heartbreaking record.
What is the most money you've ever spent on a single record?
I try not to get too crazy and spend a ton on specific records but I did recently purchase Cave In's Beyond Hypothermia for $200, and that's the most I've spent on a single record. Cave In is an all-time favorite band of mine and out of every band that I like they're the one band that I actually someday would like to own every version of every album. I have a pretty extensive collection at this point but am definitely going to keep collecting them as they pop up on discogs or randomly in stores.
Is there anything that frustrates you about the current record collecting scene?
The main thing that frustrates me about record collecting are the people just trying to make a profit. Like buying multiple versions of a limited record so they can jack up the price and resell it. I just think it's shitty. I would never do that. There are a ton of things that annoy me about record collectors on the Internet, like the comments they leave, I roll my eyes at least five times a day. People just think that their opinion is so matter of fact when it's truly just their opinion. No one else cares. Get over yourselves.
What are some records that you've been on the hunt for and can't seem to track down anywhere?
I'm still working on my Cave In collection, like I said, but two records that I've wanted forever and just haven't pulled the trigger when I see them online are Threadbare Feeling Older Faster on blue and Deftones Adrenaline on pink. I just need to buy them and get over it. There will always be a million records that want and that's what makes it fun and also gives me a headache.
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Follow Shawna on Instagram.
Tagged: hardcore, record collector, vinylxdenim
