Vinyl Emergency

Recorded in front of a live audience at Pinwheel Records in Chicago, we celebrate Vinyl Emergency's first birthday with vocalists/guitarists Chris Broach and Bob Nanna of influential emo quartet Braid! On top of performing three rare acoustic songs, the guys also chat about working with J. Robbins on Braid's iconic 1997 album "Frame & Canvas," what they currently have been purchasing on vinyl, hilarious tour stories, their first introduction to vinyl as kids, the differences in writing and releasing albums now versus during their original tenure in the 90's, their upcoming side projects, and so much more! Check out some photos from this special evening over at facebook.com/vinylemergency and keep up on Braid news on Twitter or Facebook, @BraidCentral. Also, visit our social media this week to enter to win a rare copy of "Frame & Canvas" on picture disc, limited to 330 copies, courtesy of Polyvinyl Records! SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records at 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood; Vinyl For A Cause, promoting charitable good, one record sale at a time; Flipbin: the handy as hell, flip-thru, now-playing, keep 'em close, flip/play/display storage for your favorite vinyl records. Follow @VinylEmergency on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Questions and feedback are always welcomed at [email protected]. Please consider making a donation over at vinylemeregncy.com, leaving an iTunes review or sharing our program with a friend!

In a relatively short amount of time, Matt Ross-Spang has grown from Sun Studio tour guide to one of the most sought-after producers and engineers in music. Having moonlighted behind the boards at Sun after business hours while juggling high-school, Matt helped bring the historic studio back to its analog roots and eventually stepped out on his own at the behest of Grammy-winner and Nashville studio staple Dave Cobb. This led to Matt engineering releases for John Prine, Jason Isbell, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Amanda Shires and Josh Ritter, as well as helming records for Margo Price, Lucero and Iron & Wine's latest collaboration with Calexico. Recently, Amazon even plucked him to produce, curate and debut a unique digital audio series featuring Al Green's first new recording in nearly a decade. To sum it up best, NPR describes Ross-Spang as "a music history geek with a brilliant ear for blending studio precision with spontaneity," while Rolling Stone touts him as "one of the most trusted arbiters of the Memphis sound." That last moniker rings especially true this month, as Sony/Legacy celebrates the 50th anniversary of one of Elvis Presley's most pivotal years by releasing a massive 11CD box set and 2LP vinyl edition of performances from August 1969 at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. All originally recorded to 8-track and newly mixed to analog by Matt, this string of shows is especially notable for featuring a full orchestra and the live debut of one of the King's biggest hits, "Suspicious Minds." Recorded at Sam Phillips' iconic studio in Memphis, today's interview features Matt's insight on the psychology of recording, examples of records where the room acts as an instrument, his trajectory within the industry and how a career in documenting music has changed the way he listens. Matt's social media and additional information on his work can be found at southerngrooves.com. To learn more about Sam Phillips Recording Service, visit samphillipsrecording.com.

When Seattle-based singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato began releasing solo albums in the late 90's -- at a time when vinyl was all but out of the mainstream consciousness -- it was important to him that every single release of his was pressed to wax. Fast forward to 2016, and he's now celebrating the 10th anniversary reissue of "Makers" on Barsuk Records -- his favorite in his discography, and viewed as his crowning achievement among his fans -- with a tour fronting a talented band that gives new thrilling dynamics to that album's intimacy. Downstairs at Chicago's famed Schubas Tavern, Rocky and I chat about his DIY aesthetic, the idea that music isn't truly real until it's on vinyl, sharing records with his brother and Waxing bandmate Cody (who later went on to form The Blood Brothers), motorcycle movie soundtracks, raising his kids on Neutral Milk Hotel, recording a recent seven-inch live directly to lacquer, recording stories with Chris Walla and Casey Foubert, bouncing around between some of indie-rock's most prolific labels, the differences between himself now and the Rocky who wrote and recorded "Makers," and much more! Visit RockyVotolato.com for all his music, social media and current tour dates. SPONSORS: Pinwheel Records, 1722 W. 18th St. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood; KeepersRecordClub.com, where you can save 10% on all subscriptions with promo code VINYLEMERGENCY at check out. If you like the show, leave us an iTunes review or donate to keep us up and running and you'll be entered into the Mint Condition Coalition, giving you entry into a gigantic giveaway at the end of 2016 for records and swag from Vinyl Me Please, Warner Bros., Topshelf, Wax Mage, Hey Mercedes and much more. Visit vinylemergency.com and click 'donate' for more info! Follow @VinylEmergency on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Show questions and feedback are welcomed at [email protected].