Vinyl Record Dude with Ryan
I’d like you to meet my friend, Ryan! A few nights ago, Ryan took me record shopping before one of our club meetings. Like myself, he’s a record collector, and we explored one of his favorite places: Vinyl Record Dude. Ryan is a Phoenix native and has lived in the Valley for his entire life. He’s currently a senior at Shadow Mountain, a fellow DAAPS student, and a very close friend of mine.
Ryan’s hidden gem, Vinyl Record Dude, is a super cool record store tucked into the plaza on the southeast corner of Scottsdale Rd. and Shea Blvd. Surprisingly, I had never been to or heard of this store before! I’ve spent an upsetting amount of money on records and CDs, but I tend to stick to the stores I’m familiar with. On ANOTHER very rainy night, I made the drive over to meet Ryan at this place. I turned the heat on in my car - that’s how chilly I was! Vinyl Record Dude was a warm and welcoming escape from the damp, dark world outside. We were immediately greeted by the two people working the store, engulfed by the punk music blasting out of the speakers around us. The store was super bright and clean, and had a great selection spanning a variety of categories. For it being a relatively small place, they had large sections for jazz, classical, punk, etc. - which can sometimes be a bit lackluster or hidden away at other stores. We spent a pretty decent amount of time shopping around, and I saw a bunch of different albums that I almost bought. When telling me about Vinyl Record Dude, Ryan made sure to mention the $4/5 records that they have available. Ryan’s a big jazz fan and he finds a lot of his favorite albums in the bins down below. Unfortunately, I only walked out with the sticker that one of the employees generously gave me, but Ryan got Fashion Nugget, an album by Cake that he really likes.
On their website, Vinyl Record Dude mentions their “non-judgmental” atmosphere; and I can confirm this is true! When we were checking out, the employee helping us taught us about the air holes poked into the packaging of records. The one Ryan got was a little older, but he was able to show us where it was. He explained that its purpose is to aid in the shipment process, keeping it from warping in various climates. He didn’t want us to leave the store without learning something new, and I thought it was super nice that he took the time to point that out to us! Their clear embrace of all genres and artists further exemplifies their willingness to share the art of physical media with anyone who walks through their doors.
Ryan has lived in the Phoenix metro area for his entire life and he’s currently a senior at Shadow Mountain High School. Aside from being a DAAPS student, Ryan plays for the varsity basketball and baseball teams. He also participates in Shadow’s North Valley Arts Academy Music Tech program, and he plays in a band with our friends Rocco and Troy. Similar to DAAPS, NVAA Music Tech is a four year program specific to Shadow Mountain; where students learn about music production, making beats, etc. Ryan talked to me about how he has recently gotten to experiment with new types of equipment for audio engineering and production. I just got to see their band, “Say Less”, perform at lunch last Friday — and they have some real talent! I really enjoyed getting to see what they’ve been working on in and out of class, and their original music is super fun to listen to. For Ryan’s DAAPSTONE project, he’s creating and selling beats online. He’s built up a following on Instagram and YouTube, and I’ve loved getting to watch how this process works as I don’t have much knowledge or experience with it!
All that being said, it makes sense why Ryan wanted to take me to this record store. He’s clearly passionate about music and the artistry behind it. It’s always cool to listen to the song recommendations he sends me too! Ryan found Vinyl Record Dude through another friend of ours, Jake, who brought him here a couple months ago. Ryan continues to build his record collection, and he’s bought some of his favorite albums here. He believes Phoenix is special for a multitude of reasons, but he sees value in our city’s experiences. Some of Ryan’s favorite memories include hiking through the Phoenix Mountain Preserve with his friends. He really enjoys spending time outdoors and he loves the opportunities available in Phoenix. He also likes the culture we have all around us. Our city sits as the fifth largest metropolitan area, and the people you cross paths with create the magic of our city.
If Ryan were on a deserted island, he would bring Red Hot Chili Peppers’ and J. Cole’s discographies with him. (I let him pick two)
