If vinyl is making a comeback, then the DJ may as well make a comeback, too.
I’m not talking about what passes for a DJ in today’s world of electronic music. I’m talking about a person whose talent in the music world is putting together a set list and playing songs from it ... on vinyl. A disc jockey, if you will, like Michael Davenport.
Time was, a person spinning music in a club was spinning vinyl records. Rock, funk, blues, disco and punk were all spun on a turntable, often two. They weren’t matching beats. They weren’t mixing, and they certainly weren’t creating art out of two already-existing pieces of music. These people simply playing music, on a turntable, and people danced and liked it.
This form of entertainment never went away. New York’s Jonathan Toubin is creating a revolutionary ruckus with his parties, featuring nothing but soul and R&B 45s, which are attended by thousands. “Mad Mike” Metrovich was a legendary DJ spinning 45s decades ago. They’re not alone.
Vinyl junkies always have been out there. Dive bars full of beer and music geeks nationwide have had nights when some guy with a killer record collection has entertained with the records he has owned since the 1980s and before. It sure beats those Internet-connected jukeboxes charging a buck a tune. Starting Tuesday, Ska Brewing Co. will get on board the vinyl revival. This summer, KDUR DJ and record collector Michael Davenport will spend Tuesday evenings spinning his record collection of early soul and garage rock. “Techno” won’t be muttered, and a laptop won’t be a part of the DJ rig. This will take the place of Ska’s Super Ted’s Super Trivia night, which goes on hiatus for the summer.
“I don’t have a laptop, I don’t have an MP3 player, not even a CD. It’s going to be only wax, only vinyl,” Davenport said. The guy’s only experience with being a DJ is on KDUR; his summer tenure at Ska came about strictly because Ska owner Dave Thibodeau liked his radio show.
Davenport also a collector; it’s likely he’d just be at home spinning 45s for his family on a Tuesday night, so he might as well share his art.
“45 records, for me, are one of those forgotten forms of art,” Davenport said. “The 45 was cheap. It was cheap to put a single out. In the 50s and ’60s, groups would put a record out and try to get a deal with a label, so you get a wide mix of music on a 45. I enjoy digging through record bins, eBay and online for records.”
Davenport is not really sure what to expect from the summer Vinyl Nights. It’s not like he is trying to have some throwback to a campy sock-hop, especially when trying to entertain the Bodo Park crowd early on a Tuesday. The music, however, will be classic, and even though many of the tunes will be older than most of the ears enjoying them, it’s likely patrons haven’t heard it.
“I’m going to play garage and soul 45s – just that raw beat,” Davenport said. “You can dance to the music. Whether people will dance, I have no idea.”
Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu. Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager.
Bryant’s Best
Today: Caitlin Cannon and the Artillery, 6 p.m., free, The Balcony, 600 Main Ave., 422-8008.
Tuesday: Michael Davenport will spin old soul, R&B and garage rock on 45s, 6 p.m., free. Ska Brewing Co., 225 Girard St., 247-5792.
