Whether you were in love, loss or loneliness this Valentine’s Day, you could have found some music to match your night at the D.C. Record Fair yesterday at the Black Cat.
For $2, shoppers had access to more than 30 record dealers from around the East Coast, as well as food, drinks and a stellar DJ lineup featuring, among others, Ian Mackaye (Dischord), Geologist (Animal Collective) and Eric Hilton (Thievery Corporation).
For the past two years, the D.C. Record Fair has made its way around town in different venues with organizers intending to have a more vibrant and exciting environment than people might expect from a record fair.
“The average record fair is about old guys in a Holiday Inn ballroom,” said Neal Becton, the owner of Som Records and a fair organizer.
“Not lady-friendly,” his wife chipped in.
Becton, along with three others from the Washington record community, has organized the record fair from the beginning. Inspiration actually came from College Park, when a record fair Becton and Kevin Coombe, of www.dcsoulrecordings.com, planned on attending twice fell apart at the last minute. The two decided to put together their own fair, enlisting the help of Jon Meyers from The Vinyl District, a Washington blog on vinyl, and Chris Knott, an avid record collector and dealer.
After two years, the D.C. Record Fair has continued to grow in size and popularity. Yesterday, it arrived at one of Washington’s most popular music venues.
“We always wanted to do the Black Cat because of a few things,” Coombe said. “It has a great location, everybody knows it, and it means getting involved with their marketing.”
As the one in charge of selection, Coombe made sure the fair had a wide variety of records available, genre- and price-wise.
“We’ll have just about everything D.C.-esque,” Coombe said. The selection included hardcore, soul, go-go and local rap. Patrons heard everything from standard rock “all the way out to world and reggae.”
For the starving student, Meyers pointed to the dollar bins and added another tip: Go later when the chances are better for haggling.
“People come early when things are marked up,” he said. “The best time is later when dealers need to sell things.”
Of course, collectors and vinyl-philes had plenty to look at, but the fair organizers agreed the event was intended to bring in a wide audience. Although vinyl certainly appeals to a variety of different niches, according to Knott, the organizers were “going for the biggest niche possible.”
Knott, who was also dealing at the fair, described his strategy as a combination of rarities and more commercial selections.
“I bring in some things to maybe make a lot of money and also some things that I know people always want,” he said.
According to Knott, anyone looking to start a record collection is fortunate to live near the District, especially at a time when vinyl is resurging.
None of the organizers seemed to profess any sort of vinyl elitism, but each of them has been collecting for years. With a national buzz building around the return of the vinyl format in the absence of CDs, the D.C. Record Fair got a large, diverse attendance from patrons young and old.
“The average age is much lower,” Meyers said. “It makes me happy to see high school kids holding records under their arms.”
As for why vinyl and why now, Knott has a simple explanation.
“I try not to be impractical,” Knott said. “I don’t see a turntable in my car. Just like with books, nothing replaces the physical object of something you enjoy.”
Added Becton: “They sound better, look better, and they’re cooler.”
waldo@umdbk.com
