JACKSON, WY— Remember vinyls? The satisfying sound they made when they made first contact with the needle? The album covers that adorned living room walls as testament to your music taste?
Matt Donovan does. He’s made a life collecting them and selling them back to the community. He, Ellie Stratton Brook and Isaac Grossman will be selling more than a thousand of those records, by Donovan’s estimation, at Moe’s Original Bar B Que this Saturday, June 23.
Donovan travels to record shows in the area and around the Northwest buying and selling records. He also collects online. Then, Jackson reaps the benefits when he brings them home.
“It’s sort of been my M.O. to facilitate joy through the medium of music as well as to expose niches in Jackson,” Donovan said. “I’ve collected vinyl for a long time, but only in the past three or four years did I realize there was hardly any access to it around is in a geographic sense.” In fact, as far as he knows, his sale is the only one like it within a 4-6 hour drive.
And what a shame, he thought. Buying records online doesn’t offer the same experience as being able to “physically page through crates and boxes and open the jacket and inspect the quality of the records.”
Donovan’s collection includes something for every musical taste. He’s got Elton John and John Lennon. He’s got KISS. Wu-Tang, Mos Def and Outkast for hip-hop fans. Elliot Smith for the bleeding hearts.
“I’ve been traveling the country connecting with other sellers at record shows and buying entire collections for a while,” Donovan said. “I’m happy that Jackson continues to embrace it.
Moe’s will be dishing out their famous BBQ, and Roadhouse Brewing will keep the beer flowing from 4-8 p.m. Record prices start as low as $1.
