Tag Archives: music

2022 In Review

We saw a flurry of activity at the record store in 2022, with a return to some film screenings, stand-up comedy shows, and in-store events like Record Store Day. There was lots of new music and we tried to stock many of the titles that you looked forward to adding to your collection.

As we reflect on the past year and the events that we produced in The Vault, we are disappointed that we must leave the unique theater space within our store behind. We look forward to configuring our new space so that we can continue to provide entertaining events plus shopping experiences!

Enjoy checking out some of the events we had the joy of being part of this past year and stay tuned for what we’ve got planned for 2023!

“Edison 64” Screening, February

“Edison 64,” a feature-length documentary produced by American Veterans Media, screened at Vinyl Revival for free multiple times over a weekend. The film tells the story of the 64 students from Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia that were killed during the Vietnam War. Co-directed by Shawn Swords and Roger Bruce, the film explores the time the students spent at Thomas Edison High School and aims to shine a light on, and pay tribute to, the disproportionate number of Edison students turned soldiers who enlisted in the hopes of a better life but who ended up giving their lives.

Jokes From The Vault With Coby Jackk and Red Snapperrr, March

Powered by A Step Higher Inc. and PRESENTED BY @THEREALARTISTICMATTER, Vinyl Revival was excited to host a comedy show series, Jokes From The Vault, on the 2nd Saturdays of the month!

The all-inclusive VIP comedy experiences hosted by Heavy Footage featured side-splitting comedy, delicious food, and lots of fun! 

The March show featured Coby Jackk, Red Snapperrr, and food by Chef Mona Wilson who has been featured on Food Network, “Cupcake Wars,” “Sugar Showdown,” Food & Wine, “Dr. Oz,” People Magazine, Upscale Magazine, Eater, United Taste of America, and “Good Morning America.”

Band Fan Night – April

All killer, no filler, our monthly Band Fan Nights featured live clips on the big screen and lively conversation. Our April event featured concert clips from Cream with a special clip from a surprise artist.

Jokes From The Vault featuring Ken Jones

Our April comedy show featured Ken JonesA. R. Church, food, drinks, and a special live musical performance.

Record Store Day

YAY! We returned to a “traditional” Record Store Day!

After scaling back Record Store Day parties the past few years, we were excited to celebrate the annual event with our customers once again!

DJ Joe Foley provided in-store music all day and shoppers enjoyed complimentary light refreshments and drinks including Rosati‘s Blue Razz/Lemonade ice with “I Stand with Ukraine” packaging (a portion of sales went to Holy Myrrh Bearers Ukrainian Catholic Church.) We hosted a Pop-Up Shop with a selection of Rock and Roll Pillows from Tamme Handmade and gave out lots of fun Record Store Day swag!

Band Fan Night, June

We celebrated the music of Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, and Chicago Transit Authority.                      

Jokes From The Vault with Jamaican G

June’s Second Saturday comedy event featured headliner Jamaican G and food by TV Personality Chef Mona Wilson.

Record Store Day Drops

Vinyl Revival stocked titles that were Record Store Day Exclusives, RSD First titles, and Small Run/Regional Titles. Guests enjoyed complimentary light refreshments and drinks and we hosted a Pop-Up Shop with Fashion from The Royal Orange, a collective of fashion designers working together to build quality fashions for all women.

Band Fan Night, July

We celebrated British rock music with clips from The Who, The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things, The Kinks, and The Animals.

Jokes From The Vault Featuring Ty Raney

July’s edition of Jokes From The Vault featured Ty Raney, who has appeared on Kevin Hart’s “Hart of the City,” plus Emily Epstein White, Foster, and food by Chef Mona Wilson.

Jokes From The Vault Featuring Ish the Butler, August

This month’s Jokes From The Vault featured the comedic talents of Ish the Butler.

Band Fan Night

We enjoyed live performance clips from Man, Free, Rory Gallagher, and Deep Purple.

Evening Shopping During LBPA Night Market, September

The Lansdowne Business and Professional Association created a fun, evening shopping and dining event in the Central Business District’s Landing area so we stayed open late and offered some specials for the evening.

Band Fan Night

September 18th marked 52 years since Jimi Hendrix passed so September’s monthly fan night event paid tribute to him. We celebrated Jimi and watched some clips from his live performances.

Kids Music Day Craft, October

Our Kids Music Day Craft was held during Delco Arts Week.  Children ages K – 5th were invited to create and decorate a toilet paper roll shaker filled with an assortment of beads, rice, and pasta to make their mark on music.

“Life Without Parole” Screening

We screened the privately funded MainLineTV.org award-winning documentary film which tells the story of George Martorano, who was sentenced to life without parole in 1984 for marijuana-related offenses. He is the longest serving prisoner, first time, non-violent offender, in judicial history. Martorano also served almost 5 years in solitary confinement. The screening, produced as a Delco Arts Week event, included appearances by “Life Without Parole” Director Jill Frechie, Co-producer John Ricciutti, and George Martorano.

Record Store Day Black Friday, November

We stocked a large selection of exclusive and limited-edition titles to kick off the holiday shopping season and offered discounts on select in-stock records.

Our year ended with a move out of our location at 35-37 N. Lansdowne Avenue, but we’re excited about our new larger space at 26 N. Lansdowne Avenue.  Hope to see you at our new spot soon!

Band Fan Night

All killer, no filler!

September 18th marks 52 years since Jimi Hendrix passed so our September event pays tribute to him.

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Friday, September 16th at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be celebrating Jimi and watching some clips from surprise guests.

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the groups.

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

 

$5 admission at the door.

Band Fan Night

All killer, no filler!

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Friday, August 12th at 7:30 p.m.

We’ll be celebrating Man, Free, Rory Gallagher, and Deep Purple.

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the groups.

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

$5 admission at the door.

Band Fan Night

All killer, no filler!

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Friday,July 8th at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be celebrating The Who,
The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things, The Kinks, and The Animals.

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the groups.

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

$5 admission at the door.

Band Fan Night

Band Fan Night

 

All killer, no filler!

 

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Friday, June 3rd at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be celebrating Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, and Chicago Transit Authority.

 

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the groups.

 

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

 

Masks are optional.

 

$5 admission at the door.

Band Fan Night – April 1st

All killer, no filler!

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Friday, April 1st at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be celebrating Otis Redding and Cream with a special clip from a surprise artist.

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the groups.

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

Masks are optional.

$5 admission at the door.

Band Fan Night – October 23rd

All killer, no filler!

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Saturday, October 23rd at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be celebrating The Beatles to coincide with the release of the “Let It Be” special editions.

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the group.

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

With COVID cases on the rise, we recommend that attendees wear a mask.

$5 admission at the door.

Band Fan Night – September 25th

All killer, no filler!

Join us for our Band Fan Night on Saturday, September 25th at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be celebrating The Faces, Humble Pie, Robin Trower, and Ten Years After.

Enjoy live clips on the big screen, lively discussion, and music by the groups.

Feel free to bring your band memorabilia for show and tell!

With COVID cases on the rise, we recommend that attendees wear a mask.

$5 admission at the door.

“Charlie Gracie Fabulous” Film Screening

Join us on Sunday, October 3, 2021 for a special Delco Arts Week event taking place during Lansdowne’s Arts on the Avenue Festival!

Vinyl Revival and director Shawn Swords will host a special presentation of Swords’ documentary, “Charlie Gracie Fabulous” at 2 p.m. with a guest appearance by Charlie Gracie!

“Charlie Gracie Fabulous” chronicles the life and career of Rock and Roll Pioneer, Charlie Gracie. His #1 hit “Butterfly” knocked Elvis from the top of the charts in 1957 and sold over three million copies worldwide. He was the first artist on the Cameo-Parkway Record Label to have hits, bankrolling the company, thus enabling it to launch the careers of a dozen successful artists. He was the first solo American rock and roll star to bring the music to the British concert stage. Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Graham Nash, and Ray Davies are among his biggest musical admirers. The late George Harrison called his guitar technique “brilliant.” He continues to be a great ambassador for rock and roll, performing the roots of rock and roll all over the world.

This is a FREE event but tickets are limited! To reserve your space, please RSVP at info@vinylrevivalrecords.com.

Due to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, we recommend that attendees wear masks at the event.

 

“Summer of Soul” Hits all the Right Notes

I’ve wanted to see “Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” ever since I heard about its premiere at Sundance earlier this year. So when I saw that it was playing in the area, I decided to make my first movie theater visit in over a year.  I am so happy that I did!

For those unfamiliar with the film, “Summer of Soul” is a feature documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African American music and culture, and promoted Black pride and unity.

The directorial debut of Questlove from The Roots, the never-before-seen performance footage was fantastic and I loved how it was weaved into the overall historical and cultural context along with present-day interviews with attendees and performers.

The series of shows, directed and emceed by singer and DJ Tony Lawrence, took place over six weeks in the summer of 1969 at Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park) in Harlem and attracted a combined audience of over 300,000.  The shows were filmed. TV wasn’t interested.  The footage sat for 50 years…until now.

The archived footage was restored and it looks and sounds amazing! Some of the footage featured in the film includes performances by: Stevie Wonder who even played the drums at one point, B.B. King, Sly and the Family Stone, David Ruffin, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Nina Simone, The Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson, The 5th Dimension, Hugh Masekela, Herbie Mann, Mongo Santamaria, and more!

There was a variety of musical styles and artists but the two performances that stood out for me were The 5th Dimension singing “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In” and Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples sharing singing duties on one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite songs – “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.”

An interview with Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. about their performance was particularly touching. McCoo spoke about how some people thought that The 5th Dimension was not Black enough. She said that playing to the predominantly Black crowd who embraced them made her happy.

And the vocals in the performance of “Precious Lord” will give you goosebumps.  In an interview for the film, Mavis spoke of her great love for Mahalia and that sharing the mic with her that day in Harlem was one of the best moments of her life.

I find it so disappointing that I never heard about this incredible festival before but I am so glad that Questlove and the documentary team decided to share the music, history, joy, pride, and culture of the Harlem community with us now!

I can’t say enough good things about this film.  I loved it and if you love music, you will too!