I am excited to bring you our first Vinyl Collector of the Month for 2008, Seth Hall. Seth has been a strong supporter of Vinyl Collective since the beginning, but that is not the reason I picked him. Honestly, it gets really difficult to distinguish one person each month to be our VCOTM as there are so many great supporters that are all worthy of receiving this honor. The reason I picked Seth is due to the following story and Seth’s being such a good sport through it all.

Back in November, Seth’s wife, Nicole, emailed me asking for some help finding Seth a one of a kind Christmas present. Seth had asked for only one thing, a Tim Barry test pressing, and asked for it with a disclaimer that it would be pretty close to impossible to get. She wrote me explaining all of this and wanting to help the Hall family have a great Christmas, I agreed to sell her a “Laurel St Demos” test pressing. After the purchase was complete and the test press was off to the Hall household, I had decided to offer a few test pressings of each of our releases for others to get something special for the holidays. I had mentioned on the message board that sometime in the near future, I would post some test pressings and every day Seth went to work, he had his wife Nicole keep an eye out for it. Nicole become worried that Seth might try to purchase a Tim Barry test pressing and we had made a plan ahead of time to make up some excuse (“sorry Seth, but we oversold this test pressing”) in the event he was quick enough to purchase one. Guess what? Seth was quick enough to purchase one of the Tim Barry test pressings and that is when Nicole took over. Nicole expressed her strong disappointment that Seth would purchase something for himself when they had 5 children to buy gifts for. She told Seth that he would need to write us and cancel his order. Seth wrote me explaining the situation saying that Nicole’s anger really was unlike her, but that she was right that he probably should not be spending so much on himself throughout the holidays. It was really hard for me not to feel bad for Seth, but I knew that when he opened his gift, it would all be worth it. Nicole had written that Seth was really bummed about it all, and that she felt really bad, but she knew it would all work out in the end. Christmas came and when it came time for Seth to unwrap his special gift, he just sat there speechless when he realized what he had in his hands. He took a minute then looked up at Nicole and said, “That’s why you were such a bitch”. Nicole showed Seth all of our emails which just blew Seth away. Seth wrote me soon after saying how stoked he was at the circumstances behind him receiving this record. It was so fun to be involved in this little holiday secret that I felt that Seth deserved to be our next Vinyl Collector of the Month for how well he handled being denied getting the one of a kind test pressing.

Thanks Seth for being such a great sport and for taking the time to answer these questions. I should note that Nicole deserves a lot of credit, too, for taking so much time in getting Seth a few test pressings as so many significant others rarely take such lengths to support their husband’s hobby. Happy holidays Hall family and thanks for having us involved in such a great holiday story.
VC: Your name and the city you live in.
SH: My name is Seth Hall and I live in Manchester, New Hampshire.

VC: How many records do you own?
SH: 250+/-

VC: Why do you collect vinyl?
SH: I guess it took root when I was a kid with my parent records. I thought it was the coolest thing that those little grooves could produce so much sound. As I got into punk/independent music, vinyl was accessible (through mail order) and cheaper. I enjoy taking the time to lift the needle and spin each side. Life is usually so busy, just taking the time to sit down and listen lets me keep my sanity sometimes. Downloading and even cd’s seem to be an almost soul-less medium, made just to fit into our fast paced lives. To find a wanted record you have to seek it out,mp3’s are at your fingertips and can be enjoyed in a matter of seconds. A record on the other hand, could take you weeks, months, or even years to get your hands on. It just makes it that much sweeter when you finally get to listen to it.

VC: What is your most prized record in your collection?
SH: Probably Dixie by Avail, I bought it 11-12 years ago at a show and have played it hundreds of times (its pretty tired). Not really that rare or special. My wife has bought me a few test presses in the last month that are pretty high on the list also.

VC: What release would you like to see come out on vinyl that hasn’t yet been released?
SH: I’m an Avail geek so I’d like to see ‘Live at the Bottom of the Hill’ pressed.

VC: What is the most you have spent for a record?
SH: A trade/sale combo that probably set me back about $65.

VC: What out of print record would you kill to own?
SH: test presses of Avail’s Lookout! releases

VC: Your last 5 record that you purchased?
SH: Tim Barry – Laurel St. Demos white cover orange/red vinyl
Vegas Thunder – test press
Drag the River – Gabba Gabba Hey Buddies… test press
Drag the River – Has a Way with Women 7′ test press
Fake Problems – Wizard Eyes 7′