Q&A REmix with Seven Black

Q&A Remix is a frequent column on IHTOV in which people from all walks of life answer a set of questions about their vinyl collection. Today we welcome Seven Black of the band Headlight Rivals.

Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork? 

Tons! I have 25 copies of Whipped Cream and Other Delights , and couple of spoofs of that Herb Alpert classic .

What is your most memorable vinyl buying/receiving experience? 

I won a copy of Ween’s Chocolate and Cheese in a bet on who could last the longest without smoking cigarettes. What’s the most treasured album in your collection and why? Probably the Replacements Let it Be it pretty much encapsulates growing up in the 80s for me . Any time I need a time capsule I listen to it and it never gets old . Emotionally a roller coaster for Gen X and romantics . 

What one record in your collection would you be most eager to share with new friends? 

Tobacco Fucked Up Friends . Amazing band doing electronic sounding psychedelic on real instruments. Perfect music for drugs . 

 Do you have a definitive album of choice for spring, summer, autumn and winter?

A Soul Christmas opening with “Back Door Santa “ is a must for winter time.

Blue Train (Coltrane) or Kinda Blue (miles Davis) fit the spring very well. 

Summer time you gotta have  either This Year’s Model or My Aim is True (Elvis Costello) or Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers live. Lots of ways to dance on these records and the summer is for dancing. 

The fall can have a lot of options. Obviously Halloween really makes it hard to narrow down the field. Gotta have the Cramps Bad Music For Bad People or Samhain’s November Coming Fire. Definitely a good blues sampler like Fat Possum’s Not the Same Old Blues Bullshit fits the bill and gives you plenty of autumn feeling songs. 

What is/are your white whale records, something you have your eye on but haven’t been able to get?

There’s so many Guided by Voices LPs I haven’t found affordable. Luckily they reissue a lot of the stuff. But there’s several briefcase series I can’t afford. 

Who/what got you hooked on records?

I went to a punk show when I was 12 and they were throwing free records out to the crowd. I got a Sid Vicious solo record and Psychedelic furs record and it kinda began. My older brother had a pretty decent record collection so I had a template or outline to aim for. 

What’s your favorite record to listen to on headphones? 

Jesus Lizard GOAT. Brilliantly mixed, unparalleled drums and bass.

Tell us a little about your favorite record store. 

SOS in Manhattan, Kansas is my family. They have been in my life probably longer than most people, even before they opened their own record store they worked at our local record store. Keeping it rolling is important and a real risk as anyone knows! 

What’s the weirdest record you own? 

Probably religious related stuff or politics, the rest is just normal weird. 

Have you ever bought a record based on hearing it playing in a record store? 

Quite a few times . I’ve also bought quite a few after hearing small snippets in movies. Recently added Nick Waterhouse to my vinyl collection just because of a cutscene in a movie. 

How has your record collection and appreciation for vinyl evolved over the years, and what has influenced your tastes? 

I started collecting music as a kid with no real grasp of how or when music was created. It took a while for me to accept anything other than punk rock. I had to mature and understand music a little more and see it as something more than a catalyst to getting laid or releasing anger. Being a musician at the same time did help the maturing process. And now I still learn something amazing through vinyl almost everyday. 

Name the top three vinyls you own that could describe you or your vibe

Soul Asylum Hangtime

Asie Payton Worried

Melvin’s Houdini 

What’s the last record you played? 

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion’s Orange

Seven Black is a Kansas native, currently playing bass In Headlight Rivals from Manhattan Kansas. Also owner operator of Monkey House Productions MHK LLC . I provide vintage musical equipment and modern equipment for live performance. I also do artwork for different applications, such as flyers, shirts , albums , logos. Etc.. Monkey House also grades , cleans and catalogs private music collections for insurance documentation and estate planning. Headlight Rivals just released a new album “Drum Machine” out on Dumb Ghost Recording Enterprises. I also play in a Psychedelic New wave band called “Plastique “ , and an Americana Midwest punk inspired band The Latchkey Party.