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Vinyl Fever is music to fans' ears

For 25 years, the store has offeredunderground sounds andmore for those with a taste for something different.

By JAY CRIDLIN
Published March 31, 2006

PALMA CEIA WEST - Vinyl Fever has always waved a flag for the new.

New Order. New Radicals. New Edition. New Pornographers. Neu! New Found Glory. The New York Dolls. New wave. New age. Nu metal. New jack swing.

New Kids on the Block? Maybe not so much.

But for the most part, if it was new and you wanted to hear it, Vinyl Fever was one place in Tampa where you could go buy it.

"You're more than likely going to get turned on to something that you had no idea was out there in a place like this," says longtime clerk Carl Webb, 40. "All of our personalities are involved here."

That's one reason Vinyl Fever's sales have stayed strong for 25 years. It's also why the store is celebrating its silver anniversary with a month of in-store parties and performances from national acts.

OK Go played a set there March 11, and hundreds came to see 30 Seconds to Mars, with singer Jared Leto, on March 15. Hangar 18 and Apsci performed Sunday, and local act SoundChemist will stage a free concert at 10 p.m. today.

For 25 years, Vinyl Fever - which opened at 15th Street and Fletcher Avenue, then moved twice to its current spot at 4110 Henderson Blvd. - has been a top source for obscure punk, funk and jazz titles; 'zines on the local art scene; and one of the best places in Tampa to find good, cheap used music.

"There's people that have been coming here forever," says Lee Wolfson, whose brother, Dave, ran a record store in Ohio before moving to Florida to co-found Vinyl Fever.

"I've helped kids who were going to high school back when I started, who now come in and bring their kids, which is kind of scary," says longtime clerk Gabe Echazabal, 38. "But it's cool that they're still into it, and they're passing it on."

In-store concerts are old hat at Vinyl Fever. Alejandro Escovedo, Prince Paul, Daniel Lanois, Camper Van Beethoven, Elefant, Dan Bern, Teenage Fanclub and Rodney Crowell have performed there. Others come in just to buy music, like RuPaul, Glenn Danzig, the B-52's Fred Schneider and Digital Underground's Shock-G.

Like WMNF-88.5, Vinyl Fever has staunchly supported underground music in the Tampa Bay area. For years, the station and store were two of the only places to discover new sounds.

The Internet has changed all that. "Everything is much more available than it used to be," Wolfson says. "You might be able to get online and send away for something that you couldn't get 10 years ago."

But Vinyl Fever has grown with the Internet. Its Web site, www.vinylfever.com, has an online store, lots of photos and streaming music, and a comprehensive list of local bands and upcoming concerts.

It's another example of how Vinyl Fever has managed to thrive, even as other indie record stores open and close around them.

"We still have a lot of diehards who still come in on Tuesday, without fail, to buy new releases," says Echazabal, who has worked there since 1991. "I think people have come to rely on us for that, for new stuff and for our opinions.

"It sounds corny," he adds, "but if I can still keep that spirit and enthusiasm at a high level, then I feel like I'm doing my job."

[Last modified March 30, 2006, 14:36:58]