Ep511: Nick Aguilar - Record Collector

Nick Aguilar of Frankie and the Witch Fingers and Slaughterhouse is a vinyl maniac! Today we discuss his collection, his obsession, the rarities and a life of music & record collecting. Topics Include: Nick Aguilar plays drums in multiple bands including Frankie and the Witch Fingers Currently focusing mainly on Frankie due to busy touring schedule ahead Extensive tour dates planned through end of year across US and Europe Considers himself a music fan first, musician second since childhood Dad played tapes during Nick's colic as baby, introducing classic rock Father went to San Pedro High School with future Minutemen members Dad chose commercial fishing over music after graduation in 1976 San Pedro's shipping port culture shaped the local music scene Nick has surpassed his dad's music knowledge over the years Started collecting at age 11 when neighbor gave away record collection First records included Rolling Stones "Some Girls" and Led Zeppelin "Physical Graffiti" Still regrets not taking Buzzcocks "Singles Going Steady" from that collection Casual collecting through school, seriously ramped up after high school graduation Pandemic period 2020-2022 massively accelerated his collecting and cataloging habits Taught himself DJing during lockdown to play records for people Discovered new genres like soul, funk, kraut rock through deep diving Got lucky buying expensive records cheap before current inflated market Focuses on 45s and 12-inches that work well for DJing Extreme organization needed to juggle multiple bands, touring, collecting, DJing Record store strategy: always hit new arrivals section first Holy grail wants include The Litter and James Knight records Uses both Discogs hunting and in-person digging at stores Thrift store finds getting much rarer as market knowledge spreads Appreciates reissue labels like Numero Group for discovering rare music Limited record shopping time while touring due to tight schedules Favorite shops include Breakaway in Austin and Academy in NYC Most expensive purchase: Helen Smith soul record for $2,900 on credit Most sentimental record: The Frighteners, reminds him of deceased friend Keeps multiple copies of key records for DJing versus home listening Band creates multiple vinyl variants through their Greenway Records label See Frankie and the Witch Fingers and order their vinyl here. High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide Apple: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-ios Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-spot Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/tvg-amazon Support the show at Patreon.com/VinylGuide