The morning air has begun to turn crisp, and in a few more weeks I’m certain I will see my breath in the air. Winter has always been a time of reflection, and for me this winter marks the second year that I have moved to San Antonio. Sometimes, it feels like I’ve moved from place to place without ever taking the time to stop and breathe. Of course, for all of my friends that are currently jobless, it seems like stopping and breathing is a pretty overrated thing.
This weekend I went to Austin to visit some of my best friends. It was a completely rejuvenating experience, given that I’ve been in San Antonio for nearly a month and a half without stepping away, and the change in scenery was exactly what the doctor ordered. I woke up early Saturday morning to grab breakfast, and then ended up wandering around South Congress until I found myself at a Friend’s of Sound Records
Now, I happen to love collecting vinyl. I know, it seems an incredibly hipster thing to do in this age of iTunes and mp3s, but for some reason I just love records. I feel that the size of a 12″ vinyl is an absolutely perfect size to truly appreciate album art, and the actual act of listening to vinyl is highly ritualistic.
Take the vinyl out
Place it on the turntable
Find the groove, put the needle down
Press play
It’s a form of commitment to music that just feels right. At least, a lot less fleeting than clicking on an mp3 and then changing the song 2 minutes in to another mp3, over and over again.
So, the entire reason for this post is that I found two of my absolute favorite albums available in fantastic condition.
The first, Small Change by Tom Waits, was an absolute gem and I immediately snatched it up the second I saw it. Tom Waits is one of those artists who managed to authoritatively define and redefine his sound several times throughout his career, moving from a bluesy, piano playing beat poet to a completely uncategorizable artist. Small Change is one of his earlier albums, an incredible bluesy piano driven album with brilliant storytelling lyrics that paint vivid images of childhood friendship, romance, alcoholism, love and regret of a blue collar gentleman of the early 70s. Highly recommended, and you will get used to the voice 
I’ll share the other album on another night. Cheers!