Phonographic Memory

Writer Catherine Girardeau uncovers a story she wrote decades ago about an artist who came into her life and the LP he brought along with him. This story was recorded at our live show on April 26, 2017 at the Bernal Heights branch of the San Francisco Public Library. Host: Corey Bloom Producer: Ashleyanne Krigbaum ... Read more

Hip-Hop historian Davey D takes us back to the night that Public Enemy produced the track “911 is a Joke,” when a hunt for records ended with a nasty surprise from the NYPD. This story was recorded at our live show on July 8, 2017 at the Bernal Heights branch of the San Francisco Public ... Read more

Over the years, Justin Torres has brought many, lost Bay Area records back to life, through tracking down the original recordings and their histories. The story he shares with us is definitely rooted in his search for these lost songs, but goes even deeper. It’s about friendship and persistence, and why you should never overlook ... Read more

Josette Melchor shares a word of warning to those of us who combine our records with our housemates’ and reminds us how our personal relationships can permanently affect our record collections. This story was recorded at Noise Pop‘s Nightlife event on February 9, 2017 at the California Academy of Sciences. Host/Producer: Ashleyanne Krigbaum Photo: Matt ... Read more

Will Georgantas shares how getting to know a neighbor led not only to a friendship, but to an album he couldn’t have anticipated.   This story was recorded at our live show on February 24, 2016 at the Bernal Heights branch of the San Francisco Public Library. Host: Corey Bloom Producer/Sound Engineer: Ashleyanne Krigbaum Logo ... Read more

How do you balance restoring an abandoned building with creating an album from the ground up? You get your A&R to chip in on fixing the plumbing. Dug Infinite shares the story behind making the album “Accept Your Own & Be Yourself (The Black Album)” which he co-produced with No I.D. in 1997. Dug’s story ... Read more

As a firestorm swept across the hills of Oakland, Barb Hauser had to make a quick and very tough decision: which of her many records would she be taking with her when she evacuated. This story was recorded at our live show on December 16, 2015 at the Bernal Heights branch of the San Francisco ... Read more

While trying to forget a nightmarish encounter with his rental apartment in Istanbul, Corey stumbles upon a vinyl oasis and has a chance meeting with a long-time crate digger: Haluk Damar. In this episode, Haluk introduces us to a record (“Kime Ne” by iNSANLAR) that traces Turkey’s rich musical history, from Anatolian times, through several ... Read more

We’re highlighting two presenters who recently shared their stories on the Phonographic Memory stage: DJ Masha Pershay, who bridges thousands of miles with a Boney M record; and John Schreiner who spins a tale that starts where most great stories about discovering music should: in a skate punk house in the Midwest. This story was ... Read more

20 years ago, the San Francisco Public Library opened the doors of their main branch building in downtown San Francisco. To celebrate the anniversary of the opening, we curated a line-up of San Francisco musicians who recorded and released albums in 1996 to speak at our May session, including Ilyich Sato, better known as Equipto. ... Read more

Arthur O’Donnell shares the inspiration behind a local record, and the story of how it went from idea, to reality, and then to cult legend. We recorded Arthur at our live show on December 16, 2015 at the Bernal Heights branch of the San Francisco Public Library. Host: Corey Bloom Producer/Sound: Ashleyanne Krigbaum Logo Design: ... Read more

Just as everyone remembers their first kiss, vinyl junkies remember their first record. Today’s presenter, Sami Fink, shares her own experience with her first record, and the rite of passage she associates with it. This story was recorded at our live show on March 30, 2016 at the Bernal Heights branch of the San Francisco Public ... Read more

Eric Leckbee’s story about one particular song has been almost 30 years in the making, and now, he wants to share it with you. Earlier this year, he enchanted the Phonographic Memory audience with his first-hand experience of the power a memory of a song can have, no matter how much time and life has ... Read more

This story is a combination of a lot of elements: late night drinking, bike riding in the rain, a reliable taxi, a scorned ex-lover, and impeccable timing. Casey Fay is an Oakland-based painter, animator, illustrator, and children’s book author. The tale he shares recalls to us an old crate digger’s proverb: “Sometimes you find the records, ... Read more

Ashleyanne Krigbaum has been DJing records and producing public radio around the Bay Area for over eight years. She’s made some mistakes during that time, and she shared with us the one that still sticks out to her the most. This story was recorded in front of our live audience at the Bernal Heights Public Library ... Read more

Max Sidman is the kind of friend who you can call up and say, “I have this crazy idea,” and without hesitation, they’re down. He’s also a music aficionado all the way through, and currently works for a musical instrument manufacturer here in the Bay Area. In this episode, Max shares a record and a story ... Read more

When Eric Ball contacted us, he mentioned that the particular record he wanted to share probably hadn’t been played in almost 40 years, and definitely not on American soil. We couldn’t wait to hear what was on it, and neither could he. This story was recorded in front of our live audience at the Bernal ... Read more

Artist Winston Smith joins us on the Phonographic Memory stage to share a few selections from his record collection, including albums he designed the cover art for, like Green Day’s “Insomniac” (1995). You’ll also hear stories about a cat-loathing Jello Biafra and how Winston made Green Day pick up his pizza tab. He also shares his observations ... Read more

In this episode, a young, ghost investigator decodes a message, goes to an address, and gets a random record for a dollar. Fittingly, this story was recorded on October 28th, 2015 at the Bernal Heights Library in San Francisco, just days away from Halloween. Today’s storyteller is Fashion Designer Lia Wesp. Host: Corey Bloom Producer/Sound: ... Read more

The first story we want to pull down from the shelf for you was recorded at our live event in April 2015 at the Bernal Heights Library in San Francisco. Todd Inoue has been a music journalist for many years, writing for publications like VIBE Magazine, Tower Records’ Pulse! Magazine, The San Jose Mercury, and ... Read more