Inner Grooves: The Series
The records we love. The stories we hold. The secrets we keep.
As vinyl lovers, we often like to say we own records. But I am convinced some records own us.
They push through us like a torrent. They penetrate every single fibre of our being and reach the deepest corners of our soul.
Like a snapshot or a mirror, they capture the most intense, emotionally charged events of our lives. They tell stories — their own as well as ours — more powerfully than we ever could.
They uncover our innermost secrets. They say what we don’t. They reveal what we hide.
There’s no escaping their grasp because they know us better than we know ourselves.
And that’s what this series is about.
Welcome to Inner Grooves. Each episode will highlight one record, one interesting bit of trivia, and one personal story usually kept under wraps.
In most cases, the record will be one song. I don’t rule out occasionally covering a full album, if relevant to the story.
The behind-the-scenes trivia will be an interesting fact about the record’s creation. Some of these details will be more obscure than others, depending on your familiarity with the record. Even so, chances are you’ve never seen it in this light, as it will be intimately linked to the personal story I will share.
Which leads me to the real juice of this series: the personal story, or secret, I will reveal.
You wouldn’t think an extrovert like me would have that much left unsaid. That much brushed under the carpet. Well, appearances can be deceiving. Extroverts like me tend to make a lot of noise to bury what’s painful to remember.
As a trained performer, I know exactly how to hide behind the fourth wall. This will essentially be me tearing down that fourth wall and letting you get closer.
There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, and some records seem uncannily inspired by some of my life events. Some of the stories I will share here are pretty hilarious and, actually, a bit embarrassing. Others are so dark and intense I can’t even allude to them in a normal conversation.
I have always lived fully, passionately, and unreservedly. I come with a lot of baggage. More baggage and trauma than you might think. And I genuinely believe music can heal where words fail and memories hurt.
Hopefully, my openness in sharing will encourage you to open up too. But please note there is absolutely no obligation to share. You can choose how you participate. Wanna watch from the sidelines? Cool. Have something to say about the record or the bit of trivia? Amazing. Wanna focus on my story instead? Amazing too.
All this to say, consider this your official invitation to share as little or as much as you want to, as often as you need to. For what it’s worth, my hope is to help you heal your wounds and make amends with your past while I make amends with mine.
You can expect to receive these episodes on the second Wednesday of the month at 11 AM GMT.
The first episode, scheduled for 11 February, will be free for all upon release. I believe this is the fairest way for you to get a taste before you buy.
Each subsequent episode will be exclusive to paid subscribers, who will also get at least one bonus (non-series related) post every month: musings on vinyl life, audio tech tips, collection strategies, industry insights, and plenty of surprises, all delivered with even more detail and sass than my usual posts.
My Sunday offerings (at 11 AM GMT), including Vital Records, will remain free at the point of release, with a paywall going up after two weeks. Your contribution will help keep the lights on at The Vinyl Room so I can continue to bring you material you enjoy every week.
To kick things off, I am offering a 25% forever discount if you upgrade during February. In other words: opt-in now, and you will always pay 25% less. Click here to access your discount.
Know someone who would benefit from a paid subscription but can’t afford it? Please feel free to gift them one. And if you’re that someone and no one can help you, email me. Don’t suffer in silence.
I am incredibly excited to start this new chapter. Some of the stories you will read here will be intense. Some will make you laugh. Some will make you revisit your past and question your choices. But with music as our guide, we’ve got nothing to fear.
So please grab a chair (and a drink of choice, because hello) and make yourself comfortable. Join me as I share the most intense moments of my life in the pulse of music.
These are my inner grooves. I’ve kept them hidden for too long, but now I’m ready.
Thank you for reading. See you on the other side.
This is very exciting. I am really looking forward to this. Music is such an integral part of how we all cope. Its also going to be intriguing to see how you manage your content.
I’m so excited for this! Like Taz said- music is life ❤️