The Collected Works of Stephen Douglas Wolfe

Last month I told you about meeting local singer-songwriter Stephen Douglas Wolfe, and how he delivered three 7" singles and a CD (an EP containing the contents of those singles) in order to thanks for a review I did last summer.

I'm not sure how much I can add to those blog entries. I do have a different perspective on the all of the tracks, thanks to the CD, and what it adds up to is a terrific side one on an LP. The 7" singles are gorgeous in packaging, sound quality and musical content, but listening to small chunks of music and then flipping the records over ever few minutes...wait, where did the Vinyl Anachronist go? This guy is complaining about flipping over vinyl!

Naw, it's not like that. I'm just saying that listening to all of the single tracks in a row impressed me because I saw the flow between the songs better, and I feel confident that Stephen Douglas Wolfe is more than just a promising Syracuse performer. He's good enough to make it big, make it on his own, go national, go global, whatever cliche you want to add. I hope he does. I hope he adds a side two sometime soon.

If you're interested in ordering these recordings, you can visit his website for more info. The total cost of the three 7" singles is $30, which might seem like a lot until you remember that the pressings sound fantastic. (It's sold under "SDW Vinyl Single Series.") I'm tempted to stick in a qualifier--really good sound from a small indie label--but I listened to the CD extensively on a big reference system and there's none of those small label budgetary concerns here. This is a first-class collection from a talented singer-songwriter and an all-around decent fellow.

On the Move Again

"Well, you know Marc. He never stays in one place for very long."

That's my almost 85-year-old father reacting to Colleen's news that we would be leaving Montrose and moving to Central New York State.

To tell you the truth, I was starting to honestly believe that the Western Slope of Colorado was the place where I wanted to spend the rest of my life. But as most of you know, money and the ability to make it can sometimes lead to decisions that may not sound right in your heart, but they do make absolute sense on paper.

In a nutshell, trying to run an international importing and distribution company can be costly when you live 250 miles from the nearest international airport, and we tried to comfort ourselves with the idea that being surrounded by breathtaking beauty could somehow pay the bills. But, unfortunately, it doesn't.

So we moved to a pretty little hamlet north of Syracuse, close to Oneida lake, for a number of logical reasons. First of all, it's easy to jump in our SUV and pick up a shipment in the Newark Port of Entry, a four hour drive away. In our three years in Colorado, we've had to physically intercept and process shipments in Denver, Los Angeles, Houston and yes, Newark, so that four hour drive seems like nothing now.

"Why Syracuse?" you ask. That's amusing, since every time we tell someone here that we just moved from Colorado, they look at us incredulously and wonder why we would do such a foolish thing. Our natural reaction, of course, is to wonder what's so wrong with the 'Cuse. But we have a lot of friends in the area, and we'd be very close to one of our very best dealers, Shayne Tenace of Tenacious Sound, who is ambitious and optimistic and excited about the high-end audio industry. That's a rare combination of strengths in our industry, which tends to be somewhat pessimistic about current sales trends and technologies. In fact, several dealers are now a short drive away--something we couldn't say back in Colorado.

Once again I have to apologize for life getting in the way of this blog. I have so much music to review and insights to reveal, but I'm still unpacking and I need to hunker down and get everything in its right place.