TVD Previews The Washington, DC Record Fair, Sunday (10/4) at Comet Ping Pong

Som Records, DC Soul Recordings, and this very blog are proud to present our THIRD Washington, DC Record Fair which arrives this coming Sunday!

We've got 25 dealers (at last count) from up and down the East Coast—which simply translates to: crates and crates AND crates of vinyl.

We've got cocktails and great food courtesy of our wonderful hosts Comet Ping Ping. We've got DJs galore including Animal Collective's Geologist. We've got Mingering Mike signing his original poster for the event.

And well, you've got me to help you carry your vinyl to the car. (I'm a giver.)

All this week we'll be teasing the show with some stuff you should expect to see and hear at the venue. Like, plenty of talk about music and bands that have shaped your life, such as our friend Frank's love for the King.

Crimson, that is.

"I have been listening to the varied “flavors” of King Crimson now for almost 40 years. If you are a fan, you’ve no doubt heard the band referred to as “thinking man’s metal” – but even as I realize they have been at once characterized as bombastic art rock (Court of the Crimson King) and obscure sonic meandering music (Thrak) I do not dwell on labeling them. The band disbanded and re-formed several time since 1969, but for me, they were always there… a sort of eccentric hum in the background (and sometimes foreground, as with Red) that spans most of my adult life, so far.

I’d have to say that for me, Red embodies all that I love about King Crimson. My original vinyl has long since vanished into the haze, but in the mid-eighties I re-purchased the “re-mastered” vinyl version and I still give it a spin every now and again. I also own most of the King Crimson library of sound on CD or digital forms. Red has it all – jazz elements, Fripp’s meandering sonic episodes, John Wetton’s bass and vocals, Bill Bruford’s rhythm and a melancholy sound that stirs me just as a good classical piece of music like Rachmaninov’s 2nd symphony does.


So, before we sample the King, it’s a good idea to list the various members of the band over the years (in no particular order): Robert Fripp, Peter Giles, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Tony Levin, Bill Bruford, Adrian Belew, Michael Giles, John Wetton, Trey Gunn, Ian McDonald, Peter Sinfield, Mel Collins, Gordon Haskell, Ian Wallace, Boz Burrell, Jamie Muir, Davis Cross, Rick Kemp, Pat Mastelotto, Gavin Harrison, Mel Collins, and Andy McCulloch.

The current lineup consists of Robert Fripp (founding member), Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, and Gavin Harrison. I cannot begin to sample all that I love about the various permutations of King Crimson (Three of a Perfect Pair got me through some particularly rough personal periods) but I hope that these five songs either bring back memories for you, dear listener, or introduce you to a whole new library of astounding, at times frustrating, and absolutely essential King Crimson."

King Crimson - Red (Mp3)
King Crimson - One More Red Nightmare (Mp3)
King Crimson - Starless (Mp3)
King Crimson - Dinosaur (Mp3)

(Image courtesy DCist photographer Jeff Martin from the last DC Record Fair. Thanks guys!)