Phenomenal Handclap Band is the one that was never meant to be: an initially loose collective of musicians who wanted to stray away from the show circuit and focus on production. However, demand for PHB exploded following the release of hit single “15 To 20,” resulting in this diverse group of musicians stepping back into the spotlight for two albums, including the new Form & Control. We invited Sean Marquand, one of PHB’s founding members, to guest edit magnetmagazine.com this week. Read our recent feature on the band here.
Marquand: I miss having my main exposure to music be live shows and records. Record shopping is something I still do often, but it used to be my only exposure to recorded music. One positive aspect of only buying records was that it made me take the music on the records so much more seriously. A large percentage of the albums I wanted were difficult to find, so my favorite albums were hard won and it made me listen to the album with care, just like I would handle and play the album.
My favorite record store, by far, is Carlinhos’ in São Paulo, Brazil. It’s called Disco Sete. If you ever go to Carlinhos’ store, be sure to bring any Rodger-related material, and if you have a Little Charles album, he’ll part with his best Brazilian albums in trade. My favorite thing about Carlinhos is that he asks to listen to his favorite albums before you buy them. Once, I bought an album that he hadn’t had in his possession for a few years. He wouldn’t let me leave the store with the LP until we’d listened to both sides in their entirety without talking over the music. Carlinhos, one of the most polite men I’ve ever met, is not above shushing someone when a record is playing.
Video after the jump.
