Originally from Wilkes-Barre, PA (home of Cold World and Title Fight), and currently residing in Wilmington, DE, Joelle Gavlick is a fellow fan of The Core. Aside from spending her money on hardcore shows, chiropractor appointments, and vinyl, she's also trying to complete a half-marathon in all 50 states by the time she's 50. She tells me that she's ran 13 states so far. Nice! But since this is No Echo, we'll keep this focused on hardcore, as Joelle is the latest person to join the site's Record Collector club.
How long have you been collecting records?
I collected a majority of my records between the years of 1998 and 2004. I then moved across the country only taking items I could fit in my car and leaving my records behind at my parents' house. At that point, the only addition to my record collection was dust. In 2017, I got myself a house and had tons of space and knew it was time to bring home all the items that had been stored at my parents. Since being reunited with my records I’ve been hooked on collecting again and finding all the things I never found in he early 2000s.
Where/how do you usually find your records these days?
I really try to support my local record stores. I have a favorite in Philly (Sit & Spin Records) that always has a ton of used hardcore, punk and metal so I typically try to stop in there every Saturday to see what they’ve got. I love a good deal and I also love the hunt. I get great satisfaction flipping through the hardcore section and finding a record I’ve been wanting. It’s corny but I get such a rush from it! I do order records online (eBay and Discogs) but I find since I get no rush from it, I then have to go out and hit up a record store to get my “fix” — which in the end winds up costing me double what I intended to spend.
What is the most you paid for a single record, where/how did you obtain it, and what was it?
Back in April I paid $40 for the Shockwave Warpath 7” on pink. It was hand numbered #1. A friend of mine has had it for the last 18 years and promised me that if he were ever to get rid of it, he would only sell it to me. At that time, it was listed for $65 on Discogs so $40 was the “friend price." Since I was young when I first started collecting, I doubt I spent much more than that on any of my older records.
If you had to pick one record label you feel had/has the best track record of quality releases, who would that be and what are some key titles you love?
Back when I first got into hardcore, it was Victory Records. It seemed like no matter what they put out, I loved it. The bands all varied in styles greatly but I still loved them all. Fast forward to 2018 and a label that I’ve been loving a lot is Closed Casket Activities. I think a majority of the stuff I’ve picked up since getting back into record collecting has been a lot of their bands. If I had to pick, I’d say Incendiary is my favorite CCA band and I have all 3 of their LPs on vinyl.
Of everything in your current collection, what is your most prized record and why?
It would have to be the Shockwave 7” I talked about previously. I waited [patiently] to get my hands on that thing for years! When my friend kept his word about only selling it to me, it really meant a lot to me.
Is there anything that frustrates you about the current record collecting scene?
In typical female fashion, I love pretty things. I get irritated when record companies will do really awesome (pretty) variants and they are pressed in super limited numbers. The price for a $15 record then becomes $100 (resale). When that happens I typically just settle for the second prettiest color/variant that still only costs $15. Second frustration… for some reason, all the vinyl I want is always located in Japan and shipping is insane! I guess I need to just plan a vinyl shopping vacation there eventually!
Which records are still on your want list that you've had a tough time tracking down through the years?
Bulldoze's The Final Beatdown: I literally stalk eBay and Discogs for it! There were 2 (a red and a clear) for sale back in March and it kills me that I missed either of them! I’ve also been on the hunt for Shockwave's Autohate on green. Last time it was on Discogs was in April 2017. There has been one listed on eBay for about year now but I don’t need it bad enough to spend $85 on it.
I'm a huge Indecision fan. I guess you could call them my favorite band. I’m one of those people who have “for those I love I will sacrifice” tattooed across my back. Anyway, they have one 7” from touring In 1998 where they did 5 different covers. I have 3 of the 5 and have been on a hunt for those other 2 for years now. Every time I find one on Discogs, it’s usually one of the ones I already have. If anyone out there wants to sell your girl a copy of Campaign for Complete Musikal Destruction with a Tom (#’ed 401-500) or Bago (101-200) cover, PLEASE hit me up! End this chaos for me already!
***
You can find Joelle's record collecting page on Instagram here, and her personal page is located at this link.
Tagged: record collector
