Letters to the Editor

My name is Stefania, I am a girl living in Italy - Tuscany - a very small village you have surely never heard of. I am writing, not hopefully bothering you, as I had the big luck yesterday to meet Nick Coleman (Fantastic person, one of the best encounters ever in my life) on his visit at my workplace - Frantoio Franci, a top extra virgin olive oil producer.

It happened that Nick and I, discovering by chance a common interest (say, obsession) in music/records/vinyl, spent one hour or so talking and talking about it and he eventually was so nice to give me your e-mail address, encouraging me to write you this message.

With these lines, I would just like to tell you that, even if living in a small and isolated place with no near access to music/record stores nor to major live shows, I have contact with a very vivid music scene made of passionate and talented musicians who highly prefer recording vinyl than CDs, of little labels that focus on recording mainly or only (!) vinyl, of people who crave enjoying the great vibe of vinyl albums. Some may call it “underground/alternative" scene, but I find categories most annoying: I prefer saying that there is still a part in this world where a big big passion for music making and enjoying goes together with a growing enthusiasm about vinyl recording, purchasing, collecting, loving.

Vinyl is still alive and kicking!

I hope this will make your day a little brighter.

Thank you for everything you do.

All the best,

Stefania

This letter brightened up my day. Background: Nick Coleman is my unofficial "godson". I've known him literally since he was born back in the 1980s. Watched him grow up. He spend time working for me. He is a musician—graduated from The Berklee College of Music and produced and performed the music on both of my DVDs.

He traveled throughout Europe one year and in Tuscany fell in love with olive oil. He's created a unique niche for himself as the oleologist at Mario Batali's Eately in New York City. He's as into that as we are into vinyl. So this letter just completes the circle for me and after HP's passing (and that of another friend this week unexpectedly), this letter certainly brightened up my day so I thought I'd share (apologies for the stock photo).