Gillings turns up the volume with local Record Fair

Mick Gillings, with a collection of his vinyl records at the Simcoe Royal Canadian Legion, is looking forward to meeting the community at the first Simcoe Record Show on Oct.25, 10-3 at the Legion.

Alex Hunt

Advocate Correspondent

For Mick Gillings, nothing beats the feel of a record in your hands and now he’s bringing that experience to town with his first hosted record show in Simcoe.

After participating in multiple shows as a vendor in the United Kingdom and Ontario, Gillings is hosting his first 16-vendor Record Show on Oct. 25 at the Royal Canadian Legion, Simcoe, 200 West Street, running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  $2 entry (donation to Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge).

“There will be some CDs but it’s mainly all vinyl records,” said Gillings. “I specialize in Japanese imports.

“I moved to the county about a year and a half ago and I don’t think there’s ever been a show held here. I do a lot of shows all around the province and I thought it would be a great idea to do one here in Simcoe and see how it goes.” 

The vinyl record community is always good, fun and friendly, he said, noting one of his favorite aspects of these shows is meeting people.

“There’s always something for somebody and everyone likes something different. It’s always interesting to find out what other people like listening to and nice as well for people to discover an artist they haven't heard before.

“There’s a lot of younger people now discovering different types of music. There’s an interest in those generations and vinyl is so in demand again,” said Gillings. “It sort of came back from the dead - you can hold these records, admire the cover, read it and look inside it. CDs it didn’t have that, the writing was so tiny and it was more disposable.” 

Gillings said he’s hoping for a strong turnout from the Simcoe community on Oct. 25, with a goal of attracting up to 300 people to the vinyl record fair. If the event proves successful, he would like to see it become a regular fixture, with two to three shows a year hosted at the Legion.

Each show, he noted, brings something different for music fans to discover.

“The beauty of music is that people can enjoy and share it. It has such an appeal. Whether folk, rock or country music, it has that power to bring people together. I’m an old 70s fan, I love a variety of different types of music,” said Gillings.