Quick-Fire Quips is a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors interviews Dan Drinkard. He's the owner of the independent record store Seasick Records in Birmingham.
Baillee: Hey, Dan! How are you?
Dan: I’m doing great. How are you?
Baillee: I'm doing great—happy to have you on! So, tell me about Seasick Records.
Dan: Seasick opened in 2013. As long as you want to buy physical media, we want to be the place for you to pick it up. I wanted to cater to people that wanted to pick up punk artists and metal and more underground things that you couldn’t find in most places and just be an outlet for that.
Baillee: Let’s hear about Record Store Day.
Dan: I think it’s been going on for 17 years at this point, but it was basically created in a time where independent record stores were kind of dying out, and iTunes was killing everything, and big box stores were really just taking over. So, they created this day to push people back to independent record stores.
There are all these limited releases that come out on Record Store Day, and you can only get them at independent record stores. We fortunately have some really dedicated customers that camp out overnight, and they make it a big thing, and it's just kind of continued to grow each year. This past April was our biggest Record Store Day we've ever had.
Baillee: All right! Now that introductions are done, let’s go ahead and get you warmed up to answer our questions. To do that, I want you to say "Quick-Fire Quips" three times fast.
Dan: Quick-Fire Quips! Quick-Fire Quips! Quick-Fire Quips!
Baillee: Amazing. 10/10. No notes. (Dan laughs). First question, what's the first word that comes to mind when you hear Alabama?
Dan: Coming from the music world, I got to say Shakes—Alabama Shakes. To be honest, I hadn't heard of them before I moved here. They're huge because they blew up and they won a Grammy. They’re sort of a local legend band.
People will talk about, like, “Yeah, I remember seeing Alabama Shakes at Egan's in Tuscaloosa.” They used to play house shows. And it's just kind of crazy that that band got as big as they did, you know?
Baillee: Yeah, RIP to Egan’s. The Sound & Color album has just been by far my favorite.
Dan: That record is probably the best-selling record in the history of the store. We might have sold 1500 copies of that since it came out.
Baillee: If there was an alien invasion, what are three albums you would give to the aliens to represent Earth's music?
Dan: (laughs) Oh, that's such a hard that's such a hard question to answer. First off, I think I would give them Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
Then, when I think of aliens, for some reason, 311 always comes to mind (laughs). So, I’d give them a 311 record. And then they probably need a John Coltrane record. They need to know about jazz.
Baillee: They're in good hands, if that ever happens. (Dan laughs)
What is a hidden gem in Birmingham that more people need to know about?
Dan: First, I’ll say Thank You Books in Crestwood. They are a little neighborhood independent bookstore, and then a restaurant that I think people probably know about, but Zaza in downtown Birmingham.
If you want to have a really, really good meal in a cool setting, that's one of my favorite places to eat in Birmingham.
Baillee: What's a bad stereotype or something that people just get wrong about Alabama?
Dan: I think that the South in general, a lot of people have preconceived notions about it. I think people think Alabama and Mississippi and Tennessee, and they're like, “Oh, it's just a bunch of dumb rednecks.”
But there's so many people that are super creative and doing super interesting things here, and I think they get overlooked just because of the region of the country that they're in. Do you know what I mean?
Baillee: As someone who grew up in the South, I definitely agree with that one. Ok, what is a southern phrase or two that you catch yourself using way too much?
Dan: I say "y'all" a lot... I love when people say, “Bless your heart.” (Baillee laughs) I love to say, “bless your heart,” in kind of an ironic way.
Baillee: Yeah, I was about to say, it's all about intent. It's like, are you being genuine, or are you kind of being sinister about it?
Dan: Yeah, you know, you got to really, like, dig into it. (Baillee laughs)
Baillee: All right. What is something about the local music scene in Alabama that you wish non-natives would know?
Dan: There's so many, so many good bands. There’re so many different kinds of bands and different genres, and it’s a pretty thriving scene. There’s a goth scene. There's a dance scene, there's a punk scene, hardcore indie rock, and there is definitely a folk Americana scene. Really, any kind of music you could think of, you can find in the Birmingham scene.
Baillee: Who is your favorite music artist from Alabama?
Dan: I'm a little biased on this one. Cash Langdon just put out a new record called, “Dogs.” It's on Seasick Records. It's on our label. He's great. But then, besides Cash, I would have to say Waxahatchee.
Baillee: Okay, are there any genres of music that you believe are core to Alabama?
Dan: I don't know if there's any specific genres that are core to Alabama and not the South as a whole. Folk, Americana, blues and country, those are Southern music genres, in my opinion. I mean, if you think back really, a lot of the genres of music that we know today originated in the South. So, I feel like we should just claim them all.
Baillee: You know what? That's fair enough. We're just going to take credit for all the good stuff in music.
Dan: (laughs) Exactly! Exactly.
Baillee: What’s your favorite getaway spot in Alabama and why?
Dan: I love the trails at Ruffner Mountain. I think Ruffner Mountain is one of the greatest things we have in Alabama and in the Birmingham area in general.
Baillee: What's something on your bucket list?
Dan: I want to go to Japan. I love the food, I love the culture, and I want to go and buy Japanese records.
Baillee: Here is the last question. What does Alabama need?
Dan: I think Alabama needs some more progressive ideas in our politics. I think we need to change the way that we're spending a lot of government funds and really focus more on the people and less on prisons and things like that. I think it would take an already thriving community and really nourish it.
Baillee: That’s it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That was Dan Drinkard of Seasick Records in Birmingham. I'm your host, Baillee Majors.
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