At Upscale Audio, we love hearing back from customers about how their new music systems brought them joy or helped them get through difficult times: divorce, ill health, or the death of a life partner.
This Thanksgiving, some members of the marketing department share stories of how hi-fi has brought family members together. It's worth remembering that the ultimate goal of all the products we sell is to simply disappear, connecting you with music and your favorite people.
We Got Her to the Greek
The LP that Joel bought for his wife's yaya.
By Joel Myers, eCommerce Manager
Earlier this year, my wife’s entire (Greek) extended family came to stay with us for a few weeks, reminiscent of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. At one point, we ended up at our town’s Greek Festival, where dancers and music out of its place in time captivated my wife’s yaya (grandmother).
Later in the week, while picking out more Japanese funk groove in the World Music section of my local record store, I found the same record we heard at the Greek Festival. That night, I saw nine decades slip away, and that young girl reliving her youth in rural Greece, tearing up on my couch. God, I hated that noise, but she loved it, so I pretended to as well, and we shared a moment.
Spinning Family Yarns
Jordan's grandmother and mother bonded over reviving their old record collection.
By Jordan Perez, Multimedia Manager
I am thankful for the massive resurgence of turntables and records. As a gift
to my mother, I purchased a budget-friendly turntable to integrate into my parents'
two-channel Klipsch system at home. As well as a handful of LPs such as Creedence
Clearwater Revival’s Greatest Hits, David Bowie’s Changesonebowie, and The Beatles'
Rubber Soul. She was ecstatic opening her gift, and I hooked up the table for
her to start spinning immediately. This brought her back to her youth in the 70s
and 80s listening to all her favorite 45s and 33s.
She later shared her nostalgia with her mother (my grandmother) which led to them looking through the garage for their old record collection. After some time, they were able to find their stack of 45s and happily played their favorites. Even though there were copious amounts of pops and clicks, I hadn’t seen them bond in this manner in quite some time. Maybe, for Christmas, I should get them a record cleaner.
Closing the Loop
Jake on a hike with his father.
By Jake Spencer, Social Media Manager/eCommerce Associate
Some of my earliest memories are long drives through the desert to visit my dad’s brother in Nevada. My dad loved music. He played Alan Parsons Project, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, the Eagles, Dixie Chicks, Alison Krauss, and Boston. I’d sit with his big binder of burned CDs and learn what he cared about. My dad and I didn’t have a lot in common, but we both shared a love of music.
As I got older, my taste went in a different direction, but those memories stayed. When I got hired at Upscale Audio, I brought him to the shop and played the same albums he used to play for me. Hearing his music on the systems we have here felt like a full-circle moment for me.
It reminded me that music isn’t just background noise in a car or a room. It marks time. It ties people together. And I’m thankful I get to work in a place where those moments can happen.
Bands of Brothers
Sam Mountain with his band, Willow Cove.
By Sam Mountain, Graphic Designer
My introduction to hi-fi started at my dad’s house, with the system he’s had for as long as I can remember—a vintage turntable, a Denon amp, and a pair of B&W speakers. He grew up in the 60s and 70s, so the shelves were always filled with a huge vinyl collection full of classic rock.
When I began playing in my first band, Silence Breaks, back in high school, that system became our unofficial “test bench.” We’d rush home after recording sessions just to hear how our mixes translated on his setup. That tradition carried through every project that followed: Thoughts in Frame, Always & Never, In Urgency, and now Willow Cove—spanning a blend of alternative rock, alternative metal, emo, and post-hardcore.
Listening to each of those releases in progress, and eventually in their final form, with my dad has always been something special. He’s been incredibly proud and supportive of my music from the beginning, and sharing those moments through his hi-fi system is a big part of what shaped my connection to great sound.