Stephen Mejias

In <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/now_on_newsstands_stereophile… March 2010 issue</a>, Steve Guttenberg offered an excellent As We See It, detailing his newly rekindled relationship with vinyl playback. Over at CNET, Steve is known as <a href="http://news.cnet.com/audiophiliac/">the Audiophiliac</a>, discussing a wide range of news, events, and ideas, all in the worlds of music and hi-fi. Now the Audiophiliac and his colleagues at the 404 Podcast present the Audiophillie Awards: They’re asking recording engineers and hobbyists of all levels to submit their best work, with the chance to win some fun prizes.

Remember our old intern, <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/the_system_is_down/">Ariel Bitran</a>? He left us to become a rock and roll star. (But only after we managed to <a href="http://www.stereophile.com/asweseeit/1108awsi/">infect him</a> with a taste for high-quality sound and an even deeper appreciation for music.) His band, Heroes of the Open End, will be performing tomorrow night at Arlene’s Grocery (95 Stanton Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan). This is one of those extremely important shows in the life of any aspiring band: You know, if you don’t draw at least 15 or so people, the club’s manager holds your head down in the toilet bowl while the bouncer pulls out your toenails. It’s bad.

Remember when my living room looked like <a href="http://forum.stereophile.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/2173/size/bi…;? Cozy, comforting, warm, functional, and tidy. Not bad at all.

A couple of friends came over this weekend to listen to records, and I’m happy to report that we experienced no trouble at all. No static, no distortion, no woman, no cry. Record after record, beer after beer, the Rega sounded just fine. I do believe <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/all_schmutzed_up_and_i_dont_k… days of vinyl misery</a> are over. But just in case the static monster decides to come round again, I also picked up a can of StaticGuard ($4 at DuaneReade). Before the dudes came over, I sprayed the stuff on the rug in front of my system, as well as on the curtains behind the system. The smell wasn’t so bad and the dry mist evaporated quickly. My apartment has never been so static-free.

The path to audio nirvana sometimes takes us in dark and difficult directions. We must fight terrible evils (such as room nodes) and stand strong against great adversities (such as <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/making_music_again/">static electricity</a>) to achieve sonic bliss. We have all encountered our fair share of audio demons. Describe your personal hi-fi hell, or tell us about your most treacherous hi-fi demon.

<a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/stephenmejias/all_schmutzed_up_and_i_dont_k… problem</a> has not been solved.

Joanna Newsom’s third full-length LP, <i>Have One On Me</i>, is available today. You can <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123981491&ft=1&f=9… the entire thing</a> from NPR, if you’re interested. Today, after work, I will go out into the light rain and hunt down this album. The arrangements are as intricate as ever, but Newsom’s voice has never been so seductive, alluring, inviting. So far, I especially like the kindness and yearning of “No Provenance,” but the entire thing&#151three LPs, 18 tracks, and two hours long&#151is bewitching and rewarding.