Paulius Musteikis
At Graft, warm ambiance comes from tunes that customers can choose.
Vinyl is enjoying a crackling resurgence in pop culture, and for the past couple of years it’s been creeping out of man (and lady) caves and quietly making its way into restaurants and bars of all stripes in Madison. Even though some folks might prefer to carry their tunes around as ones and zeros on their phones during the day, the tactile warmth of black wax and a deluxe gatefold sleeve is just too much to turn down when they’re out on the town.
Monroe Street’s Brasserie V is one place where customers can sip on beers while listening to records, and also the first Madison establishment to build a custom listening station into its walls. Owner Matt Van Nest says he based his idea on listening stations from department stores in the 1950s and ’60s, back when 45s used to be stocked right alongside radial tires and ladies’ dresses. He found a few similar setups in European bars, and when Brasserie V expanded, he built an intimate two-person cubby. Two-thirds of the records are from his personal collection, covering every genre from ’60s and ’70s rock ’n’ roll to jazz and R&B, and so far no records have been damaged. Employees bring in records to spin, too, and regulars stop in to try out vinyl they just purchased across the street at Strictly Discs while they sip a Belgian beer.
On some special Sunday nights, customers are encouraged to bring their own records to Gib’s Bar, the cozy Willy Street pub opened by Grampa’s Pizzeria owner Gilbert Altschul earlier this year. Altschul says staff members were brainstorming ways to bring customers in on slower evenings when a bartender, Beau Devereaux, suggested folks bring in records to play — something the Willy Street Pub & Grill (aka the Wisco) does sporadically. The evenings are hosted by Gabriel Newstate, aka “The Real Jaguar,” a regular DJ at Natt Spil and host of the WORT program “Who Cooks for You.” If no one brings records in, Jaguar dips into his personal stash.
On a recent Sunday, I stopped in and ordered the Beets & Rhymes (a dry and tart cocktail made of vodka, rose water, lemon and cherry). I was bummed that I had just missed hearing whatever it was in that Death Row-emblazoned 12” sleeve clutched by a person heading out the door.
The Real Jaguar brought out some of his own 45s — including a pair of Rolling Stones covers (“I’d Much Rather Be With the Boys” by Reigning Sound, and Black Bananas & Kurt Vile’s “Before They Make Me Run”), a Frank Zappa track and Madison’s own Killdozer doing, of all things, a Janet Jackson cover — before someone came in and handed over Exile on Main Street. Another customer passed along a new Beach House album (ensconced in its lush velvet cover) to be put on next. It was a smallish gathering, with six or seven folks hanging out in the downstairs, but it felt inclusive with an anything-goes vibe — which allowed for something as silly and out of place as the Mission: Impossible theme to get some play.
Graft, one of Madison’s most talked-about new restaurants, has also found a great way to bring the warmth of vinyl to its gorgeous dining room. Having taken over the old J. Taylor’s storefront — where antiques, books and rare maps shared a window display with a stuffed lion — owners Lucas Henning and Sam McDaniel and chef Phillip Rodriguez have managed to maintain a bit of the old store’s funky charm.
All the music in the restaurant emanates from a turntable next to the bar, and albums are played one side at a time, all the way through, although staffers have veto power. McDaniel says the goal is to set themselves apart from other restaurants that put music on autopilot, using Pandora, paid subscriptions or an iPod. It didn’t take long to see that using records as selected by the staff, and even the occasional bar patron, dovetailed nicely with the mission of the establishment.
“With the turntable, when someone asks what you’re playing you actually know, and we can say why,” says McDaniel. “We can say ‘This is Scott the bartender’s favorite album,’ ‘The chef wanted to play this one’ or ‘You, sitting at the table there, you picked it.’”
McDaniel says the general quality of the sound often trumps other aesthetic factors. So far, Jimi Hendrix, Spoon and Band of Horses have worked, while one record by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings didn’t.
What’s in the future for Graft’s setup, other than testing out some different Sharon Jones records? “We need to get Pet Sounds,” says McDaniel. “I think that would sound really, really good in here.”
