There are certain songs you hear that teleport you so deep into a blast from the past, you can practically feel your high school emo bangs brush across your forehead again. Phonographic Memory celebrates your musical nostalgia, and encourages you to reach back in your record crate, dig up those records and share those old stories in an intimate setting.

Each Phonographic Memory participant picks a record near and dear to their heart, and shares a personal story that the record reminds them of. When someone’s sharing a musical memory at a Phonographic Memory event, there are no phones out, no Spotify playlists to stream, and no Instagramming—it’s all analog. The digital crack pipe burning a hole through your pocket, stays in your pocket. All the focus is on the record, and the story being shared.

Corey Bloom, co-organizer of the event, relishes the possibility of looking at a old favorite record in a new way through someone else’s experience, or just hearing new music. “I personally walk away learning a new song, or getting familiar with a new record,” Bloom told Uptown Almanac. “It’s one of these rare moments where people just listen. Their phones are down. No one is recording it. No one is texting. Everybody is listening. You’ll look around and someone’s nodding their head, and someone had their eyes closed.”

Being in the moment as opposed to documenting the moment for later social consumption is all too rare now. Bloom hopes Phonographic Memory can bring back a sense of presence to the attendees in a fun, engaging way.

“The main focus is, in this digital age where there are all these other distractions, there’s something about a record. You can see, feel and smell it. It’s personal.”

Delete your Spotify playlists, shoot down the iCloud, and head on over to Phonograpic Memory. It takes place on March 25th at 7pm at Bernal Heights Library. Register by emailing Register@PhonographicMemory.org

[Photo Courtesy of Corey Bloom]