Vinyl lovers will flood the Columbia Museum of Art on April 29 for the 11th Annual Greater Columbia Record Fair from noon to 5 p.m. The record fair will host vendors to sell, trade or display all sorts of records — from cheap records, costing a dollar, to rare and priceless vinyls. The fair will also feature food and drinks from The War Mouth, The Whig and The Belgium Waffle truck.
Harold Pendleton, also known as DJ King Harold, is taking on the task of fair organizer, for the first time this year, with plans to host more vendors than last year. In addition to his administrative duties, Pendleton will also DJ at a pre-party at The War Mouth and during the actual fair.
Originally from Greenville, South Carolina, Pendleton would travel to Columbia frequently to DJ at The Whig. As a member of the Greater Columbia Society for the Preservation of Soul, he likes to listen to and collect rare, eccentric soul music and '60s garage rock.
“Everything comes back in waves anyway ... especially when it comes to music," Pendleton said. "You see [that] in a lot of groups now that are trying to be like old soul groups and old ‘60s rock bands and stuff like that. So I think people love that music and they don’t want it to die out.”
He expects to see more attendance this year from regulars and record collectors traveling to Columbia from places such as Virginia and Georgia due to an increase in advertising. One vendor attending is Kurt Wood from Athens, Georgia.
Wood doesn't collect and deal records for a living, but it is a hobby that he enjoys. He likes to collect by format, his favorite being 45s, and holds the "Kurt Wood's Front Porch Record Sale" at least once a year at his home in Athens. This year the sale falls on the weekend after Columbia's record fair.
“Some of it I keep, a lot of it I don’t keep, which I may sell or try to sell and sometimes I DJ occasionally, either around town or just wherever," Wood said.
Wood doesn't attend record shows frequently, but he has attended shows in Atlanta, Birmingham, Austin and New York City. What stands out to him in Columbia is that this fair is in a museum of art. Wood thinks that this aspect of the record fair is refreshing because it's not in a typical hotel ballroom or basement and inspires diverse demographics to come out and enjoy the show.
“Most bands have a vinyl format now because I think people like to actually hold albums and get involved in the art that the band puts out," Pendleton said. "It’s a lot more personal than downloading an MP3.”