‘Made in Aurora’ a reason to dust off that old turntable

• Reprints

Updated: September 29, 2011 12:33AM

Steve Warrenfeltz, 59, decided it was time to teach the kids about vinyl. Owner of the best record store on Earth, Kiss the Sky in Geneva, he also has connections to dozens of amazing local artists. So he teamed up with Benjie Hughes of Backthird Audio in Aurora and they recruited a group of talented local musicians to produce Made in Aurora.

“Vinyl sounds warmer,” Warrenfeltz said. “Besides, the artists on this album had never put their material out in vinyl before and I wanted to prove to them that it could work.” They pressed 500 records and have already sold more than 300.

Before you lament that your old turntable no longer works, I can happily tell you that, according to Hughes, “‘Made in Aurora’ is packaged in what’s called a ‘gatefold’ format: a double-sided package that opens like a book, with sleeves on either side. One side contains the vinyl LP with nine songs; the other side contains a ‘bootleg’ CD with those nine songs, plus seven more.”

He added, “We tried to make it accessible to everyone, whether they own a turntable or not — but it’s really geared toward the ‘high end’ listeners who are into the analog format.”

Kevin Trudo, one of the younger musicians who participated, admitted that he was “not the guy who thinks vinyl is a better medium,” at least not sound-wise. Yet Trudo has a genuine respect for vinyl for another reason. He explained, “people buy CDs or MP3s, load the music into iPods or computers, then usually throw away any packaging because it takes up space. Not so with vinyl. People who buy albums keep them in their homes — with all the cover art, information and musical credits.” Buying an album and owning a turntable are aspects of a lifestyle where things are less disposable and the art we choose becomes a part of who we are.

As I spoke with Trudo, I found a kindred spirit with a passion for quality local products. If you notice there aren’t enough local artists playing at the local venues or enough locally made goods, consider your own buying habits. Do you support them? Every day you vote with your wallet for what products are carried on store shelves and what acts are booked at local establishments.

Hughes explained the conundrum: “Local sometimes means ‘inferior’ in the music world.” I guess after living 16 years in a place where high school musicals look like Broadway productions, and local talent can turn out to be world-class, it would never occur to me to expect less than “stunning” from Aurora talent. “Made in Aurora” does not disappoint. Most of the songs are original. The voices are beautiful, the sound is clear and true, and it all hangs together like a true “album.” Trudo told me one of the reasons for this is Kyle Schmidt, who did the engineering, mixing, mastering, editing and making it all into a cohesive piece. “He is responsible for the sound of the overall project,” Trudo said. “Steve was the concept guy and Benjie provided great guidance without being heavy-handed. But Kyle made it an album.”

Trudo, a lifelong Auroran, was thrilled to be invited to play on this album. “I met a lot of people I “knew of” but hadn’t met before, including Steve Warrenfeltz. This guy is amazing and fascinating and has been everywhere twice,” Trudo said.

I asked “The” Kevin Trudo why he uses an article with his name in the album credits and on his website, thekevintrudo.com. He laughed and explained there is a semi-disreputable infomercial guy by the same name and he needed to differentiate. Besides, it added an element of swagger. By the way, you can hear him play live at Sunday’s fundraiser for Hope Wall School at Ballydoyle in Aurora.

“Made in Aurora” benefits the Paul Ruby Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease research. When I asked Warrenfeltz why they chose this particular charity, he told me how he and Ruby had worked together to do a musical benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims some years ago and won a Hometown Heroes award from the Red Cross. Warrenfeltz explained that when Ruby learned he had Parkinson’s Disease, he didn’t succumb to self-pity; instead he started the Paul Ruby Foundation and over the past four years raised about $350,000 for Parkinson’s research. The money funds a team of doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, who personally supervise the research.

The 16 songs on “Made in Aurora” were the result of 30 musicians and singers performing over a three-day period and amounting to more than 40 hours of studio time. Contributing musicians also include Greg Boerner, Noah Gabriel, Jeremy Keen, Dave Nelson, and Dave Ramont; and the bands HOSS, the Empty Can Band, The Small Shiny Things, The False Starts, Dick Smith and The Reverend Cinchy Pickins with the Thistlepatch Assembly Choir.

You can purchase “Made in Aurora” for $19.98 at Backthird Audio (67 S. Stolp St., Aurora), 7 West Downer in Aurora, at www.madeinaurora.com (where you can also see behind-the scenes video) or at Kiss the Sky (301 W. State St., Geneva). And if you don’t have a turntable, Kiss the Sky sells those as well.

Deena Sherman can be reached at deenabess@gmail.com.