Talking to Shane and Michele Murphy

Stefani M.C. Janelli talks to Shane and Michele Murphy of West Milford on their HiddenTracks podcast about how the podcast led to them opening Hidden Tracks Records store in Boonton.

Question: You started HiddenTracks as a podcast in 2020. Can you tell us the inspiration behind creating the podcast and how that began?

Shane Murphy: The inspiration for the podcast was my joy for discussing music with other music-loving individuals and the art of discovering new music through conversation. A friend of mine, Dylan Clark of the Milwaukees, who knew I had wanted to start a podcast for years but could never find the time, gave me the push that I needed during the pandemic, when we had nothing but time, and was the first guest on the show.

Michele Murphy: I was very supportive of Shane’s desire to start a podcast to share his love of music. Ever since I met him, he always described his dream job as someone who discovers and promotes musicians. Starting a music podcast was the perfect outlet for him to fulfill that dream.

Q: What is the primary focus of the HiddenTracks podcast? How do you decide which musicians are going to be featured?

Shane: I find artists searching the internet for lesser-known bands that I feel are talented and deserve a wider audience. The focus of the show is to have listeners fall in love with artists through the stories and experiences that have shaped their lives through music. I feel that it brings listeners and artists closer together, finding out how much we have in common, and makes the listeners stay fans for life through commonality in music.

Q: Do the two of you ever work together on the podcast?

Shane: It is a partnership between the two of us, but I handle the interviews, production and discovery of artists.

Michele: I work behind the scenes on the social media outlets for the podcast and the store.

Q: Do either of you come from a musical background, play any instruments or are in any bands yourselves?

Shane: I had been in a couple of bands years ago. I played guitar, drums and some piano and recently rediscovered my love for picking up the guitar.

Michele: I have played numerous instruments throughout my life starting with the clarinet in the fourth grade and also picked up the saxophone, flute, drums and trombone. I wish I could sing but was not blessed with that talent!

Q: After the podcast, what sparked the idea for a brick-and-mortar store?

Shane: We wanted to build off the musical community we created over the years with the podcast and have an actual location for people to discuss, discover and feel safe with music.

Michele: We were visiting Boonton Coffee Co. on a cold wintry day and came across a storefront next door for lease. The idea was sparked as soon as we saw the space. Boonton is a music-loving community, and we knew a record/music store would be a welcomed addition to the town.

Q: In recent years, there has been an almost analog revival with physical copies of music seeing a significant uptick in sales, along with film, Polaroid cameras, even DVDs. Why do you think physical copies of music are becoming increasingly popular?

Shane: People feel more connected when they spend their hard-earned money and are able to claim ownership of physical media.

Michele: There is something about having a physical collection that you value. With music, the act of putting on a record inherently makes the experience an active one. While there is absolutely a place for streaming digital music, the act of having music to hold has been lost during the invention of digital media and those looking to reclaim that physicality or younger generations who never had physical music before are searching for an active listening experience.

Q: It’s great to see a hip and fresh local record store again; record store culture was so popular back in the day. What do you think the importance of a physical record store is for music fandom and culture in a time when streaming is the most popular form of music consumption?

Shane: Through the fast-moving world that we live in today, I feel having physical media helps us slow down and appreciate all the hard work musicians put into their craft - from liner notes, thank yous, reading lyrics, album artwork. Just being able to physically hold something brings you closer not only to the musicians but to yourself.

Michele: I think people are craving physical media for music consumption in a world where everything we do in our lives is online. There is a nostalgic factor to collecting vinyl, CDs and cassettes. The experience of browsing through a collection, choosing and holding a record is a deliberate act that is more engaging than streaming digital music.

There is also a wonderful community surrounding record stores and connecting with fellow music enthusiasts.

Q: What does your music collection look like? More vinyls, CDs or cassettes?

Shane: I have a mix of all. Certain genres sound better on certain mediums, but if I were to lean toward any one, I have an addiction to vinyl because of the sound quality.

Michele: Our basement at home looks like a second record store with a mix of vinyl, CDs and cassettes.

Q: I stopped in one afternoon and picked up a Beach Boys record, and, Shane, I remember you mentioned that you’re a big Beach Boys fan. What is your favorite record?

Shane: My favorite Beach Boys record is “Pet Sounds,” but my most-listened-to record of all time is probably the Posies’ “Frosting on the Beater” or face to face’s “Don’t Turn Away.” Hard to say which one I’ve listened to more.

Q: Michele, do you have a favorite record?

Michele: That is tough to narrow it down to one. I love all of Biffy Clyro’s albums, Mae’s “Everglow” and “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” is a favorite of mine.

Q: Your website says, “We’re bringing music back to life in New Jersey.” What does that mean to you? How do you feel about the state of music in New Jersey and of music communities in New Jersey?

Shane: Throughout the years, a lot of great venues have unfortunately closed their doors in New Jersey, and we wanted to be able to create a space for original music to be played and explored. We do feel that New Jersey has always been a vibrant music state, and we are just now happy to be a part of it.

Michele: We want to provide a platform for talented musicians to get in front of new audiences in a welcoming, intimate space.

Q: Why Boonton and not a location like West Milford?

Shane: While I grew up in West Milford and have moved back here as an adult and love all the beauty the town has to offer, we unfortunately do not have a downtown Main Street, where businesses can feed off each other because it is so large and spread out. It’s hard for a small business, such as a record shop, to thrive in a location without foot traffic surrounded by other businesses. Main Street Boonton has an artistic energy where all local businesses feed off each other and appeal to like-minded consumers.

Michele: Main Street in Boonton is a historical walkable downtown with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, a new bookshop, coffee shops, bakeries, art studio and more. There is a certain synergy that these businesses provide the community, and we feel the addition of a record store complements the town nicely. The town of Boonton has been so welcoming to us and has a strong music-loving community. We love living in West Milford, but the idea of opening a brick-and-mortar store came alive when we saw the space in Boonton and the surrounding businesses and clientele.

Q: You’ve also been putting on live shows right inside Hidden Tracks Records. Can you share more about what kind of performances and events will be hosted?

Shane: In addition to hosting live original music, we will be featuring events throughout the year, including trivia, listening parties, “First Friday” and celebrations, and more.

Michele: We aim to feature original singer/songwriters and acoustic stripped-down intimate performances of all music genres.

Q: Any upcoming events we can look forward to?

Shane: We have live shows on Sept. 20 and every week in October as well as a huge announcement coming soon for November. Stay up to date with all our events on Instagram (@hiddentracksrecords), Facebook (@Hidden Tracks Records) and on our website (myhiddentracks.com).

Michele: Check out our Events Calendar on our website, myhiddentracks.com, and our Instagram and Facebook pages for updates. We have a lot of live shows coming this fall as well as other events like “Music & Mocktail” socials. We have Jeiris Cook performing on Oct. 3, Sonofdov and Tom Barrett on Oct. 25 as well as others in the month of October. We look forward to seeing you at a future show.