ATP! Essential Listening: Vinyl Theatre

Vinyl Theatre’s brand of upbeat, electronic-influenced indie rock comes packed with its own sunshine and infectious smiles. Their debut album, Electrogram, is infused with positive vibes that make it hard not to dance along. The joy Vinyl Theatre gets from being able to make music they love is evident in every beat.

Perhaps part of the band’s appeal is the root in long-running friendships; the band started with singer/guitarist Keegan Calmes and keyboardist Chris Senner meeting in high school. Bassist Josh Pothier and drummer Nick Cesarz were quick additions, both friends of Senner. Those friendships seem to strengthen the band’s sound through love for each other, and of course, for the music.


Vinyl Theatre caught record label Fueled By Ramen’s attention after posting standout tracks on SoundCloud. The band’s loyal fan base immediately had the songs trending on the site, and the rest is history.

Electrogram is a strong debut that shows exactly what the band is capable of, with fantastic tracks like “Shine On.” The song embodies Vinyl Theatre with a positive message and sing-along chorus. “Summer” perfectly encompasses the ecstatic feeling of the season, of letting loose with your friends and not worrying about tomorrow, in a spellbinding way. “If You Say So” is about struggling with issues with personal identity and never wanting to let others down with its recurring line of “I won’t drop you if you won’t drop me.”

The band’s spirit of positive attitudes and genuine happiness spreads to every listener. The industry could use more music like Vinyl Theatre’s.

- Words by Lauren Jones