Moncton record expo keeps growing and growing: 'Vinyl is the way to go'

Saturday was a great day for vinyl lovers who cherish the thrill of the hunt.

Hundreds attended the fall edition of Greater Moncton's Record Expo which took-place in a community centre in Riverview, N.B., on Saturday.

A man browses records at the Greater Moncton's Record Expo. (Derek Haggett/CTV Atlantic)

A total of 65 vendors with hundreds of bins of records were on hand.

It's a far cry from the expos humble beginnings, when a handful of vendors sold their discs in the basement of a downtown Moncton hotel.

Organizer Marty Leblanc has been hosting the bi-annual expo for over 20 years, and said there was huge lineup waiting as soon as he opened the door at 10 a.m.

He has no plans on giving it up anytime soon.

'Oh, until I die. This is my hobby, my adrenaline rush,” said Leblanc.

Vendor Mat O’Blenis said Leblanc has been a fixture in Moncton’s vinyl scene for years.

“Marty ran a local record shop for a little while and it’s great that this whole event gets to happen,” said O’Blenis.

O’Blenis, who has around 15,000 records in his personal collection, said no one really needs physical media anymore.

“So the people that want to buy hard copies are serious collectors. They want the best possible sound. They want the best possible visuals and vinyl is the way to go for that,” said O’Blenis.

Organizer Marty Leblanc looks at a record at the Greater Moncton's Record Expo. (Derek Haggett/CTV Atlantic)

Bailey Johnson said her father got her into collecting when she was young.

“I manage a café on Main Street and we play vinyl so it’s kind of fuelled my addiction,” said Johnson. “It’s just really cool to have a big piece of art you know and it’s just the whole experience of taking it out, putting it down and listening to a full album.”

Sixteen-year-old Rylan Delhunty had an armful of LPs on him.

He’s not sure why he collects, but he knows he enjoys it.

“It’s fun just to dig through crates,” said Delhunty. “I don’t know, for the inconvenience I guess. It’s fun. It’s different. The audio quality is good. That’s all that really matters.”

The joy of collecting is simple to Leblanc.

“I think it’s just the thrill of the hunt. Just to try and find vinyl you’ve never heard of,” said Leblanc.

If you missed out on the event, mark your calendar, as the spring edition – Vinyl Mania 2 - will take-place in in May.

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