New-Age Nostalgia: Vinyl DJ Whitney Russell's blasts from the past

Whitney Russell cracks a smile as the familiar warm crackle of needle on vinyl emerges through the sound system at Shamrock Pub. It's been several months since she last hosted the bar's Wednesday vinyl nights, and she's happy to be back.

'Straight to Hell,' by the Clash rings out through the bar as she checks her levels and finishes setting up for the kickoff gig later that night. Soon, she's completely focused, searching through her massive collection for the perfect song into which she can seamlessly transition.

'I just miss playing out,' she says. 'When I go home, I sit down and listen to my records. I'm just constantly around vinyl, so I'm really excited to be doing this again.'

Russell first began hosting vinyl nights several years ago when she met fellow DJ and vinyl enthusiast, Eric Barker. He was playing his records at Shamrock, and the two struck up a friendship through their shared passion. Eventually, Russell took over as host of the event before taking a hiatus at the beginning of the summer.

Russell says the return of the event is especially meaningful, because for her, the performance is more than just a way to keep the bar's patrons entertained '” it's a way to express herself.

'I pretty much just start playing music that's influenced me somehow throughout the week,' she says. 'I like to think of this one night as almost a cathartic experience '” like a curation.'

Russell thinks of herself primarily as a vinyl collector and enthusiast, and although she considers herself a DJ, she prefers to think of it as sharing her extensive collection in a meaningful and cohesive way. Her goal is to create an atmosphere and a sense of nostalgia through her use of mixing and transitions between deep cuts, which run the gamut from old Ramones and Lou Reed to traditional Hawaiian and Chinese music.

'Creating an organic flow out of a very eclectic mixture of music,' she says. 'That's what I like to do.'

Vinyl Wednesdays will continue at 9 p.m. next Wednesday, Oct. 16, at Shamrock and will now take place every other Wednesday.