CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Inside Chicago's only vinyl production plant, Smashed Plastic, a new double album is hot off the presses.
"It's a double vinyl record, 25 bands and artists on it, originally based in Chicago — from local to internationally known," says Trey Elder, who runs the not-for-profit Quiet Pterodactyl.
With cuts from Poi Dog Pondering, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, OK Go and many others, the release will benefit local live music venues that are barely hanging on since they were forced to shut down in mid-March.
“Normally, a project like this would take at least a year, but many of these venues don't have a year to wait. We were able to put this together in about 3 1/2 months so we could get it out and into the hands of people,” he said.
The record is financed by sponsors like Smashed Plastic, Revolution Brewing and Dark Matter Coffee. Chicago musicians were eager to participate and help music venues, Elder says.
"For a lot of them, that's where they play, and for the bigger artists, that's where their careers begin,” Elder says. “Some of the music is new tracks written during the pandemic, some of it is previously released but live versions of them — a little bit of everything.
“Literally, every individual package with two records is a collector's item because no two are going to match,” Elder says.
The double album can be purchased online and shipped for $45, and a digital download costs $25. The album will also be a big part of Record Store Day, which was moved from April to Aug. 29 this year.
"Music is such an important aspect to everyone's life. People have emotional ties to music venues where they saw their favorite bands. It helps us all get by during this crazy time,” Elder says.