‘The FINAL Night Flight’
A night of music hosted at Goldsteins in Tower District for 3 years has came to an end.
In 2019 I moved back to California after having lived in Minnesota for almost 4 years. In 2022 while living in Sacramento, I took the first steps to start what would become Record Ghoul. And in March 2023, The Night Flight was born here in Fresno, CA. Its purpose was simple: challenge my local communities passive listening and expose them to music they wouldn’t otherwise search for/hear, using my own record collection as the medium.
Blending everything from funk, punk, soul, heavy rock, cumbia, hiphop and more into a slightly chaotic audio-immersive experience. It was definitely not your typical beat matching remixes of classic songs by any means… and that’s just how i wanted it. B-Sides and deep cuts were my safe space.
Truthfully though, I never wanted to be perceived as a DJ, because there are expectations that come along with that. I have good friends who are actual DJS and I don’t do what they do, at all. This was only meant to be an extension of my business selling records, to bridge that gap for people and share my music knowledge. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy sharing music! Any one who ever approached the booth can tell you, I will indulge anyone in conversation about music.
To my knowledge, at that time, there hadn’t been a consistent vinyl only night and so I set out to make that happen. Goldsteins was the only place I approached with the idea, and thankfully they thought it was a great idea cuz I probably would have given up if they said no! (Shouts to Abby and Ben at Golds for giving me the space to pretty much do whatever I wanted with the night.) Starting on Mondays and transitioning to Thursdays, in year two, I attempted to build a community space for anyone in Fresno interested in music to join in.
I know, I’m getting ahead of the actual story of it all, if there is one… But I tried to keep it fairly simple and consistent while doing it, so it was the monotony of routine that overtook by the end. Building 4 hour sets twice a month, strictly on vinyl AND keeping it interesting is actually way tougher than it sounds! Plus, juggling being a husband, father of 2, record vending, event organizing and trying to find meaningful time for myself in between it all became a struggle.
When the 3 year anniversary came around, March 2026, I had been sitting with mixed feelings about how to move forward for 6+ months prior. I knew that I at least wanted to see the commitment through til the anniversary, for myself if no one else. I had reached a point where I was feeling jaded and it was starting to show in the way I promoted, the energy I put in to my sets and more. Then, the 3 year anniversary was one of my slowest nights I had ever experienced. Playing music was no longer something that made me happy, but something that was an obligation to my bills. Turning your passion or hobby in to a job usually creates this silent resentment eventually, from what I have seen.
And that is ultimately why I decided to end The Night Flight. Music is one of the most important things in my life, and I refused to let anything tarnish that relationship. The expectation VS reality never fully lined up and the community I tried to build over 3 years never actualized. Maybe that’s my own fault, maybe expectations in my own mind were too high. But I had so many ideas! So many things I wanted to try and never did.
The internet is a weird place, it makes you feel like you are screaming into a void trying to get anyone to care while also giving the perception of community through likes, story views and shares. But, without any of the actual plus sides that come with real community. Social media isn’t meant for being social any longer, and I know artists and creatives have felt that for a long time. But, if you need me, I’ll still be around. Just not on social media begging for people to come interact.
Fresno Record Swap at Barrelhouse will still continue, and will resume in the fall. In the meantime, I’ll be spending my time skateboarding. I’ll be in my garden reading about regenerative farming. And most importantly, I will be a lot happier because of it all.