Are you hip to the world of the Vinyl Yorkies yet? As the name suggests, the venture is an Instagram account that’s devoted to pairing pictures of two small Yorkies named Bandit and Fiesta with their owner’s large vinyl record collection. Naturally, it’s become a hit on the social media scene.
Here’s how it happened.
The genesis
According to Bandit and Fiesta’s owner, Frank April, his record collecting spree started when he picked up a copy of Sad Bear by the late punk artist Tony Sly.
“From then on, I made a list of all the records that have influenced me to this day and tried to find a copy of each,” he explains. “I started posting pictures of my collection around the same time I actually started collecting.
“On my Instagram account, I was only displaying pics of vinyl and my dogs, so at one point I decided to merge it into Vinyl Yorkies.”
Bandit meets Fiesta
When it comes to his dogs, Frank says he picked up the 4-year-old Bandit back in 2012, “Because I was working 400 miles away from my hometown and everybody I knew.” Fiesta came into the picture a year later. “They are siblings from different litters,” he says.
Smooth operators
“They both have really smooth personalities,” says Frank of his pooches. “They like it when I put some music on. They are so used to taking pictures with the collection that sometimes they get ready to pose as soon as I put a record on.”
“I guess I started taking pictures of them so often that they got used to it,” he adds. “Bandit and Fiesta like to sit straight in front of the unit and strike a pose.”
The appeal
“I like vinyl and dogs, plain and simple,” says Frank when asked about the popularity of Vinyl Yorkies. “I just take pictures I think are cool, and if people dig it, then it’s even better. It’s fun to be a part of a community where you can exchange and interact with people who share the same passions.”
Mellow pups
When it comes to Bandit and Fiesta’s own musical tastes, Frank says they will listen to most genres of music, “But I think they prefer acoustic and folk records.”
Saving the day
Bandit and Fiesta might be pros at posing for the camera, but have they ever gotten a little too enthusiastic with one of Frank’s records and managed to destroy it?
Apparently not.
“There was this one record that I couldn’t find anywhere because it had been out of print since 2003,” recalls Frank of one of his prized pieces. “It’s a record by Saves The Day called In Reverie. I finally found a sealed copy after years but had to drop $160 to grab it. Luckily, the pups never ruined any of my records, and I am very thankful for that.”
Head over to the Vinyl Yorkies account to check out more of Bandit and Fiesta’s adventures in sound.
