Totally On Track Podcast

Just back from California and finally shaking off the jet lag (sort of). Though it was time to share my record and CD hauls from the Golden State.

Transcript of Audio (With a few ad libs mixed in)

Hey, it’s Thea here – and I’m just back from spending April in California! Between the sunshine, seeing old friends, Canva Create, several road trips, and a few epic meals, I also managed to squeeze in some proper record shopping in Santa Cruz and Los Angeles.

Let’s start in Santa Cruz…

Santa Cruz – Streetlight Records

First stop: Streetlight Records in downtown Santa Cruz. They had this brilliant deal – 10 CDs for $10. So, naturally, I scored a little stack.

A few highlights?

* The Dunwells – Blind Sighted Faith (2012) – Harmony-rich Leeds lads… Not sure I even know a track on this or from them, but I’m curious!

* Mojo Presents: How Soon Is Now? (2017) – A Smiths tribute CD, brilliantly curated and full of jangly nostalgia.

* Mojo: Best of 2024 – A fresh collection of modern legends and rising stars. Always love seeing what Mojo picks.

* Uncut Presents: John Peel's Festive 15 (2023) – A cracking tribute to the legendary tastemaker, full of indie gems.

* Ed Sheeran – + (2011) – His debut. Not everyone’s cuppa, but I’ve got a soft spot for this one.

* Kristin Hersh – Sky Motel (1999) – Haunting and poetic, just like you’d expect from the Throwing Muses frontwoman.

* Tyler Hilton – The Tracks of Tyler Hilton (2004) – Charming debut. Total throwback to singer-songwriter vibes and early 2000s CW days. Speaking of which, I also picked up...

* Five for Fighting – America Town (2000) – Yup, the “Superman” one. Great piano pop.

* Sammy Hagar – Unboxed (1994) and The Essential Red Collection (2004) – A proper Red Rocker double whammy.

* Hunters & Collectors – Fate (1991) – Aussie rockers I once played American football with after a soundcheck at One Step Beyond in Santa Clara. Random, right?

OK, so yes… I got more than 10. But a few are gifts, so I’ll keep those under wraps.

A few not in the sale were:

Cigarettes After Sex – X's (2024) $15.00 =- One of my fave bands in the last decade. So sensual and cinematic as ever and the brilliant Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever (1989) $7.99 It was a among my stolen cassettes so good to get this classic on CD. It’s Petty at his most effortlessly brilliant.

Santa Cruz – On the Street

Later that night, I was out for dinner in downtown Santa Cruz with my Lasso Con co-founder Chris Yeh, when I spotted a guy—Michael, I think—selling crates of vinyl right there on the street.

I ended up grabbing:

* Foreigner – Head Games (1979) – A punchy, swaggering rock classic.

* Sammy Hagar – Musical Chairs (1977) – One of his early solo records, pre-Van Halen.

Got both for $15 – not bad for a bit of street crate-digging!

Los Angeles – Record Store Day

Then it was down to LA for Record Store Day, which meant a visit to Gimme Gimme Records – and yep, more treasures turned up:

* Icehouse – Measure for Measure (1986) – Lush, synthy Aussie goodness for just two bucks.

* JoBoxers – Like Gangbusters (1983) – Pure Brit-funk joy. So catchy.

* Adam Ant – Strip (1983) – Glitzy, flamboyant, and totally of its time.

But the big wins?

* The Cure – The Top (1984) – A psychedelic, genre-blurring trip of a record. I lost my original in the great vinyl theft, so this felt like sweet redemption.

* Simple Minds – Sparkle in the Rain (1984) – Another stolen gem I was thrilled to replace. Found it at Arrero Records in LA. Just $6!

So yeah, it might not have been the biggest haul I’ve ever done, but there were some proper gems in there. A few replacements for my missing records, some nostalgic scores, and plenty of fresh listens ahead. So I’ll catch you on the next haul. Until next time, I’m Thea, sayin’ “See Ya!” :)

Music, Memories, and Mixtapes - by Thea Newcomb @ Totally Content UK

Where did my fascination with the Emerald Isle even come from? I can’t quite pinpoint it. It could be from the framed print of a remote Irish cottage that hung on the wall of my small Californian bedroom...Calling to me like some kind of mystical beacon. Or maybe it’s the supposed 31% of Irishness that the Ancestry DNA test says I possess. Perhaps it’s from the first time I heard the new single from the Boomtown Rats' "I Don’t Like Mondays," on the local radio station.

Whatever the case may be, U2 quickly became my favourite band in high school, and I was obsessed. I had a weakness for boys with typically Irish names. You know Desmond, Brendan, Seamus, that sort of thing.

But while U2 kick-started my obsession, they weren’t the only Irish band to steal my heart. Hothouse Flowers, Something Happens, and most of all, A House, became my late teens soundtrack. And yes, I once showed up on frontman Dave Couse’s doorstep in 1989. (But to be fair, he did give me his address, so…)

A House and the Blue LightI’d seen A House play with The Go-Betweens (RIP Grant McLennan) in Santa Clara or was it Palo Alto, I can’t quite remember, but the guys were kind enough to put me on the guest list for the next night’s gig in San Francisco. That show was a chance to hang out with the lads again, but the real highlight was my later trip to Dublin.

I got to spend time with them on a few occasions during that visit. Once, Dave and Feargal took me to a local church and then high up into the Wicklow Mountains to the 300-year-old Blue Light Pub. A pub that would be name-checked in the Black Velvet Band’s cover of “Werewolves of London” a year later.

On the drive down the hill from the pub, I remember spotting someone walking up the hill in a Bauhaus shirt and remarking, “Ohhh, Bauhaus.” Dave’s was impressed and a little shocked that I even knew who they were. His impression was that the average American had no musical taste or knowledge. He’s probably not altogether wrong but I’ve always loved music from the UK and Ireland.

That comment has always stuck with me. The other thing he said that’s seared into my memory was that I could “talk the hind legs off a donkey,” which, though probably also true, stung and stunned me to silence—at least momentarily.

I spent a fair amount of time with bassist Martin during that trip. Of all the band members, he was the one I knew best, thanks to several painfully expensive transatlantic phone calls. When we met up again in person, he gifted me a few of his own Irish mixtapes. They’re treasured by me to this day. Thanks, Martin.

I suspect that visit to Dublin may have pushed me into the “uberfan” category. It seemed to put me on some kind of band blacklist because, after that, the communication grew colder. But despite that, I kept listening to A House for years. And even now, if I hear an A House song, I can sing every word. It always sparks beautiful memories of that joyful journey.

Sadly, some of my most cherished A House singles were among the 150 records stolen from me during the pandemic. Including my prized “Heart Happy” 12" that was autographed by the band and something I’ll never be able to replace.

Setanta Records and College RadioMy 1989 trip also introduced me to the brilliance of Setanta Records. I remember picking up my first Setanta single, Power of Dreams’ “A Little Piece of God” in London. Thankfully, that one wasn’t stolen. But if it had been, I just checked Discogs and it’s there for 95p plus a fiver for shipping, so there’s that. My copy of the 12" single is priceless.

That discovery led me to start corresponding with the guys at Setanta and they ended up sending me records by acts like Into Paradise, The Divine Comedy, and The Frank and Walters. I began my stint in college radio, those acts became part of my regular playlist.

The name of my radio show? “Britain and Beyond,” naturally. It was a show I’d later reprise at Q96, my first job in commercial radio, at Q96, when I moved to Scotland in 1992.

Still Chasing the Irish Soundtrack More than three decades later, my love for Irish music hasn’t faded. I’ve done radio shows dedicated to Irish bands, interviewed many, and even made new Mixcloud mixes celebrating Ireland.

Speaking of which, in honour of St. Patrick’s Day, I compiled a one-hour mix called Irish Heartbeats yesterday. It’s a “heart on my sleeve” set of love songs, capturing a whirlwind of emotions ranging from unconditional love to unrequited love, lost love, and even a glimmer of optimism for the future.

Listen to this Irish Mix for FREE on Mixcloud Now

At some point this year, I hope to get back to Dublin and beyond—not just passing through the airport on my way to California like I’ll be doing soon. There are so many places I’d like to explore and people I’d love to connect or reconnect with.

And you…?

What about you? What are your thoughts about Ireland? Who are some of your favourite Irish singers, songwriters, and bands? Let’s see if I know them or if they’re someone I’ve yet to discover. To be fair, my knowledge of Irish acts from the 2000s onward is pretty patchy. But I did just see Snow Patrol a few weeks ago, and that was pretty ace! Gosh, I love that Lightbody!

Well, that’s all for now. Until next time, I’m Thea, saying “See Ya.”

Do you remember the first time you fell in love with a record? That moment when the needle drops, the world fades away, and for a few minutes, nothing else matters.

Music has a way of freezing time, tying us to moments, people, and places—sometimes in ways we don’t even realise until they’re gone.Hi, I’m Thea Newcomb, founder of Totally Content.

My love affair with records started with 7" singles in the late ‘70s - but really kicked into overdrive in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, back when I was living in California.

I worked in record stores, for indie and major labels, and even did college radio.

Over time, my collection grew—rare promos, cutouts, autographed copies, and some seriously sentimental finds.

After my father, my music collection was the thing I cherished most. But when I moved to Scotland, I made a decision I’d come to regret—I left it behind with him until he passed in 2018.

After my dad passed, my collection moved from his place to a friend’s house, then another’s in 2020. I photographed my entire collection in January 2020 - so I knew exactly what I had before flying back to Scotland.

I trusted a few different friends to look after the music in 2020 and they had them until my next trip in the fall of 2022. At the time, I didn’t realise how much was missing—even as I filmed them!it wasn’t really until January 2024 when the palette of 17 boxes arrived that I started to notice that many of my most prized records and precious memories were gone. All of my U2, Tears for Fears and A-house singles, The Furs, The Cure, Simple Minds, and the Housemartins too. In the end, over 150 records were stolen by the trusted friend or friends.

It felt like losing a piece of myself, and honestly? It broke me.

Not just my vinyl went missing…

It wasn’t just my vinyl — it was my cassettes, CDs, even my school yearbooks—were gone too!It sent me into a deep depression, sleepless nights, panic attacks, the works. It was not just the loss of physical goods, it was the betrayal and the loss of the friendship.

By spring, I had a choice: stay stuck in that loss or start rebuilding. So, I picked up a turntable and got back into record shops.

Slowly but surely, I began reclaiming my stolen collection. Friends helped—some sent me records they had, others sent birthday and Christmas gifts. By the end of 2024, I had replaced 40 of them. Not all exact matches, but close enough to count.

I still have about 100 to go, and I’m on a mission to find my lost gems. If you want to follow along, I’ve shared some Record Hauls on the Totally Content YouTube channel...

There’s plenty more to come.

In fact, Record Store Day is next month, and I’ll be back in California—probably in some second-hand shop, searching for another lost piece of my collection.

Next time, I’ll share more about the records at the top of my replacement list.

If you want to support me, you can buy me a coffee (but let’s be real, a record would be better), become a paid subscriber, or just leave a like or comment—every little bit keeps the mission alive.

Thanks for listening

Until next time, I’m Thea, saying see ya.

More to the Story:

* My Missing Records - A Vinyl Oddyssey (my first post about the ordeal)

* Steal My Heart, Not My Records

* 40 Replaced Records

👋 Hey There, it’s Thea, here!

Welcome to my little corner of the Internet. If you’re into music, retro tech, and all the pop culture goodness from the 80s, 90s, and beyond, you’re in the right place. I’ll be sharing what I’m listening to, watching, making, buying, and selling—whether it’s vinyl, cassettes, MiniDiscs, classic flicks, or binge-worthy TV.

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