Wax Dreams

Billy Philhower has a vision.

It all began with his first foray into vinyl collecting as a teen, growing up in the Asbury Park area of New Jersey. 

“I started collecting records when I was a freshman in high school and I basically just unlocked a passion for music,” recalls Billy.

Cheshire Cat by Blink-182 served as the first of countless records to follow. When asked what his most prized vinyl possession is at present, he paused. It was not an easy answer, as the years and experiences in collecting, selling, producing, and releasing have yielded no obvious or immediate choice. Billy’s been at this for a long time, the seed of his longstanding enthusiasm planted many years ago, now coming even further into fruition via his first dedicated physical retail space.

After a few moments, Billy proposed, “I have a test pressing of The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse that I got from a guy who grew up near the band.”

That’s pretty sick. And definitely a unique, specific choice only someone in the world of vinyl would come by. His answer gave me a new appreciation for those, like Billy, who have been deep in the vinyl game for years. For them, it’s not just a mild hobby (as it is for someone like me, or I imagine the majority of others), but rather a genuine passion and a specific manifestation of their love of music. I’m happy to find an original pressing of popular 70s or 80s bands, but with someone who's owned, distributed, sold, and simply been amongst so many actual, physical records in his lifetime, I imagine it takes some serious novelty or ultra-rarity value to even warrant a second look.

Located in Kensington at 2644-48 Coral St, High Leverage is emblematic of the types of music that fill its bins; namely: punk, hardcore, underground, and indie (but mostly punk). Dripping with a DIY, no-bullshit, and unassumingly chill layout, the shop is the latest in Philly’s overall solid, but surprisingly limited (considering our live music scene and almost 1.6 million-person population) record store scene. While no other record store has quite the same degree of focus on underground, hardcore, and punk, Billy cited Sit and Spin Records as his best approximation of a thematically adjacent contemporary. But the simple fact is that Billy’s store will be populated with the kind of music that interests Billy. The same bands who inspired him over the years, along with their infinitely branching family tree of contemporaries, proteges, influences, etc., are the starting point. Where it goes from there will depend on the community’s response.

But, fortunately for both Billy and the community, Philly bleeds punk and lives for the DIY aesthetic and lifestyle. It’s the perfect starting point and the perfect hook to capture the spirit of the city’s thriving scene and to take a grassroots approach to getting the word out and building within the community, rather than in spite of or in parallel with it. Inevitably, all of this will form an ecosystem of local band releases, intimate showcases, artistic collaborations, you name it.

But I’m getting ahead of myself… 

“It’s already a great scene. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel; I’m just trying to be a positive addition,” Billy said, emphasizing that incorporating into the community remained of critical importance to him on a personal level.

After purchasing a house in Philly last year with his wife, Elizabeth, the couple decided it was time to explore the logistics of opening their own space for the cause. Things moved surprisingly quickly as the real estate became available to them through previous artistic connections in the community. So, the logistics were planned, proposed, and finalized in less than a year. There’s no air of pretentiousness, gatekeeping, or kitschy gimmicks with the venture. It’s borne of love and passion for music and records, and it’s being implemented in the neighborhood with those exact same guiding sentiments.

At its most fundamental core, High Leverage is a record shop run by a guy who genuinely loves records, knows his shit, and wants to share his love with the community of a city that’s been good to him.

“I don’t have any super lofty goals, it’s really just something that I would like to have be self-sufficient and be some net-positive to the community. That last piece is really important to me. I’m not born and raised in Philly - but it’s a city that’s given me a lot.” 

While high school was the stepping-off point for what ultimately led to all of this, the journey leading to High Leverage’s brick-and-mortar store really began in earnest in Boston, where Billy went to college and began engaging with his punk rock entrepreneurship–which is to say, more accurately, his creative juggling act in the world of DIY musical projects.

“I interviewed Chris Regec, who runs Square Opposition Records, and he basically said, ‘just do it if you want to do it.’ So I started a record label my freshman year of college.”

That label was called Too Far Gone Records. During his time as a college student, Billy ran his label until graduating.

“Basically, that was four years of college for me. I put out 40 or 50 different records, I toured with bands, I booked shows, I threw shows in my house - that was as immersive as it could get,” said Billy, adding, ”I think that the label ran its course.” 

After college, he got a full-time, professional career job at an ad agency, where he’s been for a decade. But his passion and involvement in the independent music scene never ceased. Instead, he opted to engage when and where he could, ultimately culminating in the idea for High Leverage’s transition into a physical location. 

“For the better part of the last ten years, I’ve just done odd things in music. I’ve been managing bands, I’ve booked some shows, I had a record distro at one point, but, essentially, I just wanted to eventually put it all back together and do something related to record collecting.”

And so he did. 

While, as previously mentioned, Philhower does eventually seek to open up the collaborative nature of this venture, like the possibility of record release shows or special pressings for local bands, etc., its beginnings will remain a modest, humble, and straightforward foray into the thrill of crate-diving.

“I think it’s going to be 95% used right now,” Philhower said in regard to the starting inventory. “I’ve bought probably a dozen collections over the last year.”

And contained within that collection of collections will be roughly 1,500 records, with another 500 from his own personal collection. Before opening, Philhower was looking at eight bins, each containing around 150 records. Additionally, there will be a bookshelf featuring some odds and ends and, as far as High Leverage branding goes, some custom-made matchbooks, an endearingly clever idea he emphasized was conjured up by Elizabeth.

Ultimately, High Leverage is exactly what it sounds like: It’s a record store in Kensington run by an experienced, passionate purveyor of vinyl, massive music fan, and genuinely kind person, seeking to add fuel to Philly’s vast creative fire. From my vantage point, the possibilities remain near infinite.

“I’m giving it the best crack I can,” said Billy. “It’s something that’s really important to me.”

And to that I echo the immortal words of Thom Yorke (though with absolute sincerity and minus any sociopolitical commentary) and say:

You can try the best you can

You can try the best you can

The best you can is good enough

-“Optimistic” - Radiohead

And judging from my relatively brief conversation with Billy, I have zero doubt his best will far surpass “good enough.” 

High Leverage will be open to the public starting on Saturday, September 5th at 10:00 AM.

I hope to see you all there.