Get to know Steve Warrenfeltz, of Kiss The Sky

Steve Warrnefeltz has been in the record store business for nearly two decades. The store, now at 180 W. First St. in downtown Batavia, has called the fox Valley home for more than 16 years, with previous locations along Randall Road, and in downtown Geneva.

Reporter Eric Schelkopf asked Warrenfeltz, 61, about the store's evolution, and his own love affair with music.

Q - What got you hooked on music in the first place?

My mom and dad were both very musical. My mom played the accordian, and she loved rock 'n' roll, and my dad was a hillbilly from West Virginia, and he loved country and western music.
My grandfather played the banjo, harmonica and the spoons. He used to entertain the grandchildren when we would come over for family reunions. There was always just music in our house, always.

When I saw The Beatles on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in February 1964, that's when I got hooked and I became a fan of music. It was all the screaming fans, the girls, the excitement. It was these guys from Britain that dressed differently and looked differently and were playing rock 'n' roll like we never heard it before. I was just mesmerized.

Q - Kiss The Sky sells vinyl records, which have been enjoying a new popularity in the last few years. Why do you think that is?

The resurgence and interest in vinyl is multi-faceted. There are those who love vinyl, so there's that foundation.

And now all of sudden it's become cool and hip. And there's a nostaglia factor to it. And there's a backlash to digital music. I think some serious music people are getting tired of digital and especially mp3s.

What can you get out of an mp3 player in terms of quality of sound?

Q - Do you remember the first vinyl record you bought?

Yeah, I do. I bought two in one day, "32 Little Deuce Coupe" by The Beach Boys, and "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" by Jan and Dean. Those were the first LPs I had bought. But prior to that, I had bought 45s. And the first 45 I bought was "Walk Right In" by The Rooftop SIngers.

Q - Your current location is bigger than your store in Geneva, which allows you to feature live music. Since September, Kiss The Sky has worked with BATV to produce a monthly series of shows called "Live From Kiss The Sky." How has that been going?

We have bands lined up for the next five or six months. The shows have been going very well. Pretty much, every show is a virtual sell-out.

We limit the tickets to 50 per show, because we want it to be nice and comfortable. It's kind of living room concert experience.


Q - What's the joy of owning a record store?

I get to do what I've dreamed of doing and what I love doing for a job. I'm living out a dream I had when I was a teenager and first going to record stores and buying records and albums.

Now I do that as a job and a business. And it doesn't seem like a job to me. In a nutshell, I don't feel like I have a job, because I'm doing what I love.