For the past five years, recording artist Jon Vinyl has locked himself in a basement in Toronto to finetune his craft. He would only pop out to collaborate with the likes of Kenyon Dixon, Tash, Loony, and more. But his debut concert at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn showed that he is done cooking and is ready to be served up to the R&B masses. Read ThisIsRnB’s contributing writer Flisadam Pointer’s full recap of the musician’s performance in Brooklyn on the site now.
Where has Jon Vinyl been hiding? That’s the only question I could ask myself after shuffling out of the singer’s debut Baby’s All Right show in Brooklyn, New York. After doing some research on the songwriter, it quickly became abundantly clear that it was I who was out of touch with the Toronto native’s growing buzz.
When an advertisement for his show on Tuesday, May 30, popped up on my timeline, the imagery enticed me enough to grab a solo ticket and head into the city. I often pride myself on the support I pour into independent musicians, so the fact that I hadn’t heard of Jon Vinyl was quite embarrassing. Billed as the hottest underground ticket in town, I knew I had to be in attendance. Prior to the show, I binged Vinyl’s work to familiarize myself with his ethos. With one album, Lost In You (2021), one EP, Palisade (2022), and a string of songs dating back to 2017, it was a long night of jamming.
As I headed into the city on the night of the show, I thought I was prepared for what was to come. Boy, was I wrong! Vinyl’s studio recordings grossly misrepresented how dynamic of a vocalist he is. However, in a live environment, entertainers are forced to put up or shut up, and Vinyl chose the former. Doors for the show opened late, which I’ve come to learn is the norm for the venue. However, thanks to my media clearance, I was granted the opportunity to sneak in before the public. Finding a comfortable spot to anchor myself to for the night was my top priority. By happenstance, my early arrival led me right into the opening act, Courtnie’s soundcheck. Sadly, it was riddled with technical issues. Along with her pianist, the Brooklyn-based vocalist left the stage with confidence as solid as clutched sand. Immediately my assuredness in the show flew out of the bar’s metal doors. Miraculously by the time the “Try” singer returned to the hall and grabbed a microphone, the issues had been smoothed over.
Vinyl’s past collaborations with Kenyon Dixon, Tash, LOONY, and Avry demonstrate his keen understanding of what compliments his sound the best. Selecting Courtnie to open was yet another tactical decision that paid off in the long haul. Courtnie’s provocative fusion of alternative R&B, neo-soul, and dance lifted the energy in the room. Although Courtnie didn’t move more than two feet to either side of the microphone stand, her pianist’s intentionally behind the blends between tracks provided a little grace. The Brooklyn-based act relied heavily on the creative nature of her original songs and updated covers to win the crowd over. In the end, it worked, but for me personally, it left much to be desired.
Now it was time for the waiting game to start until Jon Vinyl took the stage. Instead of opting for the generic top 100 hits playlist, the musician enlisted the help of a DJ to keep the groove going with unique mashups of the known and the not-as-known. From SZA to Dizzy K., nothing was off-limits. The featured DJ almost made you forget another singer was slated to perform. Nevertheless, the moment we’ve all been anticipating arrives. Vinyl’s band, which included a guitarist, drummer, and pianist, takes the stage. In sync, they play the opening cords to “Deflect.” Ushered in by his supporting family, Jon Vinyl began to belt out the initial lines. Turning to the crowd to ensure that it is, in fact, ok to join in. That pen invitation turned into the remainder of the show becoming one big karaoke session.
Separated into two sets, Vinyl jumped across projects, loosies, and covers for twenty minutes at a time. Gliding across the stage as if he’d been there before, Vinyl made the 280-person capacity space feel like a theater meant for thousands. Intimate yet grandiose, Vinyl used every square footage of space, amplified the venue’s simple lighting, and stretched his supporting background vocals to the last millisecond, all while the band played as if it was their last time together. His breakout songs “Chrome Hearts,” “Addicted,” and “Entice Me,” as well as fan-favorites “Slowly,” “Pressure,” and “Star-Crossed” made the setlist. The only thing missing was his track “Stacy,” but assumingly, due to time restraints, he saved it for a future appearance in the city. In 40 minutes, Vinyl squeezed in 18 songs – three covers, one unreleased track, a few new, and his most popular releases. Somehow, the show still felt short. His abrupt ending certainly didn’t help. I was blown away by what was presented for someone who walked in with no expectations. In the same breath, greed crept in because I still wanted more, and that’s the budding star power of Jon Vinyl.
For the past five years, Jon Vinyl has kept his head down at home in Toronto to finetune his craft. He only popped out to collaborate with other like-minded artists. All that hard work earned him a paid ticket and booking fee, pushing him out of the basement and onto the stage at Baby’s All Right performing in front of hundreds of adoring fans. The sky is the limit for Jon Vinyl, and I’m sure it won’t take him long to breakthrough that atmospheric boundary, either.
Do you want more of Jon Vinyl? Be sure to connect with him across your favorite social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook.
Jon Vinyl’s latest EP, Palisade, is available for purchase or to be streamed across your favorite music platforms, including Spotify.
Setlist
- “Deflect”
- “Void”
- “Chrome Hearts”
- “Always”
- “Slowly”
- “Pressure”
- “Thinking Bout Me” (Unreleased track)
- “No Feelings”
- “Storm”
- “Alrighty” by Kendrick Lamar melody
Musical Break
- “Entice Me”
- “Carousel”
- “Star-Crossed”
- “Addicted”
- “Desperado” by Rihanna cover
- “Moments”
- “Sure Thing” by Miguel cover
- “FTU”
