Grooves That Connect: A Reunion in Music
Years ago, Larry Jaffee and I worked together in the cybersecurity space—both of us journalists covering the latest risks and threats to business and society. It was a different time, a different industry—one built on firewalls and encryption rather than melodies and grooves. Decades passed. Life moved forward. When I relocated to New York City, we reconnected online, and when I launched the Music Evolves Podcast, our conversations picked up again. But this time, the topic wasn’t security. It was music. And it was in person.
I arrived first at a local café in uptown Manhattan, grabbing a seat at the table after navigating the usual NYC subway delays. Before long, Larry walked in, portable record player in tow along with some event brochures, a book, and a couple LPs, ready to talk shop about something we both love. Our conversation spanned the comeback of vinyl, the future of sustainable, non-plastic pressings, and the business of recording artists today. We talked about several artists, including Jack White—whom I had just seen at NAMM and whom Larry was off to see perform that night in New York. And as often happens in conversations like these, we drifted into bigger topics—what drives us, what keeps us going, and the passion that fuels the work we do.
Then came the best part. Larry positioned the battery-powered turntable on the table and spun a few tracks. One LP was tied to his book, Record Store Day, and the other to his latest non-plastic pressing venture, Thermal Beets Records. The music wasn’t loud, but it didn’t need to be—because what made the moment special wasn’t just the sound, but the technology itself. In a world where we take instant access to music for granted, this now-perhaps “antiquated” tech allowed us to connect in a way that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
Sitting in a public café, with no Wi-Fi, no streaming, and no algorithms curating the experience for us, we shared music in its purest form—physically present, intentional, and personal. It also connected us through a nostalgic location, Amoeba Records in Los Angeles—where the track being played was recorded, where Larry and I both spent some time, and where a good LA-based friend of mine (also originally from the cybersecurity space) used to work. It's a small, wonderful world, for sure.
The perfect crackle of the vinyl wasn’t just nostalgia; it was a bridge across time, industries, and experience, made possible by the very innovation that first brought recorded music into people’s lives.
Some connections are meant to last. No matter how much time passes or how industries evolve—whether it’s cybersecurity, media, or music—shared passions have a way of bringing people back together.
Stay tuned—Larry will be joining me on the Music Evolves podcast to dive into the history and future of vinyl. I’ll also be covering Making Vinyl, his upcoming event, to get an even deeper view into this space with record industry veterans, luminaries, artists, and innovators.
There’s so much more music innovation, creativity, and nostalgia to explore, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
Until next time ...
Keep creating, keep listening, and let the music move you.™️
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Thank you for watching, listening, reading, and joining me!
Sean Martin is a life-long musician and the host of the Music Evolves Podcast, the Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast, and the Random and Unscripted Podcast, all part of ITSPmagazine Podcasts—which he co-founded with his good friend Marco Ciappelli, to explore and discuss topics The Intersection of Technology, Cybersecurity, and Society.™️
Want to connect with Sean and Marco On Location at an event or conference near you? See where they will be next: https://www.itspmagazine.com/on-location
To learn more about Sean, visit his personal website.
