The Alkaline Trio Archive Blog

Yesterday, August 10th, after thirteen years of searching, I finally snagged a white whale I can’t wait to have in hand. For now I’m keeping what it is private, but it’s something I’ve been chasing for the better part of a decade. I know I overpaid, but FOMO got the better of me. Once it’s in the collection I’ll be happy, and the thrill of the chase made it all worth it. It’s only the fourth copy I’ve ever seen, and just the second I’ve ever seen for sale. I’m hoping it turns out to be the bright spot in what’s otherwise been an extremely stressful month.


In other news, I also spotted another white whale yesterday: the Demo Tape. It popped up on Discogs for the crazy sum of $2,750usd. I know of four tapes that have sold in the past few years, none surpassing $1000usd (the high end one came with two copies of a rare 7" as well!). All four were of varying quality, and this one on Discogs is probably the best looking of the bunch, but none of them came anywhere close to that asking price.


Sellers have every right to ask whatever they want, and this particular seller is (or was) a well-known figure in the Trio collecting community. They’ve sold off a ton of their collection in recent years to other fans, many of them amazing people. I’m glad those pieces found happy homes, and even with the steep price tag on this tape, I hope it finds its way to someone who will cherish it just as much.

Anyway, back to the good news: after all these years the chase is finally over for me. Still riding the high from it, and I can’t wait to share more once it’s actually in my hands.