Outpatient Records continues to focus on analog music as an unparalleled experience by hosting vinyl pop-ups and highlighting local music in Chico.
Matthew Garcia is the creator of Outpatient Records and said his work is all for the love of music.
“It is such a grounding, spiritual way to connect with people and express things that I don't know how to sometimes put to words,” Garcia said.
The name Outpatient Records originally came from Garcia's brother, a fellow vinyl enthusiast. Both once envisioned a business that merged a traditional record shop with an outpatient mental health clinic.
“It never came to fruition,” Garcia said. “We were very close at one point in time.”
Garcia is a child therapist who has been collecting vinyl since he was a kid. He drew inspiration for the project from memories growing up in the Central Valley, south of Fresno, where he often joined his parents at the flea market.
“I just remembered feeling that excitement of shopping for records with my dad,” Garcia said. “I didn't know what the heck they were, but it was just like this really cool idea.”
For the love of vinyl records
Established in 2014, Outpatient Records initially served as a way for Garcia to offset the high cost of his personal vinyl collecting.
“It became so expensive, and I was spending so much money,” Garcia said. “I had all these records, and I go, ‘What a way to not only meet new people, but to be able to put more cash in my pocket.’”
He began hosting vinyl record pop-ups at venues like 1078 Gallery and Naked Lounge, which sparked more interest amongst the community.
For these pop-ups, Garcia typically curates a selection of approximately 1,000 records and sets up a mobile sound system, featuring local DJs who spin vinyl throughout the event.
Garcia hopes to get people out of the house and create connections.
“It's great for human interaction in an era where music is mostly algorithm-driven,” Garcia said. “It's completely curated everything that I have available, it's things that I would be personally spinning.”
Music scene and Chicano roots
Garcia has been instrumental in shaping the Chico music scene. In 2018, he expanded his work to include coordinating music events.
“I just love that DIY community of people who maybe are on the fringes, but can all meet up over a weekend and connect with people who feel just like they are,” Garcia said.
Drawing from his Chicano and Latin roots, he wanted more visibility for that music locally. That desire eventually led him to create the Latin Summer Series, where every month this summer a new Chicano/ Latin artist will hit the stage at Argus Bar and Patio.
“It was a way to feel more represented as a Chicano myself, it was just like a cool way to bring people that look like me to town,” Garcia explained, “I want to get more of the Latino community to come out to these shows.”
The summer lineup spans an array of genres, from garage and psychedelic rock to cumbia and punk.
The series kicks off on June 4 with the Central Valley surf-rockers 3LH and the sounds of Chico’s cumbia-alt band Los Clown Bloods.
“I just really like mixing of the culture, and I think this is just going to be a fun way to just celebrate that,” Garcia said.
June 4 — 3LH (@3lh_official)| Los Clown Bloods (@los_clown_bloods)
July 9 — Orquestra Pacifico Tropical (@o_p_t_)| XDS (@xdsband)
August 14 — Los Tranquilos (@los__tranquilos) | Suika T (solo) (@suikat.music)
The next vinyl record pop-up is on Saturday at Bodega Slice Shop in Chico.
