John Wright | The Analogue Room: We Traded Community for Convenience | Episode 57
Chopping It Up with Keith Saarloos · Released July 31, 2026 · Santa Ynez Valley, California
About this conversation
We traded community for convenience.
We gained every song ever recorded in our pockets—but somehow ended up listening to the same things alone.
In Episode 57 of Choppin’ It Up, Keith Saarloos sits down with John Wright, the preservation architect, winemaker, music promoter, and founder of Standing Sun Wines who has created one of the Santa Ynez Valley’s most interesting new gathering places: The Analogue Room in Solvang, California.
The Analogue Room is a vinyl listening lounge, wine bar, beer bar, bottle shop, and restaurant built around a beautifully simple idea: put down the phone, choose a record, pour a glass, share some pizza, and listen together.
John shares how he traveled from Maryland and Washington, D.C., to Manhattan, Pennsylvania, Malibu, and ultimately the Santa Ynez Valley. He explains how two master’s degrees in architecture, years spent restoring historic barns, a fascination with physical craft, and a love of music eventually led him into winemaking at Standing Sun Wines.
Keith and John also revisit the nationally touring artists who played Standing Sun, including The Revivalists, American Aquarium, Cody Canada, Kathleen Sieck, and Tom Curren—and explore why live music, vinyl records, wine, food, movies, and even the World Cup become more meaningful when experienced with other people.
This episode is about music—but it is really about something larger.
It is about the importance of the “third place”: somewhere beyond home and work where people can gather, slow down, discover something new, make a friend, and remember that life was never intended to be experienced entirely through a screen.
Explore The Analogue Room:
https://www.analogueroom.com/
Follow The Analogue Room:
https://www.instagram.com/analogueroomsyv/
Explore Standing Sun Wines:
https://www.standingsunwines.com/
Follow John Wright and Standing Sun:
https://www.instagram.com/standingsun/
Heard on KRAZy Country 105.9:
https://www.krazfm.com/
Choppin’ It Up with Keith Saarloos is recorded in California’s Santa Ynez Valley and features conversations with the farmers, ranchers, winemakers, chefs, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and local characters who make this place special.
From Keith’s original Valley archive
The following material is preserved from the original episode post. Existing transcript text is an archive copy and may contain transcription errors.
John Wright and The Analogue Room: Vinyl, Wine, and the Return of Real Connection
In Episode 57 of Choppin’ It Up, Keith Saarloos sits down with John Wright, founder and winemaker of Standing Sun Wines and creator of The Analogue Room, a new vinyl listening lounge and wine bar in Solvang, California.
John’s path to the Santa Ynez Valley was anything but predictable. Raised around Maryland and Washington, D.C., he later lived in Manhattan and rural Pennsylvania, earned two master’s degrees in architecture, worked as a contractor, and restored historic barns and farmhouses before moving to California and entering the Santa Barbara County wine industry.
That background helps explain the way John sees wine and music. He is drawn not only to the finished product but also to the physical process—the barrels, tanks, pumps, hoses, turntables, wires, record sleeves, glowing tube amplifiers, and human hands required to make something come alive.
At Standing Sun Wines in Buellton, John brought wine and live music together through a concert series featuring local performers and nationally touring artists, including The Revivalists, American Aquarium, Cody Canada, Kathleen Sieck, Tom Curren, and many others.
The Analogue Room is the next chapter of that story.
Located in Solvang’s Founders Square, The Analogue Room combines vinyl records, thoughtfully selected local and imported wines, craft beer, nonalcoholic drinks, square focaccia-style pizza, salads, guest DJs, and full-album listening. It was created as a place where people can step away from their phones, slow down, and experience music as something shared instead of something playing invisibly in the background.
Keith and John discuss the ritual of choosing an album, studying its artwork, dropping the needle, opening a bottle of wine, and allowing an entire record to unfold as the artist intended. They explore how music and wine both change with mood, time, place, food, memory, and the people gathered around us.
The conversation also examines the idea of the third place—a gathering place outside of home and work where community can form naturally. Whether that place is a coffee shop, wine bar, movie theater, concert venue, neighborhood restaurant, or vinyl listening room, these shared spaces give people something the digital world cannot completely reproduce: presence.
From rediscovering The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Smiths, Counting Crows, Jack Johnson, and outlaw country to witnessing the international energy of the World Cup, this episode is ultimately about our need to experience life together.
The technology in our pockets has given us nearly unlimited convenience.
But convenience is not the same thing as connection.
The Analogue Room is John Wright’s invitation to put down the phone, put on a record, order something good, and stay awhile.
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Who is John Wright and The Analogue Room
Who Is John Wright and What Is The Analogue Room?
John Wright is a Santa Ynez Valley winemaker, preservation architect, builder, music promoter, and entrepreneur. He is the founder and winemaker behind Standing Sun Wines in Buellton, California, and the creator of The Analogue Room in Solvang.
Before becoming a Santa Barbara County winemaker, Wright earned two master’s degrees in architecture and worked in historic preservation. He began contracting as a teenager, helped put himself through college through construction work, and later restored old barns and farmhouses in rural Pennsylvania.
After moving to California in 2006, Wright discovered the Santa Ynez Valley during a weekend trip. He purchased a home in the area and eventually made the valley his permanent home, raising his children locally and building his career in wine, music, hospitality, and community-centered spaces.
John founded Standing Sun Wines in 2007. His architectural and construction background influenced his approach to winemaking: he was drawn to the physical craft of the cellar and the transformation of raw agricultural materials into a finished product.
Standing Sun also became known as a live music venue. Through Standing Sun Live, Wright hosted local musicians, emerging artists, singer-songwriters, and nationally touring bands in an intimate winery setting. The project helped connect Santa Barbara County wine with the independent music community.
In 2026, Wright opened The Analogue Room, a vinyl lounge and wine bar at 1693 Mission Drive, Suite D2, in Solvang, California. The space features full albums played on vinyl, guest DJs, local Santa Barbara County wines, imported wines, craft beer, nonalcoholic options, square pizza, and salads.
Unlike a traditional tasting room, nightclub, or restaurant, The Analogue Room is designed around intentional listening. Records are selected, handled, and played in the room, allowing guests to hear complete albums, explore unfamiliar music, and experience the physical ritual of vinyl.
The Analogue Room is also an example of a “third place”—a community gathering space separate from home and work. It gives Santa Ynez Valley residents and visitors a place to meet, listen, eat, drink, talk, and participate in a shared experience without making a screen the center of the evening.
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THE Transcript
Hey, everybody. It is 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning, and that means you are listening to Chopping It Up with your host, Keith Sarlos. Yes, the guy who makes wine and, uh, sells cupcakes over in Los Olivos, California. This is our little chance on a Sunday morning to talk to the people in our valley who make it special, people who have found our little home, people who have lived here a long time and make it better. And today, I have a very special guest with a very new thing coming to our valley. Uh, state your name for the record, sir. John Wright. Hi, John. How you doing today? Very good. How are you? All right, so let's roll back a little bit. Mm-hmm. So most people would know you from Standing Sun- Correct ... and all the concerts and stuff that you guys- Yes would put over. I, uh, I mean, I went over there and heard ... I mean, give us a little list of the people that you had play through there. Mm. I mean, Kathleen Seek. Kathleen- We'll just start there ... has played a lot. Kathleen's played a lot. Yep. Um, we've had bands like Cody Canada, uh, American Aquarium. Um, we had, uh, The Revivalists played there. Yeah. Um- I saw Tom Curren there. Tom Curren played there. That was big for me. Yeah. We, we've had a number of touring artists come through that have been really great, and smaller bands to big, you know, national touring bands. That's awesome. It's, it's been great. So, uh, let's start at the begin- how did you find the valley, man? Moved from the East Coast, uh- Where'd you grow up? Grew up Maryland, DC, moved to New York. Right. Lived in Manhattan for a while. Lived out in outside of Manhattan, Bucks County, Pennsylvania for a while. At that point, I was an architect doing preservation work, and I was restoring old barns in the- Really? rural parts of Pennsylvania. Okay, this, just so you know, this is why I asked this question- Great. Things you never knew ... is e- everybody think th- We're gonna play the game. Right. Things you never knew, right? Yeah. So how did you get into restoring barns? I, I have two master's degrees in architecture, one of which is a preservation degree, and so I started, you know, contracting work when I was 15, and put myself through college as a contractor, and, you know, building barns and taking them apart and putting them back together for, mostly for weekend people from New York, you know, their weekend houses and stuff- Yeah in, in rural Pennsylvania. S- all pre-internet stuff, you know, way back. Awesome. '95 to 2005 or something. Two master's degrees? Two master's degrees. Nerd. Yeah. N- and b- been pretty much d- and then went and started making wine. So, um, moved to California in 2006. Moved to Santa Monica, then to Malibu, and then to Santa Ynez, and when we were living in, uh, Santa Monica, we bought a weekend house up here. Awesome. And kinda like, you know, we literally came up here for a weekend and went into the real estate office, saw the girl at the front desk that- Yeah ... probably only worked on Saturdays, and went and bought a house that same day, and then started, like, moving up here. Like, immediately. The valley found you. Yeah, it was wild. We had a really good time. Uh, raised our kids here between Family School and Dunn Middle and the high school. Yeah. And, uh, you know, we've, uh, we've... Well, at that time I was married, and we enjoyed it thoroughly, and then, you know, since then I'm still the only one here. Everyone else has moved on. Got it. You know? So, but I still love it, and I'm tied to the winery, I'm tied to the valley, tied to this new project, and, uh, I love it. I love it here. So let's talk about this new project because it, this is, uh, I, I love the fact that you did it so I'd, you did it so I didn't have to. Right. I- Because- ... this is fantastic. W- tell us all about what you're doing now. So basically I've created a vinyl listening room, uh, that's gonna have- A food, it has a food component, it has a pizza component. So it's a wine bar, it's a, it has beer, it's a restaurant. Um, and it, it focuses mostly on the fact that, you know, people are looking for a space where they can kind of, you know, unclick from their, you know, port- you know, their, their phone and so forth, and kinda settle into a night of listening. And so we might play full albums and we might have a guest DJ. But as a whole, it's a listening room, it's a, you know, it's a more kind of chill environment where we're playing great music. Uh, we've got a great c- food component. We've got a great wine list. We're featuring all sort of, like, local wineries that are real small production, most of which don't have a tasting room or anything. We have some larger wineries too, but as a whole, we're featuring, you know, small production stuff in general, you know. Beers too. And where are you located? We're over in, uh, the Founders Square, uh, Market, which is, uh, near Chomp and the new creamery- Yeah ... and stuff like that. But right, it basically, if you went from the creamery and Chomp and you went towards the coffee shop, we're kind of in between the two. I love the fact because one of the things I, I just personally, and I'm, I'm always thumping this, uh, to anybody who will listen, is, you know, we're living in a digital age and m- and we're l- lucky enough to have a analog childhood and a digital adulthood. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right? And a lot of great things come with a digital adulthood. You know, you can, you don't have to leave your house to watch a movie- Yeah ... and y- you know, everything's streamed right to your pocket. But one of the things I've always struggled with is, you know, I really do like going to the movies. Mm-hmm. And I just went and saw, uh, uh, The Odyssey. Mm-hmm. Went up to Santa Maria Mall. Mm-hmm. Walked around the mall. You know, and- It's a whole experience. You know, and I came home and, and I bought three tickets, and my wife and my son couldn't go, so I flew, uh, poor man's first class, and- ... it was all sold out, and I had an empty seat to my left and an empty seat to my right. Oh, it was fantastic. I loved it. I loved every minute of it. Spread out. Just all spread out. I got a bucket of popcorn. And there is a cer- certain amount of beauty going to- Yeah ... a, uh, movie theater- Mm-hmm ... and hearing the gasps- Yeah ... and hearing the laughs. Mm-hmm. And, uh, you know, hearing people cheer at the end of a movie and you're like, "Hey, we all did this together." Yeah. "This is awesome." Yeah. I love going to the music- Yeah ... and going to the bowl. There's a totally different... You know, I, I always go back to music, and I know- Yeah ... this is a huge component of yours- Mm-hmm ... where- I could, like, concerts on TV are never gonna take off. Mm-mm. They're just not. No. You know? They could say, "Oh, you can watch this on T-," and you're like- No "What's the point, man?" Mm-hmm. But having gone to a ki- as a kid, going to a record shop- Mm-hmm ... or, you know, Licorice Pizza or The Warehouse or Sam Goody or Tower Records or whatever, I loved the aspect of going out and being a part of a community. Yeah. And what you have done, and this is 100% me throwing flowers at you, is that analog experience and being communal and going out and enjoying a bottle of wine with a couple of people, listening to the same thing, tasting the same thing, is a very primal part- Mm-hmm of who we are as people. And I, I'm, I'm just personally applauding you, man. Great. You, you made a- I appreciate it ... great decision here. It was a journey. And what's the name of it? It's called Analog Room. Oh, my gosh. Just a- What a magnificent turn of phrase. Yeah, so it is not digital. So- But- ... what was the idea behind this? You know, I, it really was a evolution of ideas. The first idea was that it was going to be a wine and beer bar. And I found the space and I liked the space. And already having a tasting room and being in the wine business, I was kinda like, I, I kinda wanna expand on that, um- I wanted to find something new in that space and not just do another tasting room. Yeah. And, um, and then it kinda morphed into like, well, it should be a restaurant too, so that there's a food component so that then it's not a bar. It has, you know, kids and families can come. Yeah. Um, and then it was like, well, how can I curate something? I was thinking about just a small, you know, solo act live music thing, and I was like, I really wanna tie in the music component. And I think I, I was in Miami and I was at a... walked by a more of like a coffee shop- Yeah ... vinyl listening room. And, um, I s- By the way, the, have you ever s- you- Yeah ... followed the Japanese ones? Yeah. I mean, they're like- Those are awesome ... I went down the YouTube rabbit hole- Yeah ... of all the, all the Japanese, uh, listening rooms. And it just, that ritual, you know, that ceremony- Mm-hmm ... that the things that you talk about with, you know, going to the movies, putting on an album. It's no different than, you know, opening a bottle of wine- Mm-hmm ... and, you know, making dinner. It's that process that you go through that gives you those sensations and those, and that, that satisfaction and that community and that, and sort of stuff and that makes the memory. Yeah. And so, you know, that, that idea of, of doing that as a community experience, um, just seemed to make a lot of sense. Mm-hmm. And so I didn't wanna do, you know, a coffee bar and I, and I also went to some nighttime, um, you know, hi-fi bars and stuff, and they were a little, you know... one was in Miami, and it was just a completely different vibe. Sure. It wouldn't work here. But as a whole, I loved, again, I like... It's the same thing that I, why I fell in love with making wine was it wasn't the tasting room that I fell in love with. Mm-hmm. It was the cellar. Absolutely. And, you know, and it was the barrels and the tanks and the forklift and the pumps and the hoses, and all that stuff was just spoke to me as an architect, as a contractor, as a builder. I saw all those pieces. And with The Analog Room- I have all those pieces again. Yeah. I have the wires and the, and the turntables that really, you know, they really move. Mm-hmm. And the, and the glow, you know, tube amps and the, you know, and the, all the, all the stuff that gives warmth and you can adjust and you can... And it's not, you don't just plus- press play. Mm-hmm. You have to, you have to make it play, and you have to, and you have to experience it in that way. And so it's, it's taking the time to just, to pick a record and open it up and look at the album art. Okay. You know? And it's just- You're, now you're in my, you're in my warm, fuzzy zone here. Yeah, I mean, it's just so nice. Because I've always said, you know, album, you know, o- old albums specifically, uh, were the poor man's art. Yeah. Right? Mm-hmm. If you bought a, if you have a nice album collection back in the day, and I know we're kinda dating ourselves here. Mm-hmm. But when you had albums, you would put it up. Yeah. Right? Mm-hmm. You'd put it on the wall. Mm-hmm. You would say, somebody walk into your room when you were a kid- Yeah ... you could almost immediately know who that person was by the albums, the posters- Yeah ... the things they have just hanging on their wall. Sometimes you were lucky and you got a poster. Exactly right. And then you could, the times of sitting back, and I know one of the things by being analog and such a great name, um, rarely do you sit back and, like even CDs to a certain extent, I just remember when I was a kid, you'd get Appetite for Destruction. Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. And you're like, "Oh, look at the album art on this thing." Mm-hmm. And then you would pull the sleeve out- Mm-hmm ... and start unrolling it, and you could see every single word- Yeah ... that they printed- Yeah ... um, on that album. And you just laid back and you put a set of headphones on and absolutely get lost in- Tune out the world ... to tune out the world. Yeah. Mm-hmm. You know? And the thing I am super excited about is- The convenience that we got from digital. Like now, in my pocket I have every single album in human history. Mm-hmm. And yet my, uh, Spotify wrap-up at the end of the year is just the exact same stuff- ... that I've been listening to for a long time. Yeah. Right? Yeah. But I'm lucky enough to have an 18-year-old son, and I'm like... He's like, "Give me the aux cord." Mm-hmm. Right? Mm-hmm. So one of the things I wanted to talk to you about is you guys have, um, been open how long now? Three weeks. About three weeks. Yeah. In the first three weeks- Yeah ... of people coming in and unplugging and things like that, I wanna hear from you- Mm-hmm ... you know, your field notes- Yeah about what people are experiencing and what are the unintended consequences that you maybe didn't think of, but what are the things that you're most excited about seeing people come in, putting a needle on the record maybe for the first time- Right ... and sitting back and, and being a part of, like, a shared experience? Yeah. We've got a lot of people that... One that's most surprising to me is the number of young people. Mo- my two basic, the, the guy, Joe, that's running the, the, the kitchen, and Blake that's running kind of the bar and my general manager, both are in their mid-20s. They're friends of my sons, and they both, um, are very into classic rock and, you know, and- Awesome just, and that's, like, all they listen to. And so, you know, they listen to some newer stuff. We're back, baby. But, but yeah, it's like... And my son does the same thing, and your son will do the same thing, too, because they're familiar with what... I did the same thing with my father's music- Yeah ... you know? And- My super kid likes Black Flag because of me. Right. You know? You know? And, and d- yeah, I remember, you know, my s- my son getting a Black Keys album when he was 12. Right. You know? And it's like Yeah, that old classic album. Right, yeah, yeah. It's like, like, or listening to Romano when he was 12. Yeah, yeah. You know, I'm like... And, and so there's something about the generational aspect of this. Sure. You know? One of the, the people that are coming in are, they're asking to hear, you know, Prince, or they're, they wanna hear Chicago, or they wanna hear- Cool ... you know, certain things that, like, you know- Just so you know, this is why I had you on, 'cause I wanna, I wanna know. Yeah. I wanna know what people are doing. It's... Every- Mostly people are just sort of in awe of the process. They're, you know- Yeah ... they, they know that this stuff exists. They know that it's out there. But seeing it happen- Yeah ... in front of them, um, they might have a little player at home or something. They might have a few albums. Some, some people, we get some really great, you know, people that are very enthusiastic about- Sure this stuff, too. Um, but as a whole, the general public that's coming in is just loves seeing the process of it- Yeah ... and loves just listening to whatever plays. And, you know, we weave from daytime stuff to that's, you know, more, you know, more along the lines of, like, Eagles or Joe Walsh or something like that, or some, you know, you know, uh- I don't know. And something more easy listening at the- Sure ... beginning of the day, you know, and then we'll weave in some- A little bit of rock. Yeah, we've done s- we've got some- We've got some Moody Blues, some Michael McDonald. Right. You know, we could, we could put some of that on too, but and then we'll get into some more, you know- little more heavier stuff later in the evening. Yep. And, um, it's, everyone just, I don't know. We don't really- They're curating a vibe, man ... yeah, we're, no one's really, like, saying, like, specifically, "Can you play something?" They're just kinda letting us do what we do- Awesome ... which is nice. And then every once in a while, someone will pick something specific. But it's, we're still, we're still figuring out that vibe too. Sure. You know, we, we do have some rotating DJs that will come in and they'll play their own stuff. We had one guy that came in, played a lot of house music and stuff- Yeah ... that was really fun. I wanna guest DJ. You can guest DJ. Yes. I just, just right before I walked over here, I was talking to someone that walked by. They left the Off The Record record store- Yeah ... which we've been partnering with on a lot of things, and Chelsea over there said, "Go down and see Analog Room." Right before I left to come here- Awesome ... I'm, I'm telling these people, I'm like, "Come in and look real quick, but I gotta go to, I gotta do an interview." Awesome. And, um, they came in, and he was a DJ. He'd, he just DJed at Sky View Motel- Yeah ... up in Los Alamos, and, uh, he's gonna come down and DJ at some point. Um, this Friday we have Justin, who's one of the d- one of the record store employees- Yeah ... and DJs at, at, uh, Off The Record, and he's gonna come and play from 6:00 to 10:00 on Friday. Sweet. And so we're letting people bring their own energy too. Yeah. You know? So we're not trying to, like- Well, it's kinda what you did at Standing Stone. Yeah. I mean, you're really, you're... I've always thought, like, you know, at, at somebody's house, art is how you, um, decorate your walls. Mm-hmm. Right? Wine is how you can decorate your palate. Mm-hmm. And music is how you decorate the space in between spaces. Mm-hmm. I agree. Yeah. And one of the things I, I'm super excited to hear you talk about is, number one, you're creating com- a community atmosphere. Mm-hmm. Right? If somebody just walks in, they can sit down, relax, not say a word to anybody else- Mm-hmm and just kinda soak it up. Mm-hmm. Or they can be a participant- Mm-hmm ... which is a very beautiful, rare thing- Mm-hmm ... you know, these days. It's like the, when you were just discussing about, you know, people being part of the process, I always go back to the, the taffy store that shows people making taffy- Mm-hmm right? Right. Sells a lot of taffy. Mm-hmm. And w- having this- I remember that, yeah. Mm-hmm ... music aspect of it, of people walking in and going, "Hey, do you, can we play this n-?" "Uh, sure, we'll throw it on," or whatever. I don't know if you do that yet, but that, that seems like a really fun, just like- Yeah ... group experience. Yeah. We've got records that, you know, people can walk up to and they can, they can thumb through them, and, uh, we do get people that, that ask, you know, "Can you put this on?" And so we kinda have like a little sec- little area where people might put a couple albums down. Oh, gotcha. And then we'll, you know, we're not necessarily playing a specific song. Yeah. We might just put that album on. Awesome. Um, so we're not taking direct requests- Yeah ... per s- per se, but we're, we're letting people guide us- Right ... into, you know, what they're feeling at the moment. Yeah, what they're into. Yeah. It's like High Fidelity for wine. Yeah. I like it. It's, it's a, it, it i- it's like a tasting, yeah. Yeah. It's- I, I just actually re-watched High Fidelity recently- Yeah ... which made it come to mind. Right. You know, it's like that was always the weird part, and I, I- Had, you know, years ago when we were up in Ardmore, I remember we were just kind of talking about it. The, the person who used to work at our record shop- Mm-hmm you know, i- specifically in LA- Mm-hmm ... kind of transferred at one point to working in a wine shop. Right. And then it was really important to them- Mm-hmm ... you know, what you like. Right. And, uh, Silver Lake Wine, which is like I've known those guys for- Mm-hmm ... years, were always kind of like, "So tell me what you're doing tonight." Mm-hmm. "And what, what are you doing? What are you eating? What are you this? What are you that?" And there's always been, and I think you hit the nail right on the head with this, is there's always been that same thing, like what am I feeling like in the morning? What do I feel like at night? Mm-hmm. W- you know, the music I work out to- Mm-hmm is different than the music I put on, you know- Cooking dinner ... cooking dinner or late at night or just having- Mm ... ambient stuff- Mm ... in the background. And wine kind of follows a little bit- Yeah ... of that same- Mm-hmm ... trajectory. Yeah. You know, there's stuff you wanna drink outdoors. There's stuff- Mm-hmm ... you wanna have with a big meal. Mm-hmm. There's stuff you're just sitting on your back porch watching the sun go down with your partner- Mm-hmm ... and going, "Hey, this is great." Mm-hmm. You know? And I think wine and music go hand-in-hand. They do. So tell me more about the food you guys have there. So we're doing a sort of a focaccia based, you know, kind of... It's not really, I guess it's thick crust, but it's, it's a, you know, it's a square pizza. Um, so far we're just doing margherita and pepperoni. Perfect. But today- What more do you need? I know. It's been... I mean, that was definitely the beginning, and we're g- expanding a little bit. Today we're going to the farmers market. My, Joe, the chef, will be there, and we're gonna search out some other ingredients, some other things. We're gonna probably add one or two more pizzas by this weekend. Cool. And so we do salads. We do the pizzas. We do, you know, it's one square or a half or a full pizza. The full pizza is 11 inches by 16. It definitely feeds three or four. Yeah. And, um, and then we'll kind of start to expand a little bit. We'll... But we're not, it's, we're... All in all, we're gonna keep it simple. We're not gonna go, we're not gonna have 10 different things. Smart move. You know, we're gonna keep it simple, but we're gonna, we're sourcing, you know, our, our greens from Findlay Farm. We're sourcing- Awesome ... you know, stuff from the, from the farmers market here. We're, you know, working with local bakers and stuff for, to do a part bake, to do the part bake crusts. And- Sweet ... and then we're just, um, kinda just- assembling. You know? Yeah. We're not, we're not going crazy with it. So it's, it's all super fresh, but we don't have to, like, we're not making the dough- Yeah and, you know, all that sort of stuff that takes- You're an analog listening room. You're not a pizza place. Right. It's- Yeah. And it's, it's, it's nice. The finish is, it takes, like, 10 minutes to finish a pizza, so- Awesome ... it's, it's really nice. So what's your go-to? Um, you clearly love music. I do. I mean, it's like if you're going in, uh... What is on your playlist currently? What do you listen, what's in high rotation? I mean, I s- s- 'Cause- I tend to listen to a lot of the artists that I used to have at the winery- Hmm ... which, you know, I, I, you know, the... It could be, you know, a lot of things like James Hunter Revival, or it could be like Ryan Bingham or something like that. Not that he was there, but, um- Yeah ... but that sort of, like, you know, that singer-songwriter ver- v- you know, kind of verging on a little bit of outlaw country and stuff. Um- Yeah. People with something to say. Yeah. S- but th- I, all in all, the... I mean, from early on, I always loved music, but what I really started to love music is, was really the Counting Crows. Hmm. Specifically because of the lyrics. It was the first person that really made me pay attention to the song and the story, and later became friends with Adam Duritz, and, and I never told him that or anything. But that- Well, he knows now. N- Yeah. Yeah, he's definitely listening, for sure. Of course, man. And, um, but that, the story is, can be so powerful in so, such a small amount of words. Yeah. And since then, just dove so much deeper into other genres that I wasn't, you know, really paying attention to, you know- Let's- ... earlier on. Yeah. Let's hear. What, like what? Well, I mean, even going back to, like, stuff like I used to listen to, like The Cure, and Echo & the Bunnymen, and The Smiths, and all that sort of stuff. And at the time, I was a 17-year-old kid skateboarding in DC. I wasn't sitting still listening to the music. Right. Now I put on Echo & the Bunnymen, and I listen to, you know, the, the whole album like it should be, and I listen to the songs deeper, and I listen to... And it reminds me of things that, you know, at the time from 20, 30, 40 years ago. But as a whole, I think as, it might be that, you know, growing older and g- and being s- you know, slower about things and, and being more focused on things- Mm-hmm ... you know, has allowed that. But- You know, like you said about music, it's just, it can be so deep and so, so many layers to it that, you know, it's nice to kind of go back and re-a- Rediscover rediscover things- Yeah ... that, you know, maybe, maybe they made sense back then, but they don't make sense now, you know? To- Like- That recently happened to me where, um, my son, you know, being 18 years old and then b- getting to grow up in this valley, uh, said, "Hey, we're going to a concert." And I'm like, "Okay." And Mom was out of town kind of a thing, and we went, and he's- I'm like, "Who are we gonna go hear?" And he's like, "I'm not telling you. We're just going." I'm, "All right. Let's go." Hop in the car, drive down. Uh, we, you know, donated some wine to s- he's like, "We're donating wine, so we're gonna get some tickets." I'm, "Hey, whatever it takes, bud." He knows. He knows the game. And we show up, and I'm like, "Oh," and I look, and it's Jack Johnson, right? And we got to go see his, uh, surf film music, uh, documentary. Nice. And he, I think he kinda didn't tell me because I'm not really the biggest Jack Johnson fan. Yeah. And, you know, if he's listening, of course he is. You know, I'm sorry about it. Now I am. Mm-hmm. Right? And he loves him. Yeah. Just absolutely digs it. He loves to surf. He's, it's like- Mm-hmm ... kinda right down- Mm-hmm ... right down the pipe for him. Yeah. And sitting there and listening and being older- Yeah ... a little bit, I go, "Oh, now I like this." Right. You know? It's something totally different than maybe at the time maybe I liked, you know, No Effects or punk music- Mm-hmm or outlaw country or any of these different things that I was like, "Nah, I'm not really into that." Mm-hmm. And now it was really fun to have my own kid- Yeah ... who has a record player- Mm-hmm ... who loves music- Mm-hmm ... who is introducing me to bands that maybe I should've heard. Mm-hmm. And I think that analog of what you're doing- Yeah is exactly that on a group setting. Right. Yeah. It's just absolutely beautiful. Yeah. Uh, what's some of the weirdest stuff you guys play? Oh, w- What are you, what are you shocked by? What does that mean? We, um, we just picked up... Oh, geez, I just watched their videos last night. It's like, it's like that French ba- French-Canadian band. Oh, yeah, the one that plays offbeat. Yeah. Yeah, and they play in, like, 8/16 time. Yes. Yes. And they wear a costume. Yes. Right. What? Okay. Just so you know, this is fun, 'cause you're listening to a... Just so you know, one of the cool parts- Antoine something too. Yeah ... yeah, something like that, where, like, what I love about Crazy Country- Yeah, yeah you know, like Carp and all these guys here, I mean, there's five independent radio stations left in California, and this is one of them. Wow. Right? And we're so lucky to have our own little college station- Mm-hmm ... here. Um, but getting turned on to new music- Yeah ... right, is almost... I won't say almost impossible. It's really easy to get stuck in your rut. Yeah. Right? Oh, yeah. Unless you have a kid or you have somebody going- Yeah ... "You need to check this out." Mm-hmm. And I think that's one of the fun parts about, like, what is this? Right. And you're like, "How is... Why do I like this?" I know. I listened to the album, then I went home, and I YouTubed them, and I watched the, um, like, a live performance. Yeah. And, like, and I'm, like, lost in it going, like, "I don't know if I like it or if I love it." Yes. Like, I, I can't quite tell. It's scratching a very weird itch. Yeah. I don't know. You know? I mean, I think for a little while, and to, to experience it, it's amazing. I mean, the... You know, I don't know if I would listen to it every day of the week, but I think it's one of those things. Like, it just opens your eyes to something, and then you... And then, you know, like, I saw... Then, you know, something else popped up- Yeah ... and someone's interviewing them, and they're in costume, and you can't really hear what they're saying. It's like this whole thing. Like, you know, they're just creating their own mystique. And in the same vein as wine, you know, it's really easy to get stuck in your rut- Yeah. Right ... where you're like, "I love pinot." Yeah. And then somebody comes and brings a gamay- Mm-hmm ... and you go, "What is this?" Mm-hmm. And you're like, "Try it." Yeah. You prob- you m- if you like pinot, you'll probably like this. Yeah. And people, like, take a sip, like, you know, "Hey, that's pretty good." Yeah. And then all of a sudden, they're, they're on some other- Mm-hmm ... total kick. Mm-hmm. Yeah. S- No, there's lots out there, lots to explore. Um, not that I said we were gonna talk about this, but we got about five minutes left. Mm-hmm. Uh, you are one of the few people I know that got to go to the World Cup. Yes. We went to three games. So y- if you just tell me about it. I, I mean, this is just one of those things because, uh, you went... My buddy Jeff Siek went. Yeah. Our mutual- Yeah ... f- good friend Jeff Siek, and I just talked to him yesterday, and I'm like, "So tell me about it," you know? And he loves soccer. Yeah. Oh. He's that guy that gets up at 4:00 in the morning- I know ... like a, like an absolute goon. I think that was the best part was taking Jeff Siek because I know how much of a fan he is, you know? I... By the way, I'm gonna say it to you, you picked the right person. Yeah. Because that's the person that's, like, crying- Right when you walk in, and you're like- Yeah ... "Should I be feeling like this?" Yes. I, he held his emotions together, but it was pretty amazing. I mean, the first game we went to, I went with my partner, Ana. We went to the England and Paraguay game. Okay. And that was amazing from- The, I'd never experienced a World Cup game Okay, this is what I wanna hear about Yeah. Yeah Yeah I had seen a couple matches, but I'd never really paid attention I'm an American- Yeah ... just so you know. Yeah. I- And so I, we went, and I just, this, it, I, I love F1. Most people- Me too ... love F1 now, and that's such an international stage, and I think that that's why people now f- are ... Th- it seems like this World Cup was so much more popular maybe because people tu- have been tuning into F1 too. Yeah I know it's been pop- very popular, but that international stage is just so amazing. And going and- Yeah ... we sat down, and in front of us was- We have the World Series. We're the best. We know, right? In baseball. And then soccer- The world of the United States. The world of the United States. Yes, I know. And, and that's why I wanna hear about this 'cause it's like, the one thing I would say to you is the one thing I fell in love with about the World Cup was seeing, you know, the Tartan Army in Scotland- Yeah coming to the United States, drinking all of our beer- Yeah ... all of these different countries coming here. Yeah And then it felt like, and somebody said it so well, where it felt like all the cousins from around the world- Yeah ... were coming over even though our parents really don't like each other. Right And then all of a sudden they realize, number one, America is amazing. Mm-hmm, yeah. You know, I saw the Japanese guys- They all- ... that went to Buc-ee's- Yeah. ... and lost his mind, right? Or- Those were the best posts. They were fantastic, right? And all of a sudden we as a- Yeah ... as a world did feel c- like- Yeah ... closer together. I, 100%. And we were cheering. Yeah, yeah. So is that what it felt like at a game? It felt exactly like that. The family in front of us was, uh, Paraguay, you know, fans, and, uh, there was a father and a teenage son and a probably a 10 or 12-year-old. And the, when the f- first American goal happened, the f- youngest one started crying, kind of just really- Yeah ... upset. And in his mind, he had no idea about winning and losing particularly- Sure, sure in a world stage. And the middle son was trying to console him, and then w- uh, we're trying to celebrate. At the same time we're g- feeling really bad, you know- Yeah ... because this family is from Paraguay, and we're, they're in the United States. And they're fans of their team, and like, it had this amazing feeling of just am- not amazing, but this big energy of like- defeat and, and- Yeah and winning, and then caring and- Yeah ... consoling. Yeah And like not w- wanting, feeling bad about one thing, but feeling good about another. It is all kinds of emotions. It's, it's the best of the human- It was- ... experience at once ... yeah, it was really wild. And that carried through to all the games. And just going to see the England game, I mean, they have the best chants. Sure. They have the, you know, they have all the great music. Yeah. You know, they, you know, and like the energy of that when they were, you know, singing and stuff, and the whole- Yeah ... stadium feels it. And you're just like, "I'm at an Oasis concert right now." Right. You know? I mean, it was that wild. All, it was an amazing experience. All three games were just incredible. You know, you w- I think we touched on something that, um, you know, I'm always excited about talking to anybody who comes in here, because we wanna know how you found the Valley, why you love it- Yeah ... and how you're making it better. Yeah. Right? And you're definitely doing that on- Yeah multiple levels. Thank you. The beauty of, you know, this conversation, and they just kinda go where they go, but it seems like the overall theme that we've all been discussing is the fact that life is still a very much a massively multiplayer game- Mm-hmm ... with people from around the world. And if I watch it on television, you know, I'm sitting in my couch watching something on TV. Mm-hmm. And hearing about you being at the Cup, you know, World Cup- Mm-hmm ... which kinda comes on our radar every few years. Yeah. And this year, because it was in the United States, it was definitely on our radar. Yeah. There is, there, we have traded so much of our, um, community for convenience- Mm-hmm ... digitally. Mm-hmm. And the things that you're doing with like, you know, Sanding Sun Music, Analog now, uh, Listening Bar, playing things where people are all coming together and really love just kind of being together and having a community experience seems to be like a little bit of a throughput of your life. And I think you're sharing exactly the thing that every single person in this world is desperately screaming for. Yeah. I mean, it, we're still stuck in this weird COVID haze- You're right ... of I'm at home, I leave my house, I go some, I go to work, and then I come back to my house. And that third place, um, Adam Firestone was in here a few months ago, and he goes, "You know, any, for any great community to thrive, you need two things. You need a really great place to get a cup of coffee, and a really great place to get a beer or a glass of wine- Mm-hmm ... after work- Mm-hmm ... and to meet up with someone- Right ... and, and go to that third place." Yeah. And I just wanna say thank you for creating a new third place in, uh, Solvang, and for our community that if you, if you love music, hey, go there. If you like- Yeah ... pizza, hey, go there. Mm-hmm. If you like beer and wine, hey, go there. Yeah. But I'm, I'm personally really excited to go over and just like hang out and, uh, soak it up, man. I can't wait to see you there. Thank you- It'll be great ... so much for coming in. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Anything, uh, this is where you plug everything, so tell us where you are. Tell us where to find it on Instagram. Yeah. Uh, give us the, give us the info Let's see. I mean, my main Instagram is Standingsun, and it kind of does all things of my life. Um, we do have an Instagram for Analog Room. It's analogroomsyv. Um, follow us on both and we'll put out all the information. We'll put out all our schedule and particular stuff on an- the Analog one, and then on mine it might be the music stuff at Standingsun, it might be stuff about Analog Room, might be just going to the World Cup or heading to, heading to Monza for F1 next. Oh, y- jeez, you're killing me. So- Listen, I don't wanna be anyone else in life, but you're running a pretty strong contender here, dude. Um, so everybody, that's been Choppin' It Up with me and John Wright. Yes. Thanks for coming in, John. Uh, every week, uh, tune into Crazy Country. We talk about... We always have a new guest. I try to get a really interesting person every week. Thank you, John, for coming in. Um, but you know what? We live in the Santa Ynez Valley. It's gonna be a beautiful weekend. Go outside. Yeah. Go check out Analog. Go taste some wine. Go eat some good food. Uh, but really everybody go out and make a new friend and be in community. Right. I mean, that's the best possible thing we can do. That's perfect. So you have been listening to Choppin' It Up on 105.9 Crazy Country. Back to your regularly scheduled programming
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Topics Covered
Topics Covered in Episode 57
Use these as linked topics on the website:
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John Wright
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The Analogue Room
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Standing Sun Wines
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Solvang, California
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Santa Ynez Valley
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Santa Barbara County Wine
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Buellton, California
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Vinyl Listening Rooms
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Vinyl Records
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Hi-Fi Audio
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Analogue Music
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Full-Album Listening
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Record Collecting
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Album Artwork
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Tube Amplifiers
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Guest DJs
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Wine and Music Pairings
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Santa Ynez Valley Wine Bars
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Solvang Restaurants
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Solvang Nightlife
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Local Santa Barbara County Wineries
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Small-Production Wines
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Craft Beer
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Nonalcoholic Drinks
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Focaccia-Style Pizza
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Local Farmers Markets
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Findlay Farm
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Community Gathering Places
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The Third Place
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Digital Convenience
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Human Connection
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Architecture and Historic Preservation
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Historic Barn Restoration
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California Winemaking
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Standing Sun Live
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Live Music in Buellton
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Independent Music Venues
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The Revivalists
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American Aquarium
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Cody Canada
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Kathleen Sieck
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Tom Curren
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Counting Crows
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Adam Duritz
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The Cure
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Echo & the Bunnymen
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The Smiths
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Jack Johnson
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Ryan Bingham
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Outlaw Country
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Classic Rock
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Intergenerational Music Discovery
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Japanese Listening Bars
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The World Cup
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Formula One
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Shared Experiences
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Santa Ynez Valley Community
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Choppin’ It Up with Keith Saarloos
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KRAZy Country 105.9
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FAQ
FAQ About John Wright and The Analogue Room
What is The Analogue Room?
The Analogue Room is a vinyl listening lounge and wine bar in Solvang, California. It combines full-album vinyl listening with local and imported wines, craft beer, nonalcoholic drinks, square pizza, salads, and rotating guest DJs.
Who created The Analogue Room?
The Analogue Room was created by John Wright, the founder and winemaker behind Standing Sun Wines in Buellton. Wright is also a preservation architect, builder, music promoter, and longtime member of the Santa Ynez Valley community.
Where is The Analogue Room located?
The Analogue Room is located at 1693 Mission Drive, Suite D2, Solvang, California 93463, in the Founders Square area of Solvang.
When did The Analogue Room open?
The Analogue Room was established in Solvang in 2026.
What are The Analogue Room’s hours?
The official website currently lists The Analogue Room as open Thursday through Monday from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. It is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Visitors should check the official website or Instagram before traveling because hours and events may change.
Is The Analogue Room a wine-tasting room?
The Analogue Room is more than a traditional tasting room. It is a vinyl lounge, wine bar, beer bar, bottle shop, restaurant, and community listening space. Its focus is on music, intentional listening, food, drinks, and shared experiences.
What kind of music does The Analogue Room play?
The Analogue Room plays complete albums on vinyl and features a wide range of music selected for the time, mood, and atmosphere. Its collection includes classic rock, singer-songwriters, alternative music, outlaw country, independent artists, and unexpected musical discoveries.
Can guests request records at The Analogue Room?
Guests can explore the available records and help guide the evening’s selections. The room is not designed around individual song requests, but guests may suggest albums that can be added to the listening queue.
Does The Analogue Room have live DJs?
Yes. The Analogue Room hosts rotating guest DJs who bring their own musical selections and energy to the space. Current schedules are shared through the venue’s official website and Instagram account.
What food does The Analogue Room serve?
The food menu centers on square, focaccia-style pizza available by the slice or pan, along with simple salads. The menu is intentionally focused and uses local ingredients when practical.
Does The Analogue Room serve local wine?
Yes. The wine list includes small-production Santa Barbara County wineries, including producers that may not operate their own public tasting rooms. It also includes carefully selected imported wines.
Does The Analogue Room offer nonalcoholic drinks?
Yes. The Analogue Room offers a considered zero-proof menu that includes nonalcoholic wines, beers, sodas, and mocktails. The experience is designed around music and community rather than alcohol alone.
Who is John Wright?
John Wright is a preservation architect, contractor, winemaker, music promoter, and entrepreneur. He founded Standing Sun Wines and Standing Sun Live before creating The Analogue Room in Solvang.
What is Standing Sun Wines?
Standing Sun Wines is John Wright’s Santa Barbara County winery and tasting room in Buellton, California. The winery is also known for combining wine, art, and live music through performances by local and nationally touring musicians.
Which musicians have performed at Standing Sun?
Artists discussed during this episode include The Revivalists, American Aquarium, Cody Canada, Kathleen Sieck, and Tom Curren. Standing Sun has hosted an extensive range of independent and touring musicians over the years.
What is a vinyl listening room?
A vinyl listening room is a space designed for intentional music listening. Instead of treating music as background noise, records are selected and played through a dedicated sound system so guests can experience the music, sequencing, artwork, and atmosphere of an album.
What does “third place” mean?
A third place is a community gathering space outside of a person’s home and workplace. Coffee shops, neighborhood bars, tasting rooms, bookstores, restaurants, and listening lounges can serve as third places where people meet and build relationships.
Why are vinyl listening rooms becoming popular?
Vinyl listening rooms offer a physical, social alternative to algorithm-driven streaming. They encourage listeners to slow down, hear complete albums, discover unfamiliar artists, and experience music in the company of other people.
What is Episode 57 of Choppin’ It Up about?
Episode 57 explores John Wright’s journey from architecture and historic preservation to winemaking, live music, and the creation of The Analogue Room. The larger conversation examines vinyl, wine, community, digital convenience, and why people still need meaningful places to gather.
Where can I hear Choppin’ It Up with Keith Saarloos?
Choppin’ It Up with Keith Saarloos is available through major podcast platforms and airs locally on KRAZy Country 105.9, serving the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara County.
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Photograph reused from the original Saarloos + Sons episode post.
