Tomorrow Is Record Store Day
When's the last time you want to an actual record store? Like where you have to walk through a door and can't just click "download"? Yes, we live inside a blog, but record stores are pretty great. Brandon worked at one (Cheap Thrills Records, New Brunswick, NJ) for a handful of years before the place went under. It's where he cut his teeth, put on fun in-stores, and talked to people face-to-face while trying to explain why they might like the new Pavement and/or Harry Pussy album (all depending). We don't want to get too nostalgic, but it's those sorts of stores (the overstuffed, carefully curated independents) where so much essential music learning takes place. If you haven't ever been in a record store, go watch High Fidelity on your laptop, but take it down a few notches.
Nowadays, a lot of record stores are going under. People don't like to leave their houses anymore. This weekend, though, leave your house to celebrate the first ever Record Store Day. (Mark it on your calendar for next year, too: 4/19, the day before 4/20.) Record Store Day's the idea of a number of independent store owners, who hoped to remind us about the fact that because most folks download their sounds today, record stores as we know 'em are fast going the way of Beta and major record labels. If the livelihood of these people doesn't tug at your heart strings, how are you supposed to have a crush on the cute girl (or boy) working behind the counter when there are no counters to work behind? Maybe more importantly: What happens to the rad folks who know a lot of shit about, say, reggae? Via NY Times:
Some retailers are hoping that the effort is not too late. Jammyland and the Downtown Music Gallery, two East Village institutions -- Jammyland, on Third Street, specializes in rare reggae, and Downtown, on the Bowery, in avant-garde jazz and new music -- are facing untenable rent increases and are looking for new homes.Jammyland is "the model of what a great record store can be," said Vivien Goldman, the author of "The Book of Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Album of the Century" and other books. "D.J.'s congregate there from all over and exchange ideas. It's a crucible of music knowledge."
For a local music shopper with a memory of even just a few years, the East Village and the Lower East Side are quickly becoming a record-store graveyard. Across from Jammyland is the former home of Dance Tracks, a premier dance and electronic outlet, which closed late last year, as did Finyl Vinyl, on Sixth Street. Stooz on Seventh Street, Sonic Groove on Avenue B, Accidental on Avenue A, Wowsville on Second Avenue and Bate, an essential Latin store on Delancey Street -- all gone, to say nothing of stores in other neighborhoods, like Midnight Records in Chelsea and NYCD on the Upper West Side.
"Rent is up, and sales are down," Malcolm Allen of Jammyland said as he sold a few Jamaican-made 45s to a customer last weekend. "Not a good combination."
Jammyland is great. What the Times doesn't mention is that Dominck Fernow, aka Prurient, runs an awesome metal and noise store, Hospital Productions, from Jammyland's basement. So, if Jammyland goes, we lose two great record stores in one lame swoop. Which is immensely depressing. So, in the hopes of supporting record stores of various shapes and sizes, we've put together some info of various happenings tomorrow. Get set and go...
The Matablog has information about a number of in-store performances (like John from New Pornographers DJing at Vintage Vinyl in St. Louis or Adam from Times New Viking DJing at Used Kids Records in Columbus) as well as images and details about the special Record Store Day Steve Malkmus "Cold Son" 10".
Also in the visual realm, Björk will be screening her "Wanderlust" video in glorious 3-D in 300 independent record stores. Participating Record Store Day shops will also have a special Vampire Weekend 7" for sale -- it includes the album version of "A-Punk" as the A-Side, a "rehearsal version" of "Oxford Comma" backing it up. Then, as P4K reports, Black Keys, Built To Spill, Death Cab For Cutie, and R.E.M. are also doing exclusive Record Store Day singles. To give a shout out to our area store, Other Music has a number of special guest DJ sets. Here:
Tapes 'N Tapes (12:30 - 2PM)
Black Keys (2 - 3PM)
Dead Meadow (3 - 4PM)
Chris from Grizzly Bear & Moses from Deerhunter (4 - 5PM)
Interpol (5PM)
And Regina Spektor is playing at 1PM at Sound Fix in Williamsburg. You can keep up on these and Record Store Day happenings in your area at the official site. Remember that whole Earth Day Is Everyday thing? Yeah, we barely do either ... but you should try to make Record Store Day everyday. Or, at least on payday. Please add any events you know of in the comments. Also, any record store memories you want to share with the rest of us?
Pier Platters, R.I.P.
Posted at 5:34 PM
Tags: Björk | Black Keys | Built To Spill | Dead Meadow | Death Cab For Cutie | Deerhunter | Grizzly Bear | Interpol | Prurient | R.E.M. | Regina Spektor | Stephen Malkmus | Tapes 'N Tapes | The New Pornographers | Vampire Weekend
I haven't bought an album since 1999.
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we get free beer and dj sets from stars and the new pornographers in st. louis.
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"When's the last time you want to an actual record store?"
Uh... yesterday. Bought the current Quiet Hooves record at Schoolkids in Athens.
Atlanta folks, note mucho happenings at Criminal Records on Saturday. Fifteen bands on two stages.
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i hate it when i don't find out about things until after the fact. and you would think that knowing the folks at criminal would help.
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I love the record store here in Richmond, Plan 9. I go there frequently. There aren't any stores like it back home (I'm a college student going to school in Richmond), so it's an awesome thing to have and I really take advantage of it.
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*yes* - that store has the feel a record store requires. things are a bit of a mess, there's dust in corners - but that's all part of the charm. the Plan 9 in Charlottesville has pretty much been cut into a third of what it once was - I hope Cary can keep her store in decent shape.
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I'd go but there isn't one around. I live in Birmingham and the last store went under about 5 years ago. Place called Magic Platter. I sure miss it....
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still have my Magic Platter shirt I got from there in like '98. didn't they have some enclosed 'jazz-only' room?
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Cheap Thrills! They closed that and opened up a shoe store in its place, right? Boy do I miss that store. And Flamin Groovies.. and Music in A Different Kitchen.
I think I'll head to the Princeton Record Exchange and just go through records (actual vinyl) for 4 hours....
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Yeah, that's it! Had many good times in that store. Music In A Different Kitchen was great, too ... Captain Video, RIP. Glad Princeton Record Exchange is still going strong. Stop there whenever I'm heading to visit family in NJ.
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I'm in one right now. Working. And the effort is too little, too late. I have been working at this record store for a little over 3 years. In that time we have not received the total amount of promos and posters and stuff that we got in this week. The companies won't give a shit about us after this day when there is little to no sales spike from the "holiday". We got a ton of awesome stuff planned and its going to be a fun day for everyone involved, but don't get your hopes up. Here's to having a 2nd annual National Record Store Day.
Score = 2
the electric fetus in minneapolis is a gem. and i'll always have a place in my heart for the uptown cheapo.
i would think that the bands who get their start by record store employees' recommendations would support these places more. What's with all the Starbucks/Target-only releases/special releases? Or even the iTunes exclusive cuts? money talks, i guess.
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Mmmmm....the mushroom in new orleans is still truckin', but who knows for how long. For anyone who's never been-"it's worth the trip!" Where else in that bowl can you find a used copy of "Electronic" along with vinyls from german dance industrial outfit "D.A.F." Though now that I live in NYC, the store selections are larger, but for a town like new orleans, the Mushroom is an educational wonderland for whinny teens looking to explore the outer relms of contemporary music.
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Mmmmm....the mushroom in new orleans is still truckin', but who knows for how long. For anyone who's never been-"it's worth the trip!" Where else in that bowl can you find a used copy of "Electronic" along with vinyls from german dance industrial outfit "D.A.F." Though now that I live in NYC, the store selections are larger, but for a town like new orleans, the Mushroom is an educational wonderland for whinny teens looking to explore the outer relms of contemporary music.
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Still some great record stores in Jersey - Atomic Cds in Point Pleasant, Vintage Vinyl in Fords and Curmudgeon in Bridgewater - all great spots. The better question is "When was the last time you played an actual record (if ever)?"
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The idea and site design really bring to mind Free Comic Book Day. Now, if only the Record Store Day site had a store locator feature like the Free Comic Book Day site does...
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Cheap Thrills on George Street was the best, but it just got lost on Somerset St.
I think the saddest loss in the New Brunswick area was when Sound on Sound closed. Nicest dude. It was an easy walk from New Brunswick and a cheap cab ride when you were too tired to walk back across the river.
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Well its Passover, so i am going early to my favorite store in the world Other Music, and then do Jew things.
Happy National Record Store Day/ Passover (to those who celebrate)
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Plan 9 bought the record store I worked at in Raleigh, NC and I got l"let go"
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It's sad that a lot of the mom-and-pop record stores are closing, but so it goes. I live in Chicago, but travel extensively for work. I haven't been in a record store for over 3 years. In the past, in each new city I would work in, I would actively seek out stores that sold used cds to fill out my back-catalog. Reckless Records in Chicago was one of my favorites (the Lakeview branch always had a better selection than the Wicker Park branch), but I would actively seek out record stores in every city I worked in (San Fran, Seattle, Atlanta, Richmond, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, LA, etc.) but my best memories are from a game I played by myself or with a few friends in Manhattan. I had a corporate apartment in Union Square at the time, and when I stayed the weekends, I'd do the following on Sundays. We'd walk down to the Lower East Side, Alphabet City or the Bowery, go into a bar, order a beer and ask the bartender where the best music store in the neighborhood was. We'd finish our beers, go to said music store, browse through the used collection (usually picking up 1-4 albums), then would walk down the street to the next bar we could find. Rinse and repeat until we were too drunk to be any more adventurous. This is how, coincidentally, I ended up with 3 copies of Weezer's Blue Album (among other duplicates). Anyways, used-record bin diving was a great passion of mine and something I will take to my grave as a rewarding (but also frustrating) memory. The internet makes all of this so much more convenient, that even I don't used-bin-dive anymore.
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Funny that the new Animal Collective (Tickle Vultures) leaked on a day celebrating physical records and record stores. Info here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCf90i6SDlY
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Went to my local record store and got the official Record Store Day t-shirt. WOOOOT!
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Yesterday I went to my store and picked up R.E.M.'s "Automatic For The People" and today I got "Monster"
Might get me some Neutral Milk Hotel tomorrow. Love my record store. Fuck digital.
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Just think, without independent record stores, bands like Smashing Pumpkins and R.E.M. may never have formed.
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My friend and I hit Fingerprints in Long Beach, CA. It was fun, nostalgic and exhausting all at once. Free shows and swag FTW!
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man, plan 9 is the best. love the richmond location especially.
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Wazoo in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been essential to my musical journey. I have been going there for at least 20 years. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if it weren't there.
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nicely done - i love that place.
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i live in a small town in canada and there are lots of record shops here. theres a few comic book stores that still sell vinyl, and head shops let local artists spin, i think if you have a good local scene that respects all aspects of the music you can support these stores. Start making music and events alike, buy records for friends, start dj'ing etc, its not impossible to keep smaller areas like here alive after this musical apocalypse
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what's a record store?
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We're feeling the pain in Australia, but I don't know if as bad. The store I work at is old as donkeys but, we're not going down any time soon. Brisbane recently lost an Icon though, Skinnys (it doesn't seem to be open anyway....), and that was heartbreaking.
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we are looking for an album called naijan geez by a record label called nero house of entertainment.
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Yeah, record stores need some some love!
Will be heading over to Manifest Discs & Tapes (www.manifestdisc.com) in Charlotte, NC to check out the festivities. Best damn records store in the city. Live music all day long.
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