Category: Record Store Day

A Few Record Store Day 2019 Endorsements

A Few Record Store Day 2019 Endorsements

There are few things I enjoy more than the Record Store Day events throughout the year. For the main, big one in April, I try to make it up to Portland, Maine. That’s where Bull Moose records is based, where the head Chris Brown co-founded the vinyl holiday 12 years ago.  Over at The Daily Times, I came up with a baker’s dozen of things to pick up out of the 400 plus titles released this year.

Yeah, it’s become a bit corporate in recent years, but I still love RSD. Heading out now for the second round in Portland. Here’s some early items sent out via my Instagram, and here are a few I picked up earlier this morning.

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Record Store Dud 2016

Well that was even more disappointing than I originally thought it would be. Rolled down to Newbury Comics on Newbury Street first thing this morning, greeted with a line of about 50 people. First off, that’s too many, which is why I’ve been going to Bull Moose in Portland, ME for the past five years. Other than that, it was just a “blah” selection this year. Nothing incredibly rare, nothing that wouldn’t still be on the shelves a month or a year from now. I picked up more for my friends than I did myself which is a first.

Hit three stores total, including Deep Thoughts JP, who it turned out were holding back vinyl to resell at higher prices or for the owner’s friends. So much for the “Record Store Day Pledge.” Dishonesty like that really creases me, but I would’ve been much more pissed had there actually been something they were holding back that was worth something; I mean, that single copy of Hoist by Phish you’re hoarding? Good luck making coin on that one, stoner – there were about 15 of them at Newbury Comics Faneuil Hall.

Continue reading “Record Store Dud 2016” →

Record Store Day This Weekend

It’s that time of year again, Record Store Day. And while it’s lost a bit of its luster in recent years, not only are there still some decent limited edition pieces of vinyl to pick up, there’s also a great sense of community between music lovers that has been all but erased in the digital age.

Think about it; you want to hear a song,you don’t turn on the radio, you go to the artist website or hit up YouTube or Spotify. And if you like it enough to purchase? You no longer go to the mall or the standalone record store to pick it up, you go to iTunes or Amazon. There’s no interaction anymore. Even if you go to a bar, you don’t have to leave your stool to play music; download the TouchTunes app and you can pick and play tracks from the jukebox.

That’s why events like Record Store Day are so important, it’s encourages people to take a shared interest and mix it up among others into the same thing.

This year, Metallica are the Record Store Day official ambassadors. They join past luminaries Jack White, Foo Fighters‘ Dave Grohl and Chuck D from Public Enemy.

Head over to The Daily Times to see five of the essential picks I’ve made for this year’s RSD.

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