Record Store Day brings exclusive releases, in-store performances

Perhaps the greatest summer job I’ve had was working for an independent record store in Colorado.

There was quite the cast of characters.

One cohort had a beard that extended down toward his chest in two sculpted, spiked columns of scraggly black hair.

There was the mullet-sporting assistant manager whose musical taste was perpetually trapped in 1982, constantly forcing his colleagues to endure hours of Toto and Asia on repeat. Oh, the horror.

There was John, my friend, the brainy, angsty young malcontent who was known for scanning the store behind the register with his hands tucked in his pockets as his thumbs stuck out.

I really enjoyed the characters and the experience. It was a place to go to every day, despite the crummy hourly wage, where the vitality and vibrancy of music was ever-present. We argued about bands and scenes or insulted the assistant manager for making us listen to “Africa” one more time.

Now I’m on the other side of the counter, a regular in a local store. The employees greet me with a familiar smile and a nod.

It’s a place that encourages the culture of music. It’s not like a big box store, which, if I’m lucky, has a few dozen copies of the latest Miley Cyrus album.

I love music and my tastes and interests run from the mainstream to the obscure, so the large, commercial chains don’t always have what I’m looking for.

Because of my passion for the independent music merchant as both a customer and a former employee, I’m stoked for Saturday’s third annual Record Store Day.

The event started in 2008, where indie stores around the country banded together to create a day to honor the local music seller. San Francisco’s legendary hard rockers Metallica helped kick things off with an in-store appearance at a Bay Area record store.

The event continues to grow. This year, there’s a slew of exclusive Record Store Day releases, including a limited 10-inch vinyl from Bruce Springsteen of last fall’s “Wrecking Ball” single; a highly rare, individually numbered John Lennon box set; and even The Rolling Stones are issuing a previously unavailable track from their classic Exile on Main Street.

Sacramento’s Deftones are part of the action, too, with a 7-inch vinyl platter of “Rocket States,” the first single from their forthcoming Diamond Eyes album. The disc marks the group’s first release since a 2008 car accident left bassist Chi Cheng in a minimally conscious state.

In Solano County, multiple stores are participating in the event. Visit http://www.recordstoreday.com for more information about special releases and participating stores.

In the Northern California area, perhaps the most exciting event planned is an in-store performance by Jónsi from the Icelandic post-rock group Sigur Rós at the Amoeba Records in San Francisco.

I haven’t decided where I’ll be yet on Saturday, but I know I will be a face among the crowd, out on the other side of the counter, doing one of the things I love most — being immersed in the powerful, vibrant role an indie record store brings to the music community.

Comments

[Rare air jordan]

It is my pleasure to read your article! What a vivid photo it is! Thank you for sharing! good luck!