This Saturday, 18th April, is Record Store Day.
This Saturday, 18th April, is Record Store Day. We came very, very close to losing Road Records this year, so now’s your chance to get out and show you care about independent local music retailers.
The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.
This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Franscisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the second Saturday every April.
A list of all participating Irish record shops can be found at http://www.recordstoreday.com/Ireland but here are some highlights from a few of Dublin’s finest record shops:
Freebird Records – Cope Street & Wicklow Street
Freebird are having a 20% off (almost) everything sale. What’s not included in the sale? The special Record Store Day releases / re-releases, some or all of which will be available in participating Record Store Day shops, that’s what:
Bad Religion: Bad Religion 7" [Epitaph]
Black Kids: Wizard of Ahhhs 10" [Almost Gold/Columbia]
Booker T.: "Warped Sister" 7" [Anti-]
Brandi Carlile: "Downpour" 7" [Columbia]
Leonard Cohen: "The Future" 7" [Columbia]
Dandy Warhols: Earth to the Remix E.P. Volume Two CD [Beat the World]
The Decemberists: "The Rake’s Song" 7" [Capitol]
Bob Dylan: "Dreamin’ of You" 7" [Columbia]
Gomez: "Airstream Driver" 7" [ATO]
Heaven & Hell: "Bible Black" 7" [Rhino]
Jane’s Addiction: "Mountain Song" 7" [Warner Bros.]
Jenny Lewis: "Carpetbaggers" 7" [Rhino]
Lykke Li / El Perro Del Mar split 7" [Rhino]
Magnolia Electric Co.: "It’s Made Me Cry" [Secretly Canadian]
MC5: "Kick Out the Jams" 7" [Elektra]
My Morning Jacket: Celebración De La Ciudad Natal CD
Queen: Queen’s First EP CD [Hollywood]
The Smiths: "The Headmaster Ritual" 7" [Rhino]
Bruce Springsteen: "What Love Can Do" 7" [Columbia]
The Stooges: "1969" 7" [Elektra]
The Thermals/Thao With the Get Down Stay Down split 7" [Kill Rock Stars]
Various Artists: Blood on the Tracks LP [Domino]
Tom Waits: Live 7" [Anti-]
Camera Obscura: "French Navy" 7" [4AD]
There are absolutely no guarantees of availability for any of these in any of the participating retailers, so make sure you get in early on Saturday if you’re after something in particular.
Road Records, Fade Street
Performing live instore will be:
12:00pm Paul Noonan (BellX1) & Lisa Hannigan
01:30pm Conor O’Brien (Villagers)
03:00pm Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy)
05:00pm Jape
Road Records have also put together a limited edition CD compilation. Only 100 copies are available, and all are hand numbered and have a unique photographic print on recycled card sleeve so every copy is one of a kind.
The tracklisting is:
01 Villagers – Home (early demo)
02 Large Mound – Rubbish Coffee
03 Halfset – Body Clock
04 Dinah Brand – Go Inside
05 Legion of Two – Swan Song
06 Jape – Cathedral Tramp
07 Chequerboard – City of Thieves
08 Brian Cullen’s Love Bullets – Killing for Company
09 So Cow – Sheila the Destroyer
10 Katie Kim – Lamp (Home Recording)
11 Waiting Room – Denis (Decal Remix)
12 The Dudley Corporation – Laugh it Up
13 John Haggis – Bitter Root
14 T-Woc – Tubz
15 Halves – Blood Branches
16 The LK – Eurovision (Northstation Remix)
As if that wasn’t enough, they’ll be giving away a limited edition Dinosaur Jr skateboard. Every €10 spent gets you one entry into the draw which will be held at 6pm on Saturday.
Don’t forget your kneedpads.
Tower Records, Wicklow Street
A 10% discount applies across the shop, plus there’ll be competitions for vouchers and gig tickets.
Performing live instore will be:
12:00pm Heathers
12:30pm Hooray For Humans
01:00pm 202’s
01:30pm Story Of Hair
02:00pm The Laundry Shop
03:00pm One Day International
04:00pm Neil Hannon
05:00pm "Special Guest"
City Discs, Temple Bar
Expect guest DJs like Jape, David Kitt, Donal Dineen & Richie Kaboogie during the day, with freebies too…
Apologies to anyone that’s been left out – State.ie have put together a very good national roundup , or check out http://www.recordstoreday.com
