Vinyl Junkies Rejoice! Record Store Day is Near

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 9, 2010 7:30PM

In this digital age, it’s all too easy to download your favorite tunes with the click of a mouse. So it’s becoming more and more important to support independent record stores - those mom-and-pop shops that take pride in their selection of rare finds above their sales and profits. Next Saturday is the third annual Record Store Day, bringing together independently owned record stores and musicians to celebrate music in vinyl form in cities worldwide. In Chicagoland alone, there are over fifty participating stores, almost doubling the number from last year.

Many bands, local and legendary, have made special releases for Record Store Day, such as limited editions by Muse and Queens of the Stone Age and special edition re-releases by Soundgarden and Modest Mouse, as well as early releases by Nada Surf and Magnetic Fields. The official list details over 150 Record Store Day-exclusive items, though not every release is available at every store, and the list will certainly continue to grow in the next week leading up the big day.

Along with offering a slew of collectibles and rare finds, many stores will also celebrate the day by hosting free in-store performances. Among the highlights are performances by Juicehead at Record Breakers; Algebro, VEE DEE and Johnny & the Limelights at Laurie’s Planet of Sound; White Mystery and Cleveland’s Puffy Areolas at Permanent Records; and Sweet Cobra at Reckless Records’ Loop location. At most participating stores, the festivities go on all day, so there’s plenty of time to stop by your favorite record shop and then move on and explore some unfrequented vinyl stores.