Record Store Day 2013: A Guide To Celebrate The Music Holiday

Remember your first experience visiting a local record store shop.  Remember that day.  The mystifying styles of music blasting through the speakers placed all around the building. The abundant rows of compact discs alphabetically placed by band name and genre. The sections of vinyl records that contain music from all generations.  The smells of hundreds of incents in clear glass jars waiting to be fired up.  Remember the individuals that were always in the shops.  You had the clusters of people standing around flipping thru the vinyl records, with a focused look on their faces. They have been given a special assignment-find the albums that will be just perfect.  You see another group of people standing around, conversing about music.  The windows of the structure are splashed with flyers of upcoming shows around town and promotional posters of an upcoming album.

Good memories, huh?!  Now remember how comfortable you were hanging at a record store.  You met people that have equivalent thoughts about music as you.  You came across individuals that vowed to change your views on artists that were on the fence in your mind.  You had spirited debates with the patrons, knowing that you were going to be enlightened with someone’s thoughts and beliefs.  You didn’t demean them.  You just enjoyed having the discussion.  You meet people that recreate experiences of attending a show that they recently attended.  You listen how that show was either good or bad, who they went with, etc.  The storyteller talks about the moments throughout the show that made them have moments of emotion-either good or bad.  You become comfortable being around these people.  You become friends.  Better than that-you become family.

On April 20^th people will migrant to their local shops to celebrate what is consider to many to be Christmas-Record Store Day.  Record Store Day started in 2007, and it has become a day to celebrate independently owned record stores and music.  Bands and artists will perform during the course of the day, while special vinyls, CDs, and various promotional products are sold exclusively for this day.  Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April every year.  We here in Dayton and the people in Yellow Springs are lucky enough to have magnificent events going on throughout the day and evening that will give each and every music lover no reason but to fasten themselves in for a day of fun and enjoyment with others.

Omega Music is located in the Oregon District off 5^th Street in Dayton, and the company has become a staple of the Record Store Day festivities.  Starting at 9am, consumers can come to the establishment and sink their teeth into great deals and exclusives.  If you bring a canned food item, all used merchandise will be 15% off.  Harvest Mobile Cuisine, one of the up and coming food trucks that provides specialty comfort foods prepared with locally grown products, will be in front of the store all day.  Starting at noon, there will be some tremendous local music played live.  Good English, Giant Steps, Goodbye, King Elk, Wheels, The New Old Fashioned, The Story Changes, The Seedy Seeds, My Latex Brain will perform, with a special performance from Buffalo Killers starting at 4:20.

Record Gallery is just steps away from Omega Music, located at 16 Brown Street across from Thai 9.  This establishment gives the patrons that visit them an intimate atmosphere, with vinyl littered all over.  There isn’t a space in the store that you won’t walk into that doesn’t have a large collection of vinyl.  For the die hards, Record Gallery is a place to check out for your music needs.  On Saturday, the shop will be participating in the glorious day with great specials.  $1.00 records and 45s will be 50% off, along with all 2011 record stock being 50% off.  The Record Gallery also has books CDs, DVDs, and most will be reduced to 20% off.

Music lovers that want to take a break from the live music and want to grab a beer don’t have to go far.  Blind Bob’s Bar, along with Ghettoblaster Magazine editor & co-publisher, David C. Obenour will be hosting music trivia, starting at 4.  Blind Bob’s is one of the perfect establishments to come at the Oregon District.  The vintage wooden floors, along with the exposed brick walls give the tavern some of the great American characteristics that the area some of the charm that you come to expect.  The owners, Bob and Lisa Mendenhall, have given the townspeople a gem to come to when they want to see fantastic live music, and have great beer on a nightly basis.  Each round of the music trivia will give the winner prizes, plus a grand prize of the Golden 7” and two tickets to this year’s Nelsonville Music Festival, which the lineup includes Wilco, and Cat Power.  The festival always brings great indie rock, and this year shouldn’t be any different.

To close up the day, just walk right over to one of the best movie theaters in the United States, The Neon.  The Neon is located right on East Fifth Street.  The theatre showcases of the great independently produced movies, locally and nationally.  Starting at 10:15, The Neon will be playing the music documentary I Need That Record!  The documentary, directed by Brendan Toller, examines the reasoning of 3000 independent record stores closing across the U.S. in the past decade.  I Need That Record! dives into record labels, media consolidation, radio, and the digital age blowing up causing these shops to close.  The movie also shows the way that these places are making a comeback.  Toller explores how the impact of record stores through the eyes of the employees and the consumers.  The stories of the employees watching their dream job coming to an end is gut wrenching.  However, there is some positivity that comes from the sadness.  It’s an excellent documentary that should be viewed by people that love record stores.  The viewing of the movie is free, and is first come, first serve.  Don’t miss this showing as it will be a great way to cap the day.

For the folks that will not be able to make it into the festivities in the Oregon District, make sure you visit the small, unique town of Yellow Springs.  The town has some of the best shops that you go and check out.  Go and grab a slice of pie over at Haha Pizza or Bentinos Pizza.  Also, go grab some music over at Toxic BeautyRecords, located on 220 Xenia Ave.  The good folks at this record shop will be in the mix celebrating the day by giving discounts on their music.  Also, they will be having two ticket contests, where the winners will a pair of seats to go see either Alabama Shakes at one show, Grizzley Bear and The xx at another show.

Record Store Day is a day to embrace those deep connections that we have with the local shop.  If you haven’t been to a record store as of late, April 20^th is the day to do it.  Rekindle those fond memories of the days when you went to grab the latest music to come out.  Revisit friendships that you created when you spend hours and hours at the shop, just standing around and talking about music.  Also while you are at the record shop, buy some local music.  Support the local scene.  Overall, come and celebrate music in all its beauty, and come support the places that continue to give Dayton the title as one of the best that everyone calls ‘home’.