Record Store Day April 17, 2010

I have a copy of Chuck Berry live in London with my dad's name written on the record. I put that thing on sometimes and think of him as a teenager. I hear the little pops and scratches knowing he made them. I read his handwriting on the sleeve and find myself thinking things like, "ironic what a waste of time cursive turned out to be." I can picture him listening to this record. In my head, my 16 year old dad is just a smarter, cooler version of me. The prequel. His fingerprints are on this record. The music coming out of that record ties me to him in a way the Chuck Berry pandora station just can't approach.

Saturday is Record Store Day. Loads of labels and artist are releasing exclusives available only at your local independent record store on this specific day. It's sort of awareness/appreciation thing.

We are lucky in SLC to have a couple great independent record stores. Slowtrain records is the overwhelming favorite for the indie rock sorts. The places just oozes coolness, without the hipper-than-thou "Do we look like the kind of store that sells "I Just Called To Say I Love You? Go to the mall"* bull crap that sometimes spews from self-proclaimed "music" people. The music selection is pretty narrow- all comfortably fitting under the GIGANTIC umbrella of modern indie rock- but if that's your kind of thing, this should be your kind of place. Slowtrain is fast becoming the heart of SLC's indie music scene. They host in- store performances by national acts, provide a platform for local bands, promote and sell local art, send out a weekly newsletter, update a blog... in short, they are a sterling example of why Record Stores should have a Day.

Randy's records is also great, especially for used vinyl, classic rock and jazz. Plus they fix and sell used turntables. Super helpful folks if you're into records.

Go get some new music Saturday. Buy a cd for old times sake. Buy a record to hang on your wall. It's record store day. Celebrate.

Click the link below for a list of Record Store Day exclusive releases and Slowtrain's schedule for the day. I'm heading down in the morning if anybody is bored and wants a ride.

Record Store Day 2010 at Slowtrain, SLC.

*High Fidelity. best record store movie of all time.