It’s Record Store Day today! The second best holiday of the year (What’s the best you ask? Arbor Day.). It’s the day where hundreds of independent record stores across the world join forces to celebrate musical culture and their important place in local communities.
Record stores are slowly being supplanted by big chain stores, iTunes, and other online music outlets, but it’s all so impersonal. Walk into a record store and you can buy imported music that, heaven forbid, iTunes says you can’t download because you’re in the US. Ask the cashier his favorite band and he might point you to an obscure 80’s hair band that you fall in love with.
Record Store Day’s official website has a list of participating record stores in California here. Origami Vinyl will be planning some amazing giveaways all day, while Ameba Music will have an awesome menu of limited edition LPs and CDs and live performances including a guest DJ spot with Henry Rollins and a performance from the band Fucked Up. Get out and buy some music kids!
-Angelo Lorenzo