Celebrate Saturday’s Record Store Day all week long with The A.V. Club
Nothing elicits a steely-eyed, horn-rimmed-glasses glare from a music fan quite like saying “Record stores? What are those?” Sure, independent record stores continue to disappear at an alarming rate, but c’mon, there’s no need to be a dick about it. Of course, this is just a long way of saying that Saturday, April 16 is Record Store Day, and that you should celebrate by finally emerging from your darkened apartment (go ahead, turn off your Hall & Oates Pandora playlist) and support your local record store. Dropping by once in a while during the other 364 days of the year wouldn’t hurt, either.
At the tony offices of The A.V. Club, we’ll be celebrating this nationwide holiday by turning Record Store Day into Record Store Week. In addition to our usual concert recaps, album reviews, and probing investigative pieces on Wisconsin bait shops, we’ll be featuring a bunch of record and record store-related stories. Expect plenty of laughter, some bitter tears, and the usual smattering of pissed-off comments.
As for Record Store Day itself, we couldn’t be more excited about the live lineup at the East Side Exclusive Company (1669 N. Farwell Ave., 414-271-8590). In addition to discounts on releases both new and old, Exclusive will play host to in-store performances from Fahri, The Friendly Lens, Trapper Schoepp And The Shades, and the WMSE DJs throughout the afternoon. Later, the store will welcome two top-tier local acts coming off of terrific new releases and release shows: Maritime and Heidi Spencer And The Rare Birds. Finishing things off will be none other than post-punk legend Mike Watt—he of The Minutemen—who will also play a show later in the evening at Shank Hall.
We’ll be hanging out at Exclusive all day long on the 16th, so make sure to stop by and say hello. (Hint: We’ll be the only ones wearing glasses and/or Chuck Taylors.) Hell, we might even buy you a beer or two. Let’s see your Hall & Oates Pandora playlist do that.
