Local shops celebrate Record Store Day
In-store performances and specials galore mark April 18 indie-retail lovefest
The Bad Plus
April 18 is Record Store Day, a totally non-denominational, unabashedly retail-oriented holiday that gets music lovers all over the nation feeling giddier than a Dora-obsessed toddler at Toys R Us. For observers in Minneapolis, the event brings a small slew of cool in-store performances: Chris Cornell and The Bad Plus will each play a free afternoon set at Electric Fetus, while Halestorm will perform at Down In The Valley's Golden Valley location. At Eclipse Records, they'll be hosting a sale and a show by local bands Greycoats and Alpha Centauri.
For its part, local hip-hop emporium Fifth Element will be offering discounts, free food, and a ticket drawing for Soundset '09, while punk nexus Extreme Noise promises hot dogs and some sweet vinyl cred-builders. Collectors' favorite Treehouse Records will extend their hours (opening at 10 a.m., closing at 7 p.m.), giving customers extra time to flip through the holiday stacks. Loads of big-name acts are also releasing special limited-edition discs and 7-inches to mark the occasion—from legacy artists like Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and Leonard Cohen to hot indie proprties such as Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Cold War Kids, and Blitzen Trapper.
Visit the official RSD site for all kinds of details and teasers. Click below to see a news report on last year's RSD, which featured a live in-store by Metallica:
