Music

Record Store Day

April 16, 2009

Since 2007, the indie music industry has cooperated to make the third Saturday in April Record Store Day, “a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.” That’s brick-and-mortar stores—no “online retailers or corporate behemoths” allowed. The festivities include in-store performances, promotional giveaways, and discounts, and more than 100 releases and reissues—many on vinyl—that will only be available at participating stores.

This year, on April 18, several local labels are offering Record Store Day exclusives. The Numero Group is banding together with Now Again, Daptone, Jazzman, and other notable labels to release the vinyl-only compilation This LP Crashes Hard Drives, containing unreleased tracks from the Monks, Los Destellos, and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, to name a few. Thrill Jockey is releasing, in an edition of 900, the LP Records Toreism, containing new and unreleased tracks from Tortoise, Double Dagger, Trans Am, and White Hills; and Touch & Go will be releasing Inch, a box set of out-of-print Jesus Lizard seven-inches remastered by Bob Weston.

Local artists who’ve recorded something special for the occasion include Andrew Bird, who’s releasing a split seven-inch with Loney, Dear, and Magnolia Electric Company. A DVD of the new Wilco concert film Ashes of American Flags, by Christoph Green and Fugazi’s Brendan Canty, will also be released in some participating stores; if you buy it on April 18, as a bonus you’ll be able to download complete footage of one of the shows that appear in the film.

A receipt from any participating store dated April 18 will get you $2 off entry to the CHIRP Record Fair & Other Delights.

Below is a list of participating stores in the city and near suburbs, along with the festivities, sales, and performances each has planned. Call stores or visit their Web sites for more info; for a more complete list of special releases and events see recordstoreday.com. —Kevin Warwick

Dave’s Records Two-for-one special on T-shirts, 25 percent off new and used 12-inch singles and 15 selected albums, free candy. 2604 N. Clark, 773-929-6325, myspace.com/davesrecordschicago.

Deadwax Twenty percent off used vinyl, 10 percent off new vinyl; free raffle tickets for a Panasonic linear turntable now through Record Store Day. 3819 N. Lincoln, 773-529-1932.

Dusty Groove America Free copy of a Dusty Groove label release to first 25 customers, $1 off all Numero Group releases, Numero Group DJ set, free Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings 45 with any Daptone Records purchase. 1120 N. Ashland, 773-342-5800, dustygroove.com.

Groovin’ High Half off all used merchandise, 25-cent budget vinyl records, 50-cent budget CDs. 1047 W. Belmont, 773-476-6846.

Hard Boiled Records In-store bands to be announced; merchandise giveaways. 2010 W. Roscoe, 773-755-2619, hardboiledrecords.blogspot.com.

Jazz Record Mart Two special Record Store Day vinyl reissues from Delmark, the label run by JRM owner Bob Koester: Magic Sam’s West Side Soul and Roscoe Mitchell’s Sound. All CD box sets 20 percent off, half off secondhand vocal and big band LPs, half off cassettes and 78s. In-store performances by Jason Adasiewicz’s Rolldown (11 AM) and Dave Specter (1 PM). 27 E. Illinois, 312-222-11467, jazzmart.com.

Laurie’s Planet of Sound In-store performance by Azita at noon, free tote bag with purchase of $25 or more. 4639 N. Lincoln, 773-271-3569, lauriesplanetofsound.tripod.com.

Permanent Records All-day sale with free goodie bags; in-store performances by Helen Money (3 PM), Marissa Nadler (4 PM), and a Zaireeka party, during which the four compact discs that constitute the 1997 Flaming Lips album Zaireeka will be played simultaneously on four separate audio systems. (7 PM). Enter to win a vinyl package from Southern Lord. 1914 W. Chicago, 773-278-1744, permanentrecordschicago.com.

Raffe’s Record Riot Free pick from the sale bin with every vinyl purchase. 4350 N. Cicero, 773-725-1327.

Reckless Records on Broadway In-store performances by Lair of the Minotaur (3 PM), the Lawrence Peters Outfit (time to be announced), and Alla (“6 or 7 PM”). 3161 N. Broadway, 773-404-5080, reckless.com.

Reckless Records on Milwaukee In-store performances by the Blasted Diplomats (1 PM), a “secret, special in-store from a long-standing and well-liked Chicago punk band” (3 PM), and Disappears (5 PM). Steve Krakow of Plastic Crimewave Sound and the Secret History of Chicago Music draws caricatures for $5 apiece. 1532 N. Milwaukee, 773-235-3727, reckless.com.

Reckless Records on Madison In-store performances by Dylan Posa & Three Cheers for One Dead Man (1 PM), Coins (2 PM), and Mark Solotroff, Bruce Lamont, and Right-Eyed Rita (3 PM). 26 E. Madison, 312-795-0878, reckless.com.

Record Breakers Twenty percent off everything in the store, merchandise giveaways, and in-store performances (noon-7 PM) by the Projection, Friday Night Boys, Organic Groov, Anison, Gabriel Lyon & the Notary, the Banner Year, 2 Fresh, and Dessa. 2105 S. State, 312-949-0125, reggieslive.com.

Rolling Stones Records In-store performance by Company of Thieves (2 PM). 7300 W. Irving Park, Norridge, 708-456-0861, rollingstonesmusic.com.

Shake, Rattle & Read Twenty percent off all vinyl. 4812 N. Broadway, 773-334-5311.

Val’s Halla Merchandise giveaways and storewide sale. 239 Harrison, Oak Park, 708-524-1004, valshalla.com.

Vintage Vinyl Trivia contests, merchandise giveaways, and an in-store performance by Luck of Eden Hall (2 PM). 925 Davis, Evanston, 847328-2899, vvmo.com.

Send a letter to the editor.

From the Reader blogs