Record Stores

Last month, record stores nationwide celebrated the first annual "Record Store Day," drawing much-needed attention to some of the best independent music outlets through giveaways, in-store performances, and exclusive releases. A day like this is essential - besides the Towers and Wherehouses of the world, mom-and-pop record shops have been closing in droves. As iTunes becomes the number one place to purchase music, the shops that once helped shape taste and supported indie acts no one else would are becoming extinct. I've never stopped visiting record stores but the giftbag at Amoeba that included a Destroyer 7", a Merge sampler, an Of Montreal sampler, a Metric poster, and tons of stickers and buttons (not to mention a Gavin Degraw magnet that must have gotten in there buy mistake) guaranteed I would do my shopping that day.

I did my best to show support, picking up as many of the exclusive 7" records as suited my taste - Death Cab For Cutie's "I Will Possess Your Heart," Vampire Weekend's "A Punk," and R.E.M.'s "Supernatural Superserious." I also decided to pick up R.E.M.'s Accelerate on vinyl - which included a free copy of the CD.

I make almost a weekly trip to Amoeba - not always to purchase, sometimes just to soak up the musical energy or enjoy an in-store. Record stores have always been an enormous part of my life. My musical education was fostered by Village Music in Mill Valley where I spent many an afternoon in my youth. One summer, owner John Goddard told my brother and I he was going to start charging us rent for all the time we spent. When my cousin (a onetime DJ) would visit for the holidays, we would spend a couple hours during the shop's 50% sale picking up all kind of records. (Village Music closed its doors late last year). When visiting my cousin in New York, we would hit up the countless record shops that surrounded his apartment, including Bleecker Street Records, Fat Beats, and a handful of hip hop and electronically focused shops. I was bummed to find on my last visit that many of these places had closed.

While in college, Rhino Records in Claremont was my sanctuary - I probably spent about three days a week there not to mention hundreds of dollars on my latest indie discoveries.

When we moved to San Francisco, I was relieved that Amoeba would be just down the road. In fact, San Francisco is one of few cities still packed with independently-minded record stores. When I started a label and released my first album, Amoeba was very supportive of it, selecting it for their "Homegrown" program and giving it a prominent presence in the store. I am not sure where my main shop will be in Oakland, but guaranteed I will have to find one.

Record stores have been my home, my escape, my playground for my entire life. I do enjoy searching and discovering artists on eMusic, but nothing can replace that experience of the record shop. Recently I started buying vinyl again. I love flipping through a stack of records in the store. I love holding a vinyl record in my hand, getting to appreciate the cover art as it should be seen. I love sliding a record out of its sleeve, putting it on the turntable and hearing that beautiful crackle when the needle hits the wax. It's just so poetic and perfect. That's a feeling I always want to have.

Support your local record stores.

Related Links
Record Store Day at Amoeba Records (ipickmynose)