Background of Record Store Day:

The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally. This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April. (source)

To find out what events are happening at your local record store, check out the venue search.

Favorite Record Store: Good Records – Dallas TX

Good Records has been around since 2000 and is owned by Tim DeLaughter of The Polyphonic Spree and is managed by Chris Penn. The two of them have done a stellar job running one of the best record stores I have ever been to (which is a lot). The store is always clean and insanely organized. I have never once found anything out of place, which is not something that can be said about a majority of music stores today. I just love the in-store performances and every Record Store Day there are bands playing all day. This year’s bands are: James Earl Alford, Skeleton Coast, Diego Garcia, Joe Pug, Umphrey’s McGee, Ting Tings, Civil Twilight, Switchfoot, Zhora, Glorium, Yells At Eels, Blixaboy, Sealion, The Quaker City Night Hawks, Stardeath & White Dwarfs.

old Good Latimer location (left), current Lower Greenville Ave Location (right)

Dallas local band, A Hard Night’s Day, playing the Beatles album/Rockband release in 2009

Jason Lytle & Midlake performing ‘Now It’s On’ on Record Store Day 2011:

Amanda Palmer – Fake Plastic Trees @ Good Records:

Grimes – Genesis @ Good Records (I WISH I WAS PRESENT FOR THIS!!!):