Record Store Day is Coming Up: Saturday, April 22

This weekend is Record Store Day and while music shops have dwindled over the years, including the loss of Off The Record which stunned plenty in San Diego, we still have some thriving shops in town. I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty disappointing that many of them have out of date websites (if they have them at all) and social media accounts with scant updates, but if you want to support the shops we have left, check out some of these locations. Lou's, Folk Arts, Spin and M-Theory all have posted RSD events lined up for Saturday, but tune in and maybe more will update. And to the stores themselves, is it REALLY that hard to have your staff throw up a Facebook post every once in awhile??

Beat Box Records - Barrio Logan

Cow Records - Ocean Beach

FeeLIT Records - East Village

Folk Arts Rare Records - North Park

Lou's Records - Encinitas

M-Theory Records - Mission Hills

Nickelodeon Records - Normal Heights

Normal Records - North Park

Record City - Hillcrest

Red Brontosaurus Records - North Park

Spin Records - Encinitas

Taang! Records - Hillcrest

United Records & Sound - North Park

Record Store Day 2011

Today, Saturday, marks another installment in the ever growing Record Store Day, an annual event specifically set aside to both honor and, more importantly, patronize one of our most important American institutions: the independent record store. As their official website proclaims, “This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music.”

Record Store Day is a special day for music and music lovers around the country. Musicians rally to the cause of a sadly dying segment of our economy, providing limited edition vinyl pressings and special in-store appearances and performances, all in an attempt to turn the spotlight back on one the just 700 or so remaining independent shops we have left. Surely you’re already familiar with some of the larger indie shops still in existence (Rasputin’s and Amoeba come to mind first) but here in the San Diego are we are lucky to have a few of our own. This Record Store Day, and beyond, I urge you to frequent shops like M-Theory in Mission Hills and Lou’s Records in Encinitas as much as possible, learn something new from the knowledgable clerks and of course grab some great new music.

In an effort to entice us, the Record Store Day people have once again garnered support from a wide range of artists providing exclusive vinyl pressings and a few special CD releases as well. There is a TON of great looking stuff on the official release list (http://www.recordstoreday.com/SpecialReleases) that caught my eye; with great acts and artists like R.E.M., Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Fleet Foxes, Pearl Jam, The Flaming Lips, Beastie Boys and Regina Spektor among many, many others offering special releases available ONLY on this day and ONLY in your local independent record store. Record Store Day is your best chance to grab some truly special music and support important local businesses all at once, not to mention the chance to possibly catch some special, intimate in-store performances from some of your favorite musicians as well. So be sure to get down to your local music shop asap, places like M-Theory and Lou’s Records and support these wonderful and important places, and of course cop some great new music too.

Celebrate Record Store Day at M-Theory

It's national Record Store Day this Saturday and where better to celebrate than M-Theory? On top of all the limited edition releases available, there’s going to be a sidewalk sale with super cheap used CDs and LPs. Plus there's live music throughout the day.

Live music starts at 1pm!
Live Music Schedule:
1pm Da Bears
2:30pm Hotel St. George
4pm Fever Sleeves
5:30pm Rob Crow Special DJ Set
6:30pm Addiquit w/Pall Jenkins of Black Heart Procession
*DJ King Cannon will be spinning in between sets


Record Store Day Releases
- John Lennon
- Rolling Stones
- Fela Kuti
- Beach House
- MGMT
- Soft Pack
- Devo
- Deerhoof
- Modest Mouse
- Phoenix
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- Jimi Hendrix
- Mastadon
- The Album Leaf
- Fun
- Joe Strummer
- Tom Waits
- Ramones
- Sex Pistols
- Nada Surf
- Flaming Lips
- Pantera
- Monsters of Folk
- Joy Division
- Coconut Records
- Bruce Springsteen
- Them Crooked Vultures
- Deftones
- Built To Spill
- Dum Dum Girls/ Male Bonding
- Ani Difranco
- Elvis Costello
and many many more......


And, speaking of records, Rafter's recorded another one.

Rafter "Animal Feelings" LP / CD out April 13 on Asthmatic Kitty Records

Release Party @ Tin Can Alehouse
Saturday April 17th, $5 21+ 9pm

Rafter
Smile Now Cry Later
Lion Cut
Cuckoo Chaos
+ DJ WWDJ

If you miss the show, you can catch Rafter on Sunday for a daytime show at the Soda Bar. The show is a Haiti benefit and Rafter will be joined by Apes of Wrath, Kenseth Thibideau, Rob Crow and more. The show starts at 1 pm.