Record Store Day: The Happiest Day of The Year!

If I were to run for a government position, one of my major running platforms would be to make Record Store Day a federally recognized holiday. What’s not to love about it? A day filled with live performances, deals galore, limited edition releases AND it is a great way to support independent labels and stores. Heaven is real huh? And to make things even better, this celebration of sonic is rapidly approaching – April 16 to be precise!

Started in 2007, Record Store Day is meant to be a time when we can collectively remove our headphones and hang out with each and celebrate the small and independent businesses and labels that help bring us the music that we love. In a world of increasing corporate conformity, it is days like this that allow us to support those independents that give so much to the community.

Almost everyone I know has their defining record store moment from growing up. It always seems to being the same, wandering into some little store with a person who seemed impossibly cooler working the counter. The album title changes from person to person, but the end is always the same: when you exited that shop you were an entirely different person – even if you only began to dimly recognize that for yourself. Music stores have that magical ability to be completely life altering.

When I was a kid growing up in Maui my world centered on Requests Music – a record store about a mile from my high school. It was the place I learned about punk rock, heavy metal, and worlds that existed outside of the very literal island I was trapped on. Running the risk of sounding corny, if it wasn’t for Requests I wouldn’t have grown into the person I am today. It gave me a place to explore sound and ideas. It also (arguably) made me a lot less of a huge fucking nerd.

So everybody get ready to pump up the volume and get out there and score some rad shit, show some local love, and get down to some sweet new jams! Check out Record Store Day’s web page to dial into the special events taking place this Saturday!