Record Store Day 2012: RSD Recap
May 4th, 2012 by chocko
As a record collector and a fan of music, Record Store Day is one of my favorite days of the year. It’s a chance for all record collecting nerds to get together and dig in the dusty crates for those vinyl exclusives. April 21 was circled on the calendar and after work, Joey Teacups and Chocko hopped in the whip, peeled out of suburbia and started the day late…our first stop was Tunes in Hoboken. They had all the RSD exclusives on display near the entrance including the Misfits “Walk Among Us” album on colored vinyl, Amanda Palmer “Polly” (a Nirvana cover) single and the RUN DMC and Carolina Chocolate Drops “You Be Illin” single. The original 1986 old school track is on one side and the country old-timey Carolina Chocolate Drops cover is on the flipside. It seemed like Tunes jacked up their prices ($12 for a 7″ single?!?). Not cool. Those Mockingbirds were performing an acoustic set in the back by the “el cheapo” bins. We stayed for a few songs then we headed out for the Motherland, NYC.
We got to Generation Records (210 Thompson St.) and it was the most packed that store’s been since I can remember. There were crowds hanging out outside, girls in the basement flipping through some records…it felt like we stepped into an alternate universe. Zachary Lipez from the band Freshkills was on the wheels of steel next to the Generation Records RSD 2012 shirt feat Godzilla and King Kong (pictured above). Generation Records is an excellent place to spend Record Store Day…bands play (Night Birds!) and special guest DJs spin all day including Tom Scharpling of WFMU’s Best Show who we ran into outside. Scharpling had an exclusive Best Show pin for those who said ‘hi’. By 4:00 PM, a lot of the RSD gems were gone but I still managed to pick up the Tegan And Sara “Get Along” LP on white vinyl (awesome live album!) and the Mike Watt + The Missingmen/The Chuck Dukowski Sextet single.
We met briefly with Mondo for some cheap and good eats at Go!Go!Curry! and then checked out Other Music (15 E. 4th St.) a couple blocks away. Earlier in the day there was a line to get in that wrapped around the corner all the way past the gym on Lafayette St. When we got to the record store there was a much shorter line to the corner which moved as people left the store. Psychic Ills were on the turntables playing some dope tunes (pictured above). A lot of the RSD records were swiped away by early birds and collectors but there were some goodies still left on the shelves for Chocko: Now, Now/The Lonely Forest split 7″, The Avengers reissue of “Paint It Black” on Superior Viaduct and The Black Angels single which features a cool Zombies cover of “She’s Not There.” I also picked up a copy of Ex Cops, brand spanking new on Other Music Recordings. Other Music putting out their own music is a cool thing!
We capped off the day in Brooklyn for the 7:30 PM in-store performance of Mates Of State at Sound Fix (44 Berry St.). The crowd was spilling out into the street by the time the band started up. The band played nearly a dozen songs including a Daniel Johnston cover of “Love Will Find You In The End” and “Long Way Home” by Tom Waits. It was hot up in there and I thought I was going to pass out, but the upbeat songs got me fist pumping and smiling. Mates of State is always a great band to check out live. The last stop of the day was Academy Annex (96 N. 6th St.) where East Village Radio was broadcasting live. They had the RSD goodies in the glass case by the register. I picked up the early 70’s Afro-funk reissue by The Apostles on Academy LPs. After that, Chocko was tapped out!
Check out a video of the Mates of State performing a song “Unless I’m Led” from their new album titled Mountaintops live at Sound Fix.
Tags: 2012, academy annex, generation records, mates of state, other music, record store day, records, review, rsd, sound fix, vinyl
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