* Talk to people at the record stores on Record Store Day and you quickly find out no one likes the exclusivity of the event. The record buyers don’t like having to get to the record store early only to get shut out of limited edition releases. The sellers don’t like the unpredictability of the releases. Some times they get their full order. Some times they get shorted, and when they do get shorted the you get even more bummed buyers. And, some releases advertised to be available on Record Store Day never make it to either the buyer or the seller. This year, both Pearl Jam reissues were delayed, and the Nirvana reissue was nowhere to be found. There was supposed to be a Big Star reissue, too. There may have been one copy for sale in the city of Cleveland. I can’t confirm that rumor.
* If you did get shut out of a release, don’t panic. Follow the advice of the Canadian band, Fucked Up, who posted a quick message to their fans this morning:
Hey everyone, you may have tried to buy or bought our LP for Ebay Day, Davids Town. Since lots of creeps went out to buy this specifically to flip it on ebay as soon as they got home and make up random pressing amounts to put in the listing title, here are some facts:
-THERE ARE 2000 COPIES OF DAVIDS TOWN.
-IF YOU BUY IT ON EBAY NOW INSTEAD OF WAITING 2 WEEKS FOR THE PRICE TO GO DOWN YOU ARE DUMB
-THE PRICE WILL GO DOWN ON EBAY IN TWO WEEKS JUST LIKE LAST YEARIf you just want to hear the music, just search on google for the torrent or download link, it’s out there already.
Yes, just be patient and that single that will change your life will go down in price. Yes, it’s a pain, but, then again, that’s the exclusivity of Record Store Day.
* I did all right by myself, picking up the following:
Superchunk – Here’s Where the Strings Come In (Reissue)
Lower Dens – Deer Knives 7″
Wild Flag – Glass Tambourine 7″
Sonic Youth – Whore’s Moaning 12″ EP
Various Artists – Sing for Your Meat: A Tribute to Guided by Voices
Liturgy/Oval – Split LP
Various Artists (Fucked Up) – David’s Town
The Black Angels – Phosgene Nightmare 10″ EP.
Of course, my wallet’s not happy that I busted my monthly record budget (again). And please, please, don’t tell my mom I busted my record budget (again). She thinks I’d be better off saving money to save money or for a car or a condo or anything besides records.
* Speaking of that Fucked Up compilation, the one that I don’t intend to flip on eBay, Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings make an appearance on the track, “It’s Hard to be a Dad.”
* No offense to Deerhunter, Pitchfork, or Music Saves, but I felt like a f*cking fool standing at the counter of Music Saves with my 3D glasses on as I watched the new Deerhunter video on a laptop. 3D will never take off until the look like a fool factor is eliminated.
* Now, let’s talk about the things I love about Record Store Day in Cleveland — The music and the people. Since the holiday’s founding in 2008, Music Saves, The Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, and Blue Arrow Records (All located on Waterloo Road in the Collinwood neighborhood) have transformed the event into one day-long party. You’re all but guaranteed to run into your music buddies at some point during the day, and these three establishments do their best to ensure you stick around and have a good time. The good time is the important piece here, for if Record Store Day was all about getting in line early and fighting other shoppers for a 7″ it would be nothing more than a Hipster Black Friday in April, and its novelty would quickly fade. Starting with my personal dj set in the Beachland Tavern at 11, there was free entertainment on the street until 7:30.
* Personally, of the bands who played on Record Store Day, I managed to catch the last few songs of Dan Friel (Parts and Labor) at Music Saves, Swindella, Herzog, and Shoreway at the Beachland Tavern and a few songs by Library Time over at Blue Arrow. Afterwards, it was hard not to be optimistic about the Cleveland music scene.
Swindella are a two piece noise rock outfit with the Cloud Nothings Jayson Gerycz on drums. If you haven’t seen Gerycz behind the kit, you’re missing the most exciting drummer in Cleveland. There’s absolutely no argument. He’s the real life version of the muppet Animal, but with better time keeping and more talent. With Swindella, he’s able to rip that kit to shreds as the duo takes one classic melody at a time (Be it power pop or western), deconstruct it, totally level it, then bring it back. Library Time were intriguing, as well. This young garage rock band can be compared favorably to someone like San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees. Herzog, meanwhile, keep doing what Herzog do. That is, being the best, pure indie rock band in town. I swear if they were New York dorky and lovable, or LA dorky and lovable, and not Cleveland dorky and lovable, they would have already broken big time. Lastly, I can tell you many came away really impressed by Matthew Rolin’s latest noise pop outfit, Shoreway. I’ll be even more impressed if this prolific, Cleveland band-starter can keep this one together for more than a year.
