IMAGES FROM RECORD STORE DAY-APRIL 19, 2014

On this year's Record Store Day, I made a point to venture to two of the local independent record stores in my city and I was so pleased to see that both stores were routinely visited throughout their respective business days.

The first store I visited was B-Side Records on State Street, owned and operated by my friend Steve Manley.

Being greeted by the image of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy was all the invitation I needed to venture inside my main record store of choice here in Madison. 

  

The aisles inside B-Side are notoriously narrow and yet, I was so pleased to see almost every nook and cranny in the store filled with people browsing and collecting.

 

While I do not possess a working turntable anymore (or better yet, two working speakers as my beloved yet mischievous feline Jada ate through a speaker wire back when she was a kitten), I have no use to purchase vinyl anymore. That being said, I just love the tactile experience of holding vinyl albums in my hands. Like this one...

...and these too!

I next went to MadCity Music Exchange, now owned and operated by friend Dave Zero. Like B-Side, this is a record store that I have frequented since my college years and the first time I ever stepped into its location was in early 1988. My first purchase? A bootlegged vinyl copy of Prince's notorious "The Black Album."

Unlike B-Side, MadCity possesses a larger, physical store space but like B-Side on Record Store Day, the space was equally filled up with music fans and collectors. Here's one image...

...and here's another.

Again, I just needed that tactile experience of holding the vinyl. In this case, a new vinyl only and brand new single from Madison's very own Garbage.

When I saw the new 5 LP boxed set from LCD Soundsystem, I truly wished that I was able to play my vinyl records again (and also have the kind of loot to purchase this item).

All in all, my visits, while brief, just filled me with joy. The sight of people being excited about music, the record store environment and the community that is forged in these specific spaces and places made me feel that this treasured experience that has graced my life just may have some more life to it.

Happy Record Store Day once again and please remember to support your local record stores all year long!