As with last year, I decided to head out at the beginning of the day to both Mad City Music Exchange and B-Side Records as the week prior to this day, combined with the events of the week prior to this one had wiped me out. I needed to recharge my batteries but not before I paid homage to two of my local record stores.
Heading out to Mad City, as owned and operated by Dave Zero, I was pleased as always to see him again and alongside several of his compatriots, each of them members of the Madison music community themselves, including WSUM DJ Roland Lauzums, tireless local musician/producer/promoter/record label owner Bobby Hussy (The Hussy, Cave Curse and even more) and even singer/songwriter/bassist Abby Sherman (Trophy Dad, Addison Christmas), who excitedly informed me that she has finally begun working on recording new material.
After making a quick check to see if the store had any copies of the new album from local musicians Wood Chickens (they were sold out), I poked around for a spell and investigated the exclusive materials readied for this special day, including a vinyl version of new Broken Social Scene material and even the new album from The Flaming Lips, which is only available upon vinyl and will not see any releases upon any other formats until this Summer reportedly.
I soon decided upon a copy of the new album from the band Ex Hex, who actually just performed in Madison during the week. This gave me time to wait in the lengthy line and take in the sights of people in the throes of collecting and all to the sounds of The Ramones (which did inspire one of my purchases this day). With all of this ample time, I simply enjoyed being able to peer around and see what musical treats I could find.
After making my way through the line and obtaining my CD, greeting Bobby Hussy in the process, I bid Mad City fare well and began to make my way down town to B-Side.
Reaching downtown and B-Side Records on State Street, I entered the store, which was so crowded, I could not make my way to the back of the establishment, which indeed was the space where the exclusive Record Store Day materials were located. With the music of Funkadelic as the soundtrack, I happily saw store owner Steve Manley and his son Brendan Manley, himself the hardest working young drummer in the city (as he writes, records and/or performs with Post Social, Dash Hounds, Squarewave and Disq), manning the cash registers.
As I made my way to the "R" section for some Ramones, I was greeted by Madison musician singer/songwriter/bassist/guitarist Alivia Kleinfeldt (Dash Hounds, Squarewave, Modern Mod), who kept watch over the RSD exclusives, which were being restlessly horded over and eagle eyed.
Dear readers, I do not believe that I will ever have enough words to fully express to you how much I have always loved this particular record store. That despite its close quarters and smallness of actual physical space, the actual history, and therefore, the universe of music that is easily able to visually regard and find yourself lost in side of with each visit is astounding to me.
Between scanning and staring at all of the music and memorabilia, speaking with friends and strangers, all banded together for music, all I could wish for regarding all of the record stores in my city, and in turn around the nation, is that the people who ventured out on this day will return tomorrow, the following weeks, months and so on in order to continue keeping these bastions of community vibrantly alive.
Our relationships with these establishments is more symbiotic than one may realize, and so, we have to keep supporting our local businesses for they do indeed fuel our local artists and musicians, radio DJs, concert venues and for any curious individual on the search for that discovery that just may change their lives.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORES....EVERY DAY!!!!!!!
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