Every April for the last eleven years, Record Store Day has put the spotlight on independent record stores around the country – giving music fans a once-a-year opportunity to binge on special releases, forgotten b-sides, and free merch (for those who show up early). This year’s event takes place on Saturday, April 21.
Local Hubs
Around the city, avid music fans and vinyl collectors will find all sorts of hidden gems at Culture Clash, Allied Records, and Friendly Beaver. “We open at 10am, and we’ll have all of the official Record Store Day releases, along with free pizza from Pizza Cat throughout the day”, says Broc Curry— owner of Friendly Beaver Records on Main Street.
One of the highly anticipated releases this year will be Mac Demarco’s “Old Dog Demos”— a collection of never released b-sides and instrumental tracks— and his vinyl 7” done in collaboration with Shamir, titled “Beat Happening Covers.” Another one is the re-release of Harry Nilsson’s “Pussy Cats”, produced by John Lennon.
Celebrating Pat O’Connor
In Toledo, Record Store Day is also a day of celebration for the life of Pat O’Connor – founder of Culture Clash Records, who passed away at the end of 2016. Pat’s love of vinyl and the positive energy that he radiated lives on in the Glass City, as Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 is also a city-wide festival dedicated to the man who brought us Culture Clash Records.
The Pat O’Connor Music and Arts Festival will kick off with live music by Tim Oehlers and Michael Gramza at the Glass City Cafe, followed by live performances from other local musicians at Bozo’s Bar and Grille, Wesley’s Bar, Ye Olde Durty Bird, and Culture Clash. (To see the full schedule, visit facebook.com/POMAFToledo.)
Settling In
One year ago, music lover and entrepreneur Tim Friedman officially took over Culture Clash Records, ensuring the store’s continued existance. “It’s been a full year, it’s been a lot of fun. It’s an honor to take over for Pat, but it’s a little daunting”, says Friedman. “It’s been important for me to not change too much because it was already an incredible place.”
For Record Store Day, Culture Clash will open at 10am and will have coffee and donuts from Holey Toledough and Kombucha from Boochy Mama’s. Rusty’s Road Trip will also be on site, offering free classic grilled cheese sandwiches with any record purchase. Aside from exclusive Record Store Day releases, “We’ll have hundreds of albums marked down, up to 50% off”, says Friedman.
More Live Performances
Live music at Culture Clash will start at 3pm, kicking off with country singer-songwriter Charles Hill Jr. from Cleveland, followed by folk singer Libby DeCamp from Romeo, Michigan. Closing out the day will be local folk trio Oliver Hazard – who’ve been making a splash on the national scene, being booked for the Bonnaroo and Mountain Jam mega-festivals, among other venues this year. “We’re trying to strike a balance between booking shows across the country and also supporting our local community back home. We think that both are equally important”, explains lead singer Michael Belazis.
For more info, visit recordstoreday.com or cultureclashrecords.com
