There was just this vibe in the room. The lights were out, the music was loud and every shopper inside Culture Clash was about as cozy as a sardine.
This only happens once a year: on Record Store Day, a whole day set aside to pay homage to these marvelous musical artifacts, committed to solidarity with independent business owners. No wonder owner O’Connor felt such cool vibes.
The vinyl holiday, first observed in 2007, is celebrated on the third Saturday of April by independent record stores around the world. O’Connor has fond memories of Austin-based psyche-rock icons The Black Angels parking their hulking tour bus in the Culture Clash lot the morning of Record Store Day 2010 and plugging in for an in-store performance that had shoppers stuffed behind his counter and pressing the exterior storefront window.
On Saturday, April 20, local shops like Allied Records, Shakin’ Street, RamaLama and Culture Clash will “tout their wares,” says O’Connor. Record stores across Toledo will offer special one-day only deals featuring rarer, re-issued or limited edition albums supplied by various record labels, from bigwigs to local DIY’s. The day’s festivities include special in-store performances from local outfits (along with the occasional touring band fatefully passing-through off I-80).
“I think everyone in town tries the best they can to revive something for everyone to enjoy again,” said Allied Records manager Adam McCourt.
“We’ve participated every year, it’s grown every year and every year we put more effort into it,” said RamaLama owner Rob A. Kimple. “Any time you see a line out the door, that’s fantastic. It’s a chance for people who come in and support you every other day to get some things that wouldn’t otherwise be available.”
Kimple appreciate Record Store Day’s underlying advocacy — leading people to listen to vinyl as opposed to sampling music online. “It’s a horrible travesty when people listen to music through computer speakers. More kids come back to it (vinyl), younger shoppers all the time, because they realize that the music they ‘buy’ online, instead of stealing, is only ‘renting’ because they don’t actually own it. There’s no resale value.”
“It’s the perfect combination,” O’Connor says of recorded music on vinyl, an “art package” he’s been collecting and dealing for forty years. “It’s got something for your ears, it has visuals, it’s nostalgic; it catches you on a very heavy emotional level.” Toledo native McCourt has run Allied for seven years and sees the CD as a format that “stopped making sense” long ago. Music listeners can now appreciate the difference in sound quality.
Vinyl culture can be about following your heart (read: your ears!). “I wish there was a formula for collecting,” McCourt sighs. “It’s just a matter of doing it, a lot.”
Record Store Day’s about following your heart. It’s about the endearment of the “buy-local” campaign. “It’s usually just some dude doing their own thing and pushing their music that they like,” says O’Connor, who was part of a coalition (Alliance of Independent Media Stores) that helped to establish Record Store Day.
Record Store Day is about places like Toledo. McCourt considers it a cultural crossroads of sorts, while Kimple admits there’s “probably a glut” of indie record shops here, compared to other cities. “That could happen anywhere but it’s here where people care enough to (run a business dedicated to vinyl), where you have a rash of people interested in it and making a living in such a manner.”
Toledo’s “extremely responsive” to vinyl culture, O’Connor says. The community’s enthusiasm seems to be “healthier than it has been in quite a while.”
Saturday, April 20
Allied Record Exchange
1710 S Reynolds Rd.
419-861-1605.
Competitive prices on select used vinyl, including a wide selection of 45RPM records.
Culture Clash Records
4020 Secor Rd. 419-536-5683.
www.thecultureclash.com
Performances by Cape Canyon at 4pm and The Bricks at 5pm. Also, free goodie bags & swag given out all day.
Ramalama Records
3151 W Central Ave.
419-531-7625.
Enjoy record cookies, refreshments, and a performance by Jeff Loose at 10:30am.