Stephen Mejias

Oh, damn: Record Store Day is this Saturday, April 16th, and I won’t be able to participate. I’ll be in Atlanta, covering Axpona, but, if you’re free, you should definitely make a trip to your local independent record store and enjoy the festivities. As we all know, many record stores have shut their doors in recent years&#151for proof, take a look at this collection of sad and beautiful images&#151but, as some of the larger chains have faded away, many smaller shops have opened up, catering to specific tastes and genres of music, making the experience of record shopping even more personal, friendly, and satisfying.

So, on Saturday, April 16th, independent record stores across the country and around the world will throw wide their doors and celebrate with special limited-edition releases, in-store performances, giveaways, and other fun surprises, all in the name of those wonderful, physical objects that spin round and round and make beautiful music: Records!

Ozzy Osbourne is this year’s ambassador, and he’s got a message for us.

I'm sorry I can’t be there Ozzy. If I could, I would definitely be looking for Nirvana’s “Hormoaning” 12”, Sonic Youth’s complementary “Whore’s Moaning” 12”, and others from Grinderman, Fleet Foxes, Deerhoof, Of Montreal, Akron Family, John Fahey, Skip James, and whatever else I could get my greedy, needy hands on. For lists of participating stores, special releases, and other info, visit the Record Store Day website.

Happy Record Store Day, everyone. Have fun for me, and shop wisely. Let me know what albums you picked up.