Certain holidays hold a special place in people’s hearts. Some individuals like the feel of Christmas with the ambiance of winter and family. Others enjoy Halloween, with its fun air and essence of pretending. However, I am an individual that enjoys a lesser known holiday. Yes, Record Store Day, the annual celebration of all things music and vinyl, has always been my favorite time of the year.
I woke up this morning to a text from one of my friends alerting me of a Velvet Underground poster at Zia Music.  I was barely out of bed, but her phone call was a catalyst for me to start my record celebration.
Record Store Day is not an event that is just popular in Arizona, but all over the world, from as close as Tucson to as far as London. Record collecting, to some, can seem like a niche market. However, many big names have cleared releases for this holiday, including David Bowie, Bastille, and Katy Perry. No matter where one is or what they listen to, there are many things to experience during this day.
For my first stop, I went to Revolver Records. Located in Downtown Phoenix, the music store is a staple in the downtown area. I remember introducing some friends to the store a while back, and watched them look through the vinyl, music, posters, books and movies with a glee on their face that is not only regulated to their first time. Revolver Records is a place that brings a smile to your face  no matter how many times you’ve been there.
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This record had amazing cover art. I bought the movie version of the musical, but this one caught my eye.
When I arrived, there were a nice amount of people there. I started off in the afternoon, but did hear about the crowds from earlier in the day. It was easy to walk around, and the selection was great. Revolver Records had new releases and classic hits for reasonable prices. They have a huge selection of used vinyl, which seems to dominate the store. If somebody is not into vinyl, they have other entertainment items for sale, and also have pins/iron on decals. I bought my records (the 1961 movie version of “West Side Story” and Carole King’s “Tapestry”), and was on my way.
The attiude of people during this event is probably my favorite thing. Sales people are happy to pass along anecdotes of the albums that you’re buying. I also heard wishes of “Happy Record Store Day!” Revolver set the day off right.
Next, I was off to Zia Records. I’ve been going to Zia Records in the Valley and in Las Vegas for a long time. The locations here in Phoenix seem to be bigger than the locations of Las Vegas. This made for some great releases!
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Look at all of these wonderful records.
While I had a pleasing experience at Revolver, I did not find any Record Store Day exclusive releases to my liking (note: I had arrived later in the day). At Zia Records, I found multiple releases that I wanted, including Jake Bugg and Nina Persson releases.
The store was also decorated with yellow and red balloons to fit the celebration of music. This Zia Records location is one of the biggest ones I have been to. Going along with the inventory Revolver Records, this store had music, books, fun items (like mugs, candy, etc.), clothes, and electronic items.
There were good releases here and the vibe continued to move along the path of a very good one. I saw a Fleetwod Mac album that caught my eye the most. Even though there wasn’t as much vinyl here, the store kept in the spirit of music appreciation.
I’d also like to give the store 10 points for moving the line along very quick.
My final stop of the day was a record store I had no previous experience with. Stinkweeds is a place that I’ve always wanted to go, but have never had an opportunity to go to. Smaller than other record stores in square feet, Stinkweeds makes up for it with a great selection of music.
Stinkweeds had a very relaxed feel to it. The ambiance is something that stuck out to me, as a record buyer. However, I wondered how how this location would deal with the crowds of this big day. When I went, you could walk around with some maneuvering and mumbles of excusing yourself to other record buyers, but I imagine it might be harder with a larger crowd.
But size doesn’t matter to Stinkweeds. They had a great array of items, and I liked their section of magazines, which attracted me the most. It may seem weird that I went to magazines on a day in celebration of vinyl, but Record Store Day is not just about vinyl, but the spirit, connection, experience, and power of music – whether it be in vinyl, CD, or written form.
And then I was done.
This was probably one of my greatest experiences of Record Store Day. I found some great releases of classic albums, and I think the greatest thing was seeing how involved everybody was.
Based on my experience, I have compiled a few tips on what to do during Record Store Day if you’re in the Phoenix area:
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- START EARLY! Â I started in the afternoon and was able to find some great vinyl, but I would advise that the earlier you wake up, the better! If you really want that release, a lot of other people want it, too. Remember, there are exclusive releases for this day, and some people line up at certain stores before they open. Waltzing into your favorite store 45 minutes before they close lessens your chances of finding releases.
- Be prepared to drive around if you plan on going multiple places. While all  of these stops are accessible by light-rail, they are not completely next to each other. It is not like First Friday in terms of walking. The distance is not bad at all, but walking in them while carrying records is probably something you don’t want to be a part of your Record Store Day experience.
- Have a keen eye. This is the case for anybody going record shopping, but especially during this day. Some releases may not be where you expect. Grasp a familiarity of the environment and your surroundings so that you can be lead to your favorite tunes.
- Talk to people! Trust me when I say that this holiday brings out the best in people! You will get information on releases, artists, and anything music wise! The conversations are amazing, and you will have a first-hand experience of the community music brings about!
- Don’t forget about records. While this holiday is annual, records are around for the other 364 days in a year as well. It is great that there is a holiday dedicated to them, but hopefully you visit these shops (and any record/music stores) during other times of the year as well! If this is your first time buying records, maintain them and come back and buy more!
Record Store Day is a great day. It could be every single day and I would not get sick of it. It’s a great way to experience music and support some great locations. It’s the greatest, and I’m counting down the 364 days until I can start again.