Okay, so I've been hinting about this stuff for a while and a number of customers are badgering the other staff for details they don't have--hey, I'm shy--so here's something to tide you over:

What is Record Store Day?

Record Store Day is an international celebration of independent record shops. Once a year, artists and labels make titles available, usually in limited runs, for the first, last, or only time. The indie shops put these items out for sale and you, the teeming millions, gather to purchase them so that you don't end up kicking yourself for the next 364 days. This year, RSD is on April 17th. That's a Saturday. We'll be open from 10 am until 10 pm.

Each participating shop will do something to celebrate the event. Some shops are having in-store performances, some shops are offering discounts on such and such, some shops will have extra (meaning qty) surly staff on hand to handle the crowds, etc etc. It's all left up to the stores to do what they wish. Though the labels/artists make most items available to all participating stores in the country of release, they're such limited quantities that obviously not every store will get everything they want.

The official Record Store Day web site is here and the official list of RSD release is here as a pdf. Note that not all items are available in all countries.

What Will Vortex Be Offering That I Can't Get Anywhere Else?

Ho ho ho... here's the rub, people. Well, not really. If I worked at another store and someone asked me about exclusive stuff I was offering then I'd be the one saying, "There's the rub" because I wouldn't have any exclusive items--but since I don't, I can, "Yes! We will be offering exclusive items that no other store will have."

Catch this: over the course of Record Store Day, you make a purchase, any purchase, and you'll be given a ticket for our absolutely awesome raffle. One ticket per customer--doesn't matter how much you spend.

At the end of the day I will draw a number of tickets from the magic bag of tickets and the winners will be able to collect awesome prizes. What are the prizes, you ask? Check it:

• Fihavanana (Mississippi Records) - a 3LP set of field recordings and photography from Madagascar (out of print, limited and hand numbered to 200 copies; donated by Vortex);


• Animal Collective’s 3LP Crack Box (out of print and limited to 1000 copies; donated by me);


• Signed test pressing of Anduin’s Abandoned In Sleep LP (one of a kind!; donated by SMTG Ltd.);


• Signed copy of Triple Burner's self titled LP (out of print; ltd to 500; donated by Triple Burner)


• Dinosaur Jr. skatedeck and copy of the band’s Farm CD (donated by Jagjaguwar);


• Autographed CD of Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago (donated by Jagjaguwar);


• Sharon Jones / Budos Band split 7" and autographed Sharon Jones poster (poster donated by Daptone Records);


• Dinosaur Jr. poster autographed by the entire band (donated by Jagjaguwar);

Other prizes might become available as we get closer to the actual celebration; I'll of course announce them here when they're firmed up.

The way it'll work is I'll draw as many winners as we have prizes and the first winner will be able to take whatever prize they want. The second winner picks from what remains. Etc. Etc.

Believe it or not, that's not all that will be offered exclusively at Vortex. I've got one other thing on the go which is occupying way too much of my time but hopefully I'll be able to get it done right: a Vortex-only CD compilation of exclusive tracks from the following artists:

- The Dirty Three
- Electrelane
- Glissandro 70
- Anduin
- Jacaszek
- Khate
- Pixelord
- Ilyas Ahmed
- Ayal Senior
- Jasper TX

All tracks except the Electrelane are previously unreleased. The Electrelane is from an out of print single. I haven't finalized everything (still waiting for a few tracks) but I think we'll be making only 75 of these. They'll be given out free. All tracks are donated by the artists and/or their labels.

What Might Vortex Be Offering That I Might Be Able to Get Someplace Else?

We of course ordered every item we found appealing from what the labels and artists were offering. However, since many things are very small runs, it's possible that not all stores will get all ordered items. Or, if I ordered twenty of something, I might only get one. Obviously, the earlier you arrive, the better your chances will be. Here's what we have on order:

Jeff Beck - Emotion and Commotion 180g (ltd to 3000)
Black Keys - Tighten Up / Howlin' For You 12" (ltd to 500)
Built to Spill - Water Sleepers / Linus and Lucy 7" (ltd to 2500)
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone - 2LP - Clear Vinyl (ltd to 2000)
Elvis Costello - Hollywood High 7"
Devo - Duty Now For the Future (ltd to 2500)
Devo - Fresh / What We Do 12" - 45rpm (ltd to 2500)
Doors - People Are Strange / the Crystal Ship 7" (ltd to 2500)
Roky Erickson and Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil (ltd to 1200)
Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Dark Side of the Moon LP+CD (ltd to 5000)
Fucked Up - Daytrotter 7" (ltd to 1700)
Peter Gabriel & Stephin Merritt 7" (ltd to 2500)
Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever (clear vinyl; hand screened cover; ltd to 600)
Sharon Jones / Budos Band - split 7"
John Lennon - 3 x 7" (ltd to 5000)
Mastodon - Blood Mountain - 2LP 45RPM 180G (ltd to 2500)
Mastodon - Blood Mountain - Colored vinyl (ltd to 3000)
Mountain Goats - Life Of the World To Come - Rian Johnson documentary dvd (ltd to 2000)
Paolo Nutini - Live at Preservation Hall CDEP (ltd to 2500)
Pantera - Far Beyond Driven 2 x 180g (ltd to 3000)
Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power 2 x 180g (ltd to 5000)
Pantera - Cowboys from Hell 2 x 180g (ltd to 5000)
Pavement - Quarantine the Past: Best Of (alternate track list; ltd to 1000)
Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer 10" pic disc
REM - Chronic Town (blue vinyl)
Ramones - Ramones Mania - 2LP Split Colored Vinyl (ltd to 1000)
Rodriquez - Inner City Blues 7"
Rolling Stones - Plundered My Soul 7"
Arthur Russell - Calling Out of Context - 2LP (ltd to 2000)
Sex Pistols - Great Rock N Roll Swindel - 2LP 180G gatefold (ltd to 2000)
Sonic Youth - Confusion is Sex 180g white vinyl (ltd to 1500)
Sonic Youth - EVOL - 180g pink vinyl (ltd to 1500)
Sonic Youth - Hits are for Squares 2LP
Joe Strummer - Global A-Go-Go 2LP (ltd to 1200)
Joe Strummer - Streetcore (ltd to 1200)
Superchunk - Misfits and Mistakes 7" autographed pic disc (ltd to 500)
Tegan and Sarah - AOL Sessions CD - (ltd to 2000)
Them Crooked Vultures - Mind Eraser, No Chaser 12"
TV On the Radio - Dear Science
Various Artists - Stars of Goldwax 7"
Various Artists (Blonde Redhead, The Big Pink, Gang Gang Dance, Ariel Pink, Tune Yards) - Fragments from a Work In Progress 12" (ltd to 2010)
Velvet Underground - Live 1969 Vol 1 - 180g (ltd to 1500)
Velvet Underground - Live 1969 Vol 2 - 180g (ltd to 3000)
Tom Waits - Mule Variations - 2LP 180g and print (ltd to 3000)
Wilco - Kicking Television, Live In Chicago - 4LP 180g (ltd to 1000)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Skeletons 7"
Yeasayer - O.N.E. 12"
Neil Young - Heart of Gold / Sugar Mountain 7"

AGAIN, I can't guarantee we'll get all of it but we have ordered all of it. Of course, we are not doing any holds on this stuff. First come first served. Please don't ask me to hold stuff. Saying no makes me feel bad and I don't like feeling bad.