World Record Store Day 2014

Overview

Record stores aren’t just retail outlets. They’re alternative schools for the musically challenged, sites of identification and rebellion, and burning hot crucibles for new bands — if not entire movements. For a while, however, we feared that the digital revolution would turn all of that into a relic of the past — a thing relegated to nostalgic, drunken reruns of Empire Records, High Fidelity and Good Vibrations.

To an extent, the fear was justified. We’ve seen quite a few legendary institutions kick the bucket. But as the old adage goes, you can’t keep a good man, woman or album collection down, so record stores have been making a serious comeback. And to keep the punters off downloads and onto discs, they’ve been doing things in even quirkier, bigger ways than ever before. One of these is annual international Record Store Day, now in its sixth year. On Saturday, April 19, music shops all over the world will host live gigs, interviews, special sales and much-anticipated new releases.

In Brisbane, Westfield Carindale will be teaming up with Rockaway Records to sell more than 300 limited edition vinyl items, including The Beatles’ Butcher LP. “Its controversial artwork was believed (wrongly) to represent political protest over the US presence in Vietnam,” Rockaway Managing Director Scott Johnson explains. “The LP was banned shortly after release in 1966, and the last mint copy sold for $80,000.” What’s more, a DJ will spin vinyl all day and a “wall of shame” will display some of history’s worst ever cover art.

Meanwhile, Rocking Horse will be hosting a bunch of live gigs, headlined by Ed Kuepper, who came to punk prominence after founding The Saints and, more recently, has been writing music for film when he’s not tossing around ideas with Nick Cave. He’ll be supported by indie pop outfit The Cairos and Brisbane synth obsessive Laura Hill. Tym Guitars will follow suit, with appearances from punky Tasmanians The Captives, emo poppers Columbia Buffet and the Hard Ons, amongst others. Then at Jet Black Cat, you’ll be able to catch Holy Holy in solo mode at 4pm and My Warning from 5.30pm.