West Michigan’s celebration on Saturday is as much about nostalgia and supporting local shops and bands as it is about snapping up exclusive LPs. And Dodds will host its first RSD under new ownership.
And That’s Vinyl: Record Store Day throngs fill Vertigo Music. (Photo/Local Spins)
Record Store Day for many is all about the deals, the freebies, the special album releases, the entertainment, and in some cases, the refreshments.
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But more than anything, the national celebration is really about keeping independent record stores alive and profitable, which also means sustaining local music, indie bands and labels, and of course, keeping alive that nostalgic, singular experience – the sights, sounds and smells – of flipping through vinyl LPs in record bins in hopes of finding an unexpected treasure.
The Heaters
Take it from a young musician who relishes that vibe: Grand Rapids guitarist Nolan Krebs, whose band The Heaters will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday at Vertigo Music as part of Record Store Day.
“Record stores in general are kind of holy places, especially Vertigo, so we feel really grateful (manager Herm Baker is) letting us play,” Krebs told Local Spins. “It’s the place we run to on payday like kids scoring new comic books, so that’s a sort of timeless and invaluable thing for us.”
Indeed, from teens new to vinyl’s magnetic pull to baby boomers raised on 45s, LPs and resplendently illustrated double-album covers, Record Store Day has become a national holiday of sorts to embrace.
ABOUT ‘THE HEART’ AND PRESERVING HISTORY
And that may doubly true for Grand Rapids’ Rev Charles Preston Smith, frontman for The PotatoeBabies band who’s reveling in his first Record Store Day as owner of Dodds Record Shop on S. Division Avenue, after purchasing the store from longtime proprietor Gerry Dodds.
Embracing History Under New Ownership: Rev Charles Preston Smith, center, performed at last year’s Record Store Day celebration at Dodds. (Photo/Anna Sink)
“For me, it’s a matter of history. By celebrating record stores and indie businesses in general, it will help preserve that history I cherish so much,” insists Smith, who’s spent long hours sprucing up the store and readying things for Saturday. “Doing that it will also educate the newbies and hopefully feed their interest and excitement. A perfect world would be to make money while doing that, but I don’t see a future in the dollars as much as the heart.”
While Dodds doesn’t have the resources or track record of other indie stores, Smith says it has a long, treasured legacy and an inventory upon which he hopes to capitalize.
“I want to take that and run with it in my own way by marketing the stories behind the music and the media it is recorded on,” he says. “After all my hard work and with the help of others, Dodds’ (Record Store Day will be) a celebration of sights, sounds, and smells.”
From Grand Rapids to Holland to Kalamazoo, Record Store Day hoopla abounds:
Vertigo Music at 129 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids (noon-8 p.m.) — In-store performances by Short Giants (1 p.m.), I Believe in Julio (2 p.m.), The Heaters (3 p.m.), who recently released a new psychedelic rock EP titled, “EP,” The Action Figures (4 p.m.) and Lake Timber (5 p.m.). In addition to special releases, expect free refreshments and pizza.
Dodds Record Shop at 20 S. Division Ave. in Grand Rapids (3-9 p.m.) – New proprietor Rev Charles Preston Smith has lined up performances by The Potatoebabies (his own band), Old Man Jenkins, Lectralux, Tommy Gun, Bitters, Remedy Blue, Harley Poe, B Mo, Squints and Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, with a local artist reception following.
Grandville’s Corner Record Shop at 3562 Chicago Dr. SW in Grandville (11 a.m.-8 p.m.) – Music starts at noon with The Brothers Pickers, Black Trash & Treasure, Helical Scan, Jake Stevens and Stones Throw.
Green Light Music and Video at 4717 W. KL Ave. in Kalamazoo (9 a.m.-10 p.m.) – The store opens early on Saturday; music starts at 3 p.m. with Moxieville, followed by a 4 p.m. set by Chuck Whiting. Specials include some concert ticket giveaways.
More information – including listings of special releases for the day – is available at the national Record Store Day website.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
