Check out a recap, photos and video of Saturday’s upbeat Record Store Day celebration at indie shops which hosted live music, DJs and more.
Leading the Parade: Rev. Charles Preston Smith once again hosted a Record Store Day parade on Bridge Street. (Photo/Local Spins)
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS AND PHOTO GALLERY
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Record Store Day in West Michigan was all about vinyl – and live music and DJs, and yes, even a parade.
Saturday’s sunny but breezy weather brought out long lines of music devotees from Grand Rapids to Grandville to the lakeshore to Kalamazoo for special releases and a wide assortment of entertainment to celebrate the power of independent record shops.
Jam-Packed: The Corner Record Shop on Saturday morning. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
“It’s a lot of fun. It gets bigger every year,” said Luke, a cashier at Grandville’s Corner Record Shop who’s worked at the store for eight years.
The store certainly was jam-packed on Saturday with browsers of vinyl and more, with band performances by Stellar, GR Groove, Tanner J Burns, Code West, Feeding Grizzlies and Shade 55.
It was just one example of the vinyl revolution that’s attracting disciples young and old.
“I sat my grandson down, played him his favorite song on CD and then I had him listen to it on vinyl,” said one Corner Record Shop patron. “Now my grandson, when he comes over, he asks me to turn on the record player.”
A PARADE WITHOUT POLICE INCIDENT
The scene was much the same at Grand Rapids’ Vertigo Music, which showcased DJs throughout the day as shoppers browsed bins of vinyl and CDs, and enjoyed refreshments and pizza. Throughout the day, it was an all-ages affair, with a mix of baby boomers, teens and 20-somethings.
Spinning Vinyl: DJs did that all day at Vertigo Music. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
And of course, Grand Rapids’ Record Store Day celebration wouldn’t be complete without a mid-afternoon parade on Bridge Street led by uber-enthusiastic grand marshal and vinyl champion the Rev. Charles Preston Smith, whose tiny Dodds Record Shop was overrun with shoppers Saturday.
“We’ve got a parade,” shouted a grinning Smith, who conceded Grand Rapids Police contacted him more than once in the days preceding Record Store Day to ask about his parade plans. (Police shut down Record Store Day performances at the store a couple of years ago.)
Featuring about 20 ebullient marchers and a dog, the short parade took to the sidewalks for about two blocks up and down Bridge Street before ending in front of the store, which also featured performances by Beaver Xing and friends as well as DJ Tom Shannon.
And nary a patrol car was seen.
VIDEO: Record Store Day 2019
Video by John Sinkevics
PHOTO GALLERY: Vertigo Music, Corner Record Shop, Dodds Record Shop
Photos by Anthony Norkus, Olivia Menchaca, Derek Ketchum and John Sinkevics
Copyright 2019, Spins on Music LLC
