By Syd Schwartz, Montoya, Dwight Patao, Alex Gold & Jordan Lee
It’s been 11 years since Record Store Day (RSD) and 4/20 have fallen on the same day, and this year it amped up celebrations across the state. There were lots of “highs” during the day–high stakes for getting highly limited releases, high energy as the clock ticked closer to opening times, high vibes as customers enjoyed live music, shopping and food vendors, and probably some contact highs, too.
Many stores were holding special events for their loyal–and many new–customers, including live music performances, raffles and giveaways, exclusive merch, and sales on non-RSD titles. The Desert Sounds Magazine team traveled far and wide (more like far and tall, if you’re looking at the map) to get coverage of some of the most fun and unique celebrations happening for the big day.
Candy & Records – Montoya; North Phoenix
Bringing in an influx of customers every year, Record Store Day was in full force at the small, North Phoenix store. With a large line waiting for doors to open, Candy & Records had a slew of new releases for the occasion, along with food, vendors, and live music for those in attendance.
With a DJ outside the building and Madison Boxing Gym providing the food for those vinyl hunters, the owners of Candy & Records, Josh and Monika, provided a nice energy boost to those inside with donuts and coffee. Lending to the occasion, eight live musical acts were on rotation inside, bringing in different genres of music throughout the day.
According to Monika, Record Store Day is “one of our biggest days of the year” and is a giant boost to sales. This also leads to new customers as Josh mentions “... a bunch of people that I… never seen before” find the store to search for a specific vinyl or even just to check out a new location they haven’t been to. Those that attend, new and old, even go as far as to “be in a line for like two hours, waiting to get in,” Josh said. Once the doors opened collectors “stormed the place” in search of those Record Store Day special releases.
Candy & Records had a unique approach to how they ran the event this year. The couple decided to hold two different drops–one around 11 a.m. and another around 7 p.m. so that those who had to work during the day when all the other stores are dropping releases in the early morning still get a fair chance to snag their picks.
Deadwax Records – Dwight Patao; Goodyear
Deadwax started Record Store Day with a bang as they welcomed a long line of people outside of their store in Goodyear as early as 7 a.m. Vinyl enthusiasts swarmed the place to celebrate the day with them and to score the special records that they wanted to bring home.
Krysten Giordano, one of the owners of the family-owned store, said that they were overwhelmed with the attendance and in the first hour and half, their customers of all ages were nonstop browsing through their collections of vinyl records.
"The crowd was very welcoming and for more than an hour, it was a crazy chaos. It happened really fast. There's even one person who camped outside since last night just to be first in line," she added.
Weird Kid Records – Alex Gold; Casa Grande
Down in Casa Grande, Weird Kid records welcomed in tons of new wax collectors, and shop owner Jeff Law was more than enthused to give everyone interested a thorough educational rundown on the different types of equipment available to ensure the best experience in their new hobby.
Though a lot of the shoppers were new to the record collection world, many of them were already excitedly planning their next purchases as they sorted through Weird Kid's collection. Their unique method of starting counter piles for those shopping certainly made it easier and more enjoyable for a crowd who could have easily been overwhelmed otherwise.
Seeing Law's passion for the hobby makes it clear why Weird Kid is thriving as “the oldest-newest record store in the state.”
Puscifer The Store – Syd Schwartz; Jerome
Puscifer The Store–Jerome, Arizona’s one and only record store–celebrated Record Store Day all day long. When the store opened at 10 a.m. for those on the hunt for this year’s special releases, tattoo artist Kari Marigold and DJs The Brother’s Funk joined the fun.
The funk set from The Brother’s Funk, featuring lots of oldies and soul, was a great backdrop for the morning for customers who were browsing RSD releases, enjoying the back bar, or getting their hair cut downstairs. Marigold was doing tattoos downstairs, working on some fun pieces like a hyper-realistic hare with an open third eye.
In the afternoon, DJ Quick Kay from Flagstaff took over the turntables and brought a fun vibe with her “punk across the decades” set, featuring punk hits from the 70s to today, with lots of riot grrrl mixed in.
Throughout the afternoon, the store remained fairly busy. The live music and a diverse selection of RSD finds brought a lot of people into the store. Everyone from young couples, seasoned collectors, families and vinyl newcomers were seen flipping through crates and displays across the store.
Puscifer ended the night with a special “Record Store Day: After Dark” party for the adults with Swaza6, Matteo Amaretto, and Visions of a Wizard.
Asylum Records – Alex Gold; Chandler
RSD festivities kicked off bright and early at Asylum Records with up and coming vocalist Piper Connelly performing, followed by a signature session with founding Alice Cooper member Michael Bruce.
Don't worry if you missed this year's festivities, though. Celebrity visits are a regular occurrence at Asylum, and the impressively vast collection of signed memorabilia lining the walls and shelves of the shop will surely continue to grow even larger as time goes on.
Stinkweeds – Jordan Lee; Central Phoenix
In the heart of Phoenix, Record Store Day dawned with a buzz of excitement at Stinkweeds. Music-lovers queued eagerly, excited for limited editions and rare finds. Many local vendors lined the streets, and the community thrived by eating the great food and receiving RSD pins. As the event ended, music lingered a strong testament to the power of vinyl to unite hearts and souls.
The 17th annual Record Store Day was another success in the books. Many collectors walked away with most (if not all) of their picks, mom-and-pop stores got deserving support and sales, and local artists and non-music businesses were uplifted by the community.
For those who may have missed a drop near them (or got FOMO on a record they snagged and then put back, later realizing they actually really did want it), many record stores still have some releases available both in stores and online. Find a store here.
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