Go for a spin on Record Store Day; here are some top stops
A bounty of hot new music will be hitting stores Saturday.
Not streaming sites. Not digital retailers. Actual, old-fashioned stores.
It’s Record Store Day 2018, when dozens of limited edition new vinyl releases will be issued exclusively to independent shops all over the country.
This year, that includes three ultrarare David Bowie releases; the debut EP from forthcoming Summerfest headliner Arcade Fire (on vinyl for the first time); and “Wisconsin Vinyl Collective Vol. 2,” featuring songs from Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, PHOX, Violent Femmes and seven other state acts.
Here’s a suggested itinerary for the special deals and events happening on Record Store Day in Milwaukee Saturday.
7 a.m.: Enhance your odds of getting some sweet finds by going straight to the largest record store in the city, the Exclusive Company (1669 N. Farwell Ave.). The shop, just like the locations in Greenfield (5026 S. 74th St.) and West Bend (144 N. Main St.), has 10 percent off sales for new vinyl, CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs (excluding Record Store Day exclusives), and will give out free Exclusive Company shirts with every $100 purchase, while supplies last.
8:30 a.m.: After you check out the largest record store in the city, head to the oldest: Rush Mor Records (2635 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.), which also opens at 7 a.m. Celebrating its 48th year in business, Rush Mor will sell special Record Store Day-exclusive shirts and rare vinyl releases from metal bands playing the NYDM Spring Bash festival at Cactus Club and Club Garibaldi this weekend. And in addition to some special Wisconsin releases available at local stores — including the debut 7-inch from garage rock band Mini Meltdowns, featuring Milwaukee music scene veterans Jon Phillip (The Benjamins) and Scott Schoenbeck (Dashboard Confessional, the Promise Ring) — a couple of exclusive releases will only be at Rush Mor. The shop will sell just 25 copies of politically charged rap-rock group Guerrilla Ghost’s first single “Make AmeriKKKa Great Again,” and a split 7-inch featuring Milwaukee band Brain Bats and Chicago group Super Sonic Space Rebels, available on “space snot green” or “bubblegum blood” vinyl.
9:30 a.m.: Off the Beaten Path (3201 S. Howell Ave.) celebrates its first Record Store Day. Records in bins outside the shop will be for sale for $1 from 9 a.m. to noon, for 50 cents from noon to 3 p.m., and for 25 cents from 3 p.m. until close. LPs will be 20 percent off, and the shop will unveil some ultra-rare records owner Chris Kruse has been acquiring over the past year.
11 a.m.: Bullseye Records (1627 E. Irving Place) has been stocking up on loads of titles, with an emphasis on ultra-rare releases. One album the shop’s proud to offer: “Death and the Lady” by Michael Raven and Joan Mills. Only 250 copies were pressed to vinyl back in 1972 — until Record Store Day, that is.
Noon: Opened in 2012, Acme Records & Music Emporium (2341 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) has become the premiere Record Store Day party destination in town with wall-to-wall live music. This year’s edition kicks off at noon with a solo set from singer-songwriter Steve Gunn, and there’ll be a new set every hour through 6 p.m., including a set by The Get Down DJ Opiated Black (1 p.m.), and release shows for local bands Nastos (3 p.m.) and Red Stuff (6 p.m.).
4 p.m.: Riverwest Public House Cooperative’s monthly vinyl potluck falls on Record Store Day, from 4 to 8 p.m. Bring your new vinyl treasures to spin, and a dish if you can; the Public House will serve up some veggie chili, too.
6 p.m.: End your Record Store Day back at the Exclusive Company on Farwell Ave. Abby Jeanne, one of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Wisconsin Bands to Watch, performs at 6 p.m., in celebration of “WMSE Presents Abby Jeanne,” a Record Store Day exclusive issued by WMSE-FM (91.7) to local stores, featuring two new singles on two types of colored vinyl. Then at 7 p.m., Christopher Porterfield of Field Report will play a solo set featuring material from his band’s new album “Summertime Songs.”