Two exciting instores in April!

Heads up, folks! We're pleased to announce two awesome instore performances this coming month.

First, on Monday, April 11th, at 6pm, we've got MOON DUO! The Wooden Shjips offshoot's new album for Sacred Bones, "Mazes", was one of our Records Of The Week this past Friday, as if we had to tell you. (By the way, we sold out of those really quick, we'll have more in stock tomorrow though - alas, without the super limited bonus disc, those are gone gone gone.)

That'll be a kind of a kick off to the week leading up to, yes, RECORD STORE DAY, Saturday April 16th! Can't wait. We're not gonna have any bands play here on Record Store Day, that would be too crazy, but guess what? We've got a special Record Store Day related instore on Sunday the 17th. Record Store Day After, as it were.

It'll be another duo, Phil Manley aka Life Coach (Trans Am, Jonas Reinhardt, The Fucking Champs, etc.) and Isaiah Mitchell (Earthless) in support of their RSD release on Thrill Jockey, the vinyl-only Mitchell and Manley "Norcal Values" album.

That's Sunday April 17th at 5pm. We're pretty excited about this, so be there, and make it a Record Store Weekend!

Here's Thrill Jockey's press release blurb about "Norcal Values", btw:

Floating down the Yuba River, hang gliding off the cliffs at Fort Funston, a day at Ocean Beach with the dog, a leisurely stroll in Golden Gate Park, a fat bag of Trainwreck; these are among the many images that come to mind when listening to Mitchell and Manley’s Norcal Values.

Inspired by his spiritual advisor, Bettina Richards, Phil Manley recruited the shredding stylings of Earthless’ Isaiah Mitchell to collaborate on a record comprised almost exclusively of a single continuous guitar solo. The recording was made live with no overdubs - completely improvised. This recording exhibits inspiration so pure that it could only come from within. Drawing from the classical Indian music tradition as well as from modern new age music, Norcal Values is the sonic equivalent of fine Californian cuisine. We invite you to dine upon its bountiful aural splendor. Bon appetite.

Record Store Day approacheth!

Of course, as we always say, every day is Record Store Day as far as we're concerned. But "officially", Record Store Day this year Saturday, April the 17th, coming up really soon! That's next Saturday, folks! Last year was a blast, hoping to see even more of our friends/customers (same thing) come out for this one, it'll be a lot of fun.

And as you probably know, there's gonna be a bunch of limited edition Record Store Day only releases coming out that day. A nice idea, stuff that won't be available at Amazon or iTunes or Walmart or wherever, just a real record stores... but we do feel that maybe a little too much emphasis is placed on these Record Store Day limited releases, after all, what REALLY should be the point of Record Store Day is that you go down to your favorite friendly local indie record store, especially if you haven't been in a while (and why the heck haven't you?), and hang out and buy stuff and celebrate, listen to tunes and talk to the folks there and get turned on to some music you didn't already know all about, limited or otherwise!

Not that the RSD releases aren't cool, a lot of them are, and we will have a bunch of 'em (while they last, of course!). A few we're really stoked on are the Moon Duo / Bitchin Bajas (a Cave side project) 7" on Permanent, and the B-Music various artist 12" called "Radio Galaxia", and the Nada Surf cd, among others, well, there's a lot of neat things, yeah! Some others, though, well... it's sorta just another street date. Like, the label was gonna put something out anyway, and it was in April, so ta-da! it's a RSD release, c'mon collectors, buy two copies! Some of those, we didn't order up on so much. And then some others we wanted, but of course here weren't as many to go around as there should have been (c'mon labels, you take preorders, can't you just make more?) and so we don't know just how many we'll get, but probably not as many as we hoped for. But, as we said on our latest New Arrivals list, #343, this past Friday, it's not like we don't ALWAYS have all kinds of cool limited stuff, of course. And cool not-so-limited stuff too. And really, the important thing isn't grabbing some particular limited RSD release, 'cause then chances are there's gonna be someone who's not gonna get the thing they need need need, and then go home and look for it on eBay and that's really not the point of Record Store Day is it?

Anyway, see you Saturday, we'll definitely have a party!!