Today we experienced Record Store Day for the first time! Yes.. a little late to the game 🙂 but that’s what happens when
1. you don’t own a turn table
2. you live where there are no record stores
3. hmm.. there are no more excuses!
The incentive today? Sam Roberts Band mgmt posted on their Facebook page today that their US record label, Paper Bag Records, had secretly sent copies of the band’s Limited Edition 12″ Vinyl 45, to 600 record stores throughout “North America”. Of course I wanted one! Of course I think.. no freaking way I’ll ever find one out here. In fact, I figure that ‘back East’ and the USA would have the lion’s share of those 600 elusive vinyls.. but.. you never know! Reading further on the band’s Facebook page, a very nice fellow named Sean McLean was giving people advice where to go look for the album, and suggested a store in the next town, so I call and yes! They have ONE copy! Of course, they can’t hold it for me (that would be breaking the cardinal record store day rule) so.. the only option? Book it out of town in a hurry, and hope to not get a speeding ticket haha! (I didn’t).
Once I get there, a parking spot makes itself available down the block (thank you!) and off to the store I go, where I’m greeted by a funky metal guitar player on the stoop, before going down a few steps to Underground Music, a tiny little place FULL of people and great energy.
Looking around I find the alphabetical bins, and am winding my way around the far end of the table, when suddenly I hear, “it’s Sam Roberts, and it has a number on it.”
Oh nooooooo! I go over to a group of 4 girls all in their late teens/early 20’s and there’s one of them holding the coveted album! Standing there, my mind is saying, ‘please let her put it back, please let her put it back,” but she doesn’t so I blurt out, “can I take a picture of that?”
She looks at me like I’m from Mars but smiles and say’s sure… and I ask if she’s going to buy it or not… She says she’s not sure (and I see 3 or 4 more albums in her hands that she’s trying to decide on), and she asks if I want it… again it just comes out!
“Yes! I definitely want it, I just drove a huge distance hoping to snap it up and it’s the only vinyl I’m here for. I would love to have it!”
She looks at her friends, they all look at her and smile and its like there is an unspoken conversation going on with them all, and she smiles at me and says, “it’s yours,” and hands it to me! Good lord… I thank her profusely, and decide to keep the good karma going, and spend the next half hour in this tiny, tiny, cool little place, looking at old records that I remember from my own youth, things like Poco, and Alan Parsons Project, and of course a ton of Beatles stuff, and even some odd-ball vinyl’s like the sound track to Charles and Diana’s royal wedding! wow..
I end up buying a rock n roll pin for my camera bag along with the Sam Roberts Band record that will forever remind me of the goodness of people, of the kind heart of that girl and her friends. The lady and fellow at the cash counter asked right away if I was the person who had called and thought the story of the girl handing it over was pretty damn cool too.. so whoever you are, wherever you are, you made my day. You made my first ever record store day memorable and special and I’m still smiling!
And will I ever play that album? I dont know… it’s a collectors item – probably worth more money if you don’t unseal it – but it’s probably worth more Joy if I do open it! The record itself is clear.. and it would be cool to listen to it! Now I just need to find a friend with a turn table! Jay??
*kudos to Paper Bag records for not only sending copies to US cities, but also for sending copies to secondary market cities like Kelowna through SRB’s Canadian label, Universal – Sam Roberts Band is well loved here and sells out each and every time so was nice to be included!
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