Record Store Day: Good Records
I’m sure people in the Twin Cities understand this, but we should really feel grateful for the plethora of options we have for public radio, and the plethora of options we have for extending our discovery of new music in the retail sphere. It’s an incredible thing we’ve got going on in the upper Midwest, and in the past years, we have truly reestablished ourselves as a music destination. Of course, not every place is like this. I come from those trepid suburbs of Dallas dominated by Top 40 radio, an abundance of Christian talk, and not much else. Growing up, I didn’t have many resources to aid in discovering artists that today have become an integral, daily part of my life. I listened to hefty amounts of classical music up until 10th grade, which is great and all, but Maurice Ravel can only get you through the day so many times. But one place back in the deep South aided in getting me back on track: Good Records. Record stores are a dying breed in North Texas, even for one started by Tim DeLaughter of The Polyphonic Spree. Good Records’ selection is priceless, and the amount of bands that have had some of their first performances there (ie- Beach House) is a never-ending list. It’s a towering building with gorgeous bright blue walls, rainbow colored light bulbs lining each CD rack, a green, grassy stage with pastel colored listening stations, and a massive southern desert photograph sprawled across the highest wall. I bought my first record there, a now very limited-edition pressing of the first, self-titled Beach House album on cream-colored vinyl, and became an instant fan. Without a car, I would make the hour long trek to downtown Dallas via the light rail and a thirty minute walk in the summer heat down historic Greenville Avenue, all for those precious LPs that I had no other way to obtain. I didn’t know what Record Store Day was then, even with the massive banners adorning the walls, so my first real one was here in Minneapolis. It was incredible to see the unity fostered by such a unique occasion. Record stores are not a dying breed up here, and slowly yet surely, sales are skyrocketing due to incredible marketing, a dedicated population of music lovers, and the appreciation of the local community. We need to keep these music havens alive- these stores which bring us together over bands that we might not have many other channels to discover them by. They have been here for a long time, and we are truly blessed to have so many resources to expand our musical palette.
— Jon Schober
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