Record Store Day 2012

To me, the best holidays of the year are Christmas, my birthday, and Record Store Day. Christmas, because I just love the season. My birthday, because it's one day a year when I can get away with doing absolutely anything I want to. Record Store Day, because it's the day when idiots like myself who love "stuff" come out of the woodwork to celebrate the local record store.

My plan for this year's Record Store Day was the same as last year -- get to the store just as the doors have opened in hopes of slipping in, grabbing what I want, and getting out. This year though, I learned via Twitter that a line was already forming outside my local store an hour before the doors were to open. A quick shower and a five minute drive later, I was in line outside the store -- maybe twenty people back.

Before going any further, I need to point out two things:

1. Almost everyone in line (including myself) looked the same: male, slightly to completely unshaven face, sporting a hoodie of some sort, and having little interest in conversation with others in line.

2. I hate crowds. Widespread crowds I can handle, but large crowds in small spaces are far from my favorite thing.

The doors opened and in we went. A large crowd into a small space.

Moving along at a snail's pace, I was able to find the three things on my shopping list -- seven inch releases from Justin Townes Earle, the Black Angels, and Carolina Chocolate Drops. After paying and grabbing a pretty good load of free stuff, I was back to my car within twenty minutes of the store opening (more than I can say for my brother's two-hour experience in St. Louis).

So was it worth it?

Justin Townes Earle - Nothing's Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now / Sneaky Feelings
Justin is probably still my favorite artist of the past few years. Bought this, of course, for the B-side cover of Elvis Costello. Awesome. Just awesome.

Black Angels - Watch Out Boy / I'd Rather Be Lonely
Their style has changed somewhat over the past year or so. Not quite the music to listen to while "having sex at a funeral" (as I once heard it described), but still worth the purchase. Cool orange vinyl, too.

You Be Illin' - Performed by Carolina Chocolate Drops / Run DMC
Original Run DMC version? Always a classic. The Carolina Chocolate Drops cover? A giant piece of crap that sounds like it was thrown together in about the time it took to record it. You can currently find my copy on eBay.