Record Store Day 2020: 11 Must-have Country and Americana Releases: Record Store Day returns on April 18, 2020, bringing with it a gigantic selection of classic reissues, rare compilations and live must-haves. The day serves as an annual celebration of the magic of small, locally owned record stores, and the crucial role those establishments play in their communities. On Record Store Day, local record shops throughout the country will offer up a slew of deals and special offers sure to make every music fan salivate. For a list of participating stores, and to find the one nearest you, visit RecordStoreDay.com. Of course, country and Americana fans have plenty to be excited about with the big day coming up, and a newly announced list of artists planning special releases only provides more reason for fans to clear their schedules and head to their local record shops. Read on for a list of some of the upcoming country releases that we’ve got our eyes on.
New Paltz, NY | Beyond New Paltz: The Vinyl Room. The Vinyl Room is a unique and cozy spot in Wappingers Falls, just about a 35 minute drive outside of New Paltz. This taproom currently has 12 rotating taps, wine and cider options along with a pizza window that is partnered with the local pizza shop next door. What makes The Vinyl Room special is that it’s the first taproom in the Hudson Valley to double as a record store where you can buy and sell records. Why Go: Unfortunately, it’s only open from 5 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and 3 p.m. to midnight on Saturdays. However, if you’re tired of the same local bars in New Paltz, then The Vinyl Room would definitely be a nice change! Even if you’re not interested in the drinking aspect, you can browse their extensive vinyl collection or play some retro arcade games for free.
London, UK | Silent Conference supports pioneering event by Record Store Day ambassadors The Big Moon: Enabling attendees to experience live-to-vinyl recording at legendary Metropolis Studios. Silent Conference, a wireless audio solutions company for conferencing and live events, was pleased to support the live-to-vinyl recording event by Record Store Day 2020 ambassadors The Big Moon at Metropolis Studios, London. Ahead of Record Store Day – which takes place this year on 18th April – The Big Moon recorded their Record Store Day release live in front of an audience at Metropolis Studios on 5th March. As revealed previously by Record Store Day and its supporter BBC Sounds, this was one of the first times, globally, that an artist has recorded 3 tracks in 1 take with a live audience in the recording studio with them. Metropolis Studios recreated the experience of recording live to vinyl, a process that was once used regularly by musicians.
Austin, TX | SXSW Cancellation “Devastating” for Grassroots Austin Music Businesses: Coronavirus shutdown impacts all levels of Austin music. …Meanwhile, even the most senior of conference veterans find themselves in new territory, since SXSW has never been called off in its 34-year existence. Austin’s longstanding vinyl emporium Waterloo Records announced cancellation of its free in-stores during SXSW. Owner John Kunz said he felt it was “the right thing to do” given the concerns for public health. He plans to reschedule soon with any local artists impacted, including a performance by Terry Allen & the Panhandle Mystery Band. Alongside next month’s Record Store Day, the annual conference marks a bump in sales for the homegrown vinyl retailer. “The loss is going to be significant, but we won’t know [how big] until it happens,” said Kunz. “We’ve been having South By events for the past 30-something years. Still, no one knows how many college spring breakers are going to be coming here, or how many people already have a plane ticket.”
Ithaca, NY | Cornell celebrates electronic music pioneer Robert Moog: …Moog’s correspondence with musicians – including Carlos, Zappa and Eddie Harris, a jazz musician who used a custom Moog attachment for saxophone – also is represented in the exhibition. As part of the archive, “we received his personal vinyl record collection,” Reagan said, “so it was clear that Bob did follow the careers of the musicians who were using his instruments.” The exhibition was co-curated by professor Judith Peraino and associate professor Roger Moseley in the Department of Music; and Trevor Pinch, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Cornell and author of “Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer.” As part of the celebration, Peraino spoke with British pop star Gary Numan, who used a Minimoog on his first U.K. hit single “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” in 1979, and utilized the Polymoog synthesizer’s “Vox Humana” sound on “Cars,” his international hit that year.
Whitesnake – 35th Anniversary remix edition of Slide it In to be released on limited edition red vinyl in April: The Sound Of Vinyl has set April 10 as the release date for the 35th anniversary edition of Whitesnake’s Slide It In album on limited edition 180g red vinyl. Whitesnake scored its first platinum-selling album in 1984 with Slide It In, a release that has sold more than six million copies worldwide thanks to hard-rocking songs like “Love Ain’t No Stranger,” “Slow An’ Easy” and the title track. Following the release of Slide It In The Ultimate Special Edition in early 2019, Whitesnake are releasing the 35th Anniversary Remix (Disc 3 from the Super Deluxe set), as a 2LP set on 180g red vinyl. “Slide It In was always meant to be a structured, more electric modern take on the classic blues-based hard rock that Whitesnake were famous for, but our new Hook City Hooligan, Mixer Extraordinaire Christopher Collier, has hand-tooled this classic record for the 21st century,” says David Coverdale. “Hearing all the performances so fresh and so clear after 35 years was amazing…”
