Now that the official Record Store Day ‘25 list has been released, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the most sought after releases. Record Store Day occurs on April 12, 2025. In this article, I’ll be diving into some key re-presses, long overdue first pressings, and offer up some additional insight to the vinyl community.
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Today, New Jersey alternative rock/pop-punk band, Northvale, are releasing their debut LP called Where We Go When There’s Nothing Left. Northvale is Keith Karol (Vocals), Mike Piacentini (Guitar), Chris Stroz (Guitar), and Aren Millan (Drums), and their great band chemistry shines through brilliantly on their debut album. If you’re enjoying the insight given by Northvale, please consider streaming the album here.
Read More “Northvale – Where We Go When There’s Nothing Left (Track By Track)”
8123 Fest, the music festival curated by Arizona rock band The Maine, is making its highly anticipated return in January 2025. For the first time ever, the festival will span two full days, packed with incredible performances, exclusive events, and more. Taking place at the Mesa Amphitheater on January 17–18 2025, the festival offers a celebration of music, nostalgia, and community that fans won’t want to miss.
To highlight everything that is taking place during this two-day festival, I thought it would be cool to connect with some of the bands who would be performing. In this article, I have interviews with members of The Maine, Real Friends, and Bad Suns. Each of the bands I interviewed shared what the 8123 Fest means to them, the new music they are working on, as well as what fans can look forward to from their bands in the new year. 8123 Fest tickets are on sale here.
Read More “8123 Fest Preview” Turkey day is happening this week, so that means that Record Store Day Black Friday is right around the corner. This year’s celebration of indie record stores occurs on Friday, November 29th, 2024, and features a fresh slate of new vinyl reissues, exciting exclusives, and in some cases, the first pressings of many key titles. The full list of RSD Black Friday releases can be found here, but be sure to check in with your local indie record store to see what they will be carrying this Friday. In this preview, I’ll be diving into some of the most sought after releases and offer some tips for newcomers to secure these titles.
Read More “Record Store Day Black Friday 2024 Preview” Another Record Store Day has come and gone. Did you snag that coveted pressing of that album you had your eye on? Hopefully your experience was as good as mine was, and you were able to grab at least something on your list either in-person or online afterwards. In this article, I’ll be recapping things I noticed about the most popular titles going first, providing feedback on the pressing numbers for this year’s collection, and ways to keep vinyl fans engaged with their local record stores throughout the year.
Read More “Record Store Day Roundup: 2024 Edition” The first week of our Record Store Day countdown series wraps up today with a look into the live set from The 1975 called Live At Gorilla. This performance of the band’s debut LP, played in full from front to back for the first time since 2013, was recorded live in Manchester on February 1, 2023 and remains faithful to the original recording. The “RSD First” double LP is limited to 7,500 copies via Interscope Records and is pressed on white vinyl. The artwork for Live At Gorilla can be found below.
Read More “Record Store Day Countdown: The 1975 – Live At Gorilla” The march towards Record Store Day continues today with a look at Collective Soul and their fourth studio album, Dosage. The record is celebrating a 25th anniversary this year, so the timing was perfect to reissue this LP. This “RSD First” release is limited to just 2,000 copies via Craft Recordings, and it is pressed on “translucent lemonade” vinyl. The set features the singles “Heavy,” and one of my all-time favorite ballads in “Run.”
Read More “Record Store Day Countdown: Collective Soul – Dosage” The countdown to the annual Record Store Day observance continues today by taking a look at Paramore and their three vinyl releases. Paramore will be releasing their remix album, Re: This Is Why on red vinyl, as well as the comprehensive reissue of This Is Why plus Re: This Is Why on red/tan vinyl. This year’s Record Store Day Ambassadors are also releasing a 12″ vinyl single of their cover of a Talking Heads classic “Burning Down the House” with David Byrne contributing a cover of Paramore’s “Hard Times” from After Laughter on the A-side.
Read More “Record Store Day Countdown: Paramore – ‘Re: This Is Why/Burning Down the House’” The countdown to Record Store Day continues today with a look at Dead By Sunrise and their only LP, Out of Ashes, that will be released on “black ice” vinyl for the first time in North America. For those unfamiliar with the band, they were fronted by Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and included Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh from Orgy. This album was officially released on September 30th, 2009 and was produced by veteran hit-maker Howard Benson. This “RSD First” release is limited to just 7,500 copies and comes courtesy of Warner Records.
Read More “Record Store Day Countdown: Dead By Sunrise – Out Of Ashes” Today we are launching the first day of a Record Store Day countdown to the annual vinyl celebration of indie record stores, that occurs this year on April 20, 2024. Each day you can look forward to a different vinyl release that I will dive into with exclusive pictures, reviews of the packaging and material, as well as a brief write-up of what to expect on the recording. Kicking things off is Filter with their Craft Recordings compilation known as The Very Best Things (1994-2008).
Read More “Record Store Day Countdown: Filter – The Very Best Things (1995-2008)”
This past week, I was able to chat with Chase Tremaine to discuss his deluxe reissue of Accidental Days. The deluxe edition of the album has been re-released today on Bandcamp, and it features ten new bonus tracks, plus commentary on the ten main album songs. I continue to be impressed by Chase’s extensive work ethic, and I hope this track-by-track sheds some light on his creative process.
Read More “Chase Tremaine – Accidental Days (Deluxe Edition) Track-by-Track”
Record Store Day is the annual celebration of indie record stores that is paired with special vinyl releases across all genres that get fans of the music format excited to join in the party in hopes of obtaining the release(s) they absolutely need for their collection. In this article, I’ll be outlining some of the special releases that brought music fans to the stores in droves, what I was noticing from the in-person and online feedback from attendees of the event, what was working well as well as a few recommendations for future years, and the aftermath of purchasing RSD leftovers online from various indie record stores.
Read More “Record Store Day Roundup: 2023 Edition”
Over the weekend, I was in attendance for the All Things Go Festival and specifically the “Creator Summit” that featured several key interviews of All Things Go artists like Bartees Strange, and Empress Of. I was able to record the full interview session of NPR’s Marissa Lorusso’s “Fireside Chat” with Bartees Strange, where he shared his unique story that led to his critical acclaim and commercial success. The event took place in the heart of Washington D.C., at the Eaton Hotel’s Beverly Snow Room.
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Recently, I teamed up with my fellow contributors to discuss the latest album from Billie Eilish, called Happier Than Ever. Much like other comparative articles like the one on the recent Modest Mouse record, I provided a template of questions for each of the writers to respond to. Here is our conversation on Happier Than Ever, which we have affectionately titled: The Metamorphosis of Billie Eilish: From Bedroom Pop to Global Phenomenon.
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When we last premiered a feature on Taylor Swift comparing both versions of Fearless, I was intrigued by the idea of working with my fellow contributors on a similar collaborative piece. Our next group topic takes a look at Olivia Rodrigo’s ultra-popular SOUR album. I asked Mary Varvaris and Zac Djamoos to join me in discussing key comparisons in Rodrigo’s sound to other modern artists, what worked well on the album, as well any missteps or areas for improvement in the young artist’s sound.
Read More “Do You Get Déjà Vu Listening To Olivia Rodrigo?”