Apr. 12th: Help celebrate Record Store Day in St. Louis

(Credit: Mary Ellen Matthews)

Jason Gonulsen
Special to Metromix

It's so easy these days to go on the Internet, click a few links and instantly be listening to a new album without leaving the house. I'm guilty of this—I think we all are. While it is convenient, it's not as rewarding as driving to your favorite record store, spending an hour or so in its surroundings and finding new music. This was one of my favorite things to do after graduating from college—whether or not I had the money. I loaded up many a credit card because of this obsession. I loved the feeling of buying three or four CDs, ripping them open in my car and just driving and listening to them while my gas tank emptied.

I'm also a collector of vinyl. I treasure album art; I think of all my favorite albums, and their covers are just as valuable to me as their songs. I cringe at thought of when cover art will be an afterthought, and all you will be able to do is download songs, load them onto your iPod and just listen. It bores the heck out of me.

This is why Record Store Day is important. It's a chance to rediscover being in a room surrounded by undiscovered artists in their jewel cases or album sleeves, waiting to be heard. So on Saturday, April 18, I urge you to log off of Facebook, forget your iTunes account and drive to your favorite record store. At least two of St. Louis' best will be celebrating with live music, and here are the details:

Euclid Records (601 East Lockwood) will be celebrating Record Store Day at 10:00 AM with live music, food and sidewalk sales. They have been given permission to close off part of Sutton (that runs alongside the store), and that's where the stage will be for the live tunes. You should be able to find some nice bargains on CDs and LPs all day long. Here is the live line-up, which features local heroes The Bottle Rockets, who will be closing out the day.

11:00 AM: Farshid Etniko

12:00 PM: Alley Ghost

1:00 PM: The Trip Daddys

2:00 PM: Grace Basement

3:00 PM: Bent

4:00 PM: Troubadour Dal

5:00 PM: Jason Ringenberg

6:00 PM: The Bottle Rockets

Immediately follwing The Bottle Rockets' set, the crowd on hand will be treated to a screening of Wilco's new DVD, 'Ashes of American Flags.' I've already had a chance to see the film, and it's a great glimpse of one of the best live bands going today. You're taken behind the scenes of the band's 2008 tour where they played venues like Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, Tipitina's in New Orleans and The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. If you were present for any of Wilco's three performances at The Pageant last May, this is a must-see and a must-own for your music collection. Of course, you'll be able to buy a copy on Record Store Day (instead of waiting until Tuesday), as Jeff Tweedy, a Belleville, Illinois native, is a big believer in keeping record stores alive. Here's what he told Billboard.com earlier this year:

"My introduction to a lot of great music and to the 'music business' came from hanging around and eventually working at independent record stores in Belleville, Ill., and St. Louis many years back," Tweedy said. "It's the life I know. Nothing beats browsing in your favorite store, listening to music, finding something new or old that you've been searching for, being ignored by the store clerks, all that. And without these stores, there's just no way Wilco would still be around. They've been with us from the very beginning, through thick and thin. Even if I wasn't in a band, I'd still support Record Store Day. It's a great thing and I'm glad we could do something special with them for our DVD."

Vintage Vinyl will also be honoring Record Store Day. The Delmar Loop's best place to purchase music will also have live music and free beer for those that come out. Their website mentions "local superstar DJs and celebrities appearing all day long inside the store and local musicians playing outside under the marquee," so expect some great times throughout the day.

Of course, Vintage Vinyl will have a great selection of music items to purchase, most of which will be special releases. You can find that full list here.

Live music trailer of the week:

Wilco's 'Ashes of American Flags.'