Album art from Record Store Day 2023 special releases
Record Store Day 2023 is Saturday, and we have the details you need to find the special releases of your dreams. This year, 300 titles are set to appear exclusively at independent record stores. It’s been 15 years since the first Record Store Day in 2008, and it has become an annual tradition celebrating record culture and supporting mom-and-pop record stores across Music City and around the world.
Stores all over town have their own ways to celebrate. Starting out west, used entertainment giant McKay’s (636 Old Hickory Blvd.) will open at 9 a.m. with RSD exclusives and give away prints of their special Aubrey Beardsley-inspired RSD poster. While they won’t have exclusives, Alison’s Record Shop (994A Davidson Drive) will discount all records, and each purchase will come with a free Christmas record.
All three of The Great Escape’s Middle Tennessee locations — 5400 Charlotte Ave., 105 Gallatin Pike N. in Madison and 810 N.W. Broad St., Suite 202, in Murfreesboro — are celebrating Record Store Day. Each store will open early at 8 a.m., featuring RSD exclusives, giveaways and a special offer for each guest to choose five free items from a selection of sale records and CDs. The flagship Charlotte Avenue location will have a DJ spinning on site all day, and at 2 p.m., there will be a meet-and-greet and signing with Victoria Hallman of Hee Haw fame, who is releasing her LP From Birmingham to Bakersfield on RSD.
Venerable shop Phonoluxe (2609 Nolensville Pike) will be open their usual hours, starting at 10 a.m., with their usual large selection of used records — but no special offers for RSD this year. The website of Swaggie Records (211 Union St.) notes that the store is set to open an hour early at 9 a.m. for RSD, but no further information was available at press time.
The Vinyl Lab (1414 Third Ave. S.) and its companion venue and bar The Vinyl Lounge are not opening up early or offering special releases, but will host an after-party with The Wild Feathers, Tré Burt and more starting at 7 p.m. Per usual, the Nashville headquarters of Jack White’s Third Man Records (623 Seventh Ave. S.) won’t have RSD exclusives, but they will have a small in-store sale and copies of the 20th Anniversary Edition of The White Stripes’ classic Elephant that will be released on Friday. Also, country champ Emily Nenni and Banditos will play a regular ticketed show in The Blue Room that starts at 8 p.m.
Hopping over the Cumberland, The Groove (1103 Calvin Ave.) will host its annual RSD party in collaboration with Acme Radio Live. In addition to RSD exclusives for your browsing pleasure, live music starts at 11 a.m., with rock ’n’ pop bands like Future Crib and Jive Talk, much-loved East Side rapper Brian Brown, stellar singer Jamiah and more. HiFi Cookies, LabCanna and Braid Babes will be among the vendors on site, and proceeds from the festivities will support Oasis Center’s Just Us program, which provides resources for LGBTQ youth in Tennessee.
Grimey’s New and Preloved Music (1062 E. Trinity Lane) is set to open at 10 a.m. with a large selection of RSD exclusives in addition to their regular stock. WXNA DJs will spin in the store, where voter information nonprofit Headcount will have a booth. Secret Bodega will be on hand to serve hungry vinyl enthusiasts. Grimey’s main floor will be open for business as usual, while RSD exclusives will be offered out of the basement back door. If you’re looking for RSD titles, line up outside, where you’ll be presented with a menu to “order” from the exclusives currently available. It’s Chipotle, but for records!
Last but certainly not least, Vinyl Tap (1038 Greenwood Ave.) is going all-out for RSD. In addition to exclusives, they will have two performance stages set up for live music with a lineup including Erin Rae, William Tyler and the Impossible Truth, $avvy, Alanna Royale and more. Be Good Market is sponsoring food and drink vendors for RSD participants to enjoy, and family-friendly activities will be hosted by Cecil’s Skate Shop and Tabla Rasa Toys.
At Vinyl Tap on Record Store Day, 4/23/2022
So what can you expect to find among the racks? Many titles are special releases that will be available in only limited quantities on April 22 at indie stores; others are coming only to certain regions, while others still will be available from mom-and-pops first on RSD and be available later from other retailers. Delays in vinyl production and distribution have become increasingly common in recent years, for a whole host of reasons that include major labels monopolizing the limited capacity of vinyl pressing plants. In recent years, it hasn’t been uncommon for some RSD titles to have their releases delayed — check out the official RSD website for updates and the full list of releases.
Nashville’s own Americana power couple Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires are this year’s Record Store Day Ambassadors, following in the footsteps of Chuck D, Fred Armisen, Taylor Swift, Jack White, Brandi Carlile and others. Isbell and Shires have an “RSD First” joint release called The Sound Emporium EP, while Shires has her own exclusive title Live at Columbia Studio A. Somewhere between The Rolling Stones and *NSYNC lies The 1975, who will release Live With the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. If you’re interested in rare tracks and alternate versions, look for the Witness to Your Love EP from alt-rock legends Garbage and Crosseyed Strangers: An Alternate Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco. Special double LPs abound, including Stevie Nicks’ Bella Donna Live 1981, Orville Peck’s Bronco, Suzi Quatro’s Quatro and Taylor Swift’s Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.
Roots-and-rock ace Amythyst Kiah more your speed? Look for her Pensive Pop EP. Or maybe obscure psychedelia like the lone, self-titled LP from Tulsa, Okla.’s Marble Phrogg is up your alley? Perhaps Afro Cuban Bop, a compilation of jazz sax legend Charlie Parker’s live experiments, is what your collection is missing. There’s a little something for everyone. Whether it’s your first RSD or your 10th, be sure to get to your favorite shop early to avoid missing out — and keep an eye on stores’ social media for updates.
