Your Guide For Record Store Day 2012 in Portland

 The vinyl record obsessives among you have been thinking about this day all year long: socking away money in a special savings account that your significant other doesn't know about, working your elbowing techniques to keep that sorry bastard away from that MC5 7", and mapping out the best route between stores for your best chance at exclusive swag and special events. 

Wait no longer, dear friends, for tomorrow is RECORD STORE DAY 2012!!!!

Yes, the venerable holiday for music collectors like myself that is also there to celebrate the survival of the independent record store in a world when hard drives are getting more and more clogged with mp3s and teens consume all of their music via YouTube. 

The many record sellers here in our fair city have been spending a long time putting together some special events for the day, as well as clearing off precious shelf space for those many exclusive releases ready to hit the streets on 4/21. And, we are here to help you by letting you know just what these fine music purveyors have quite literally in store for you tomorrow. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin...

Everyday Music - Both locations in the Portland metro area are ready to toss out free compilations, t-shirts, and more, but each one has some awesome guests stopping by to either DJ or perform live. The downtown location (1313 W Burnside) kicks things off at 11am with a DJ set from members of The Thermals, followed by more record spinning at 1pm by the kids in Radiation City and live performances by The Lower 48 (2pm), John Heart Jackie (2:30pm), and Evan Way of the Parson Red Heads (3pm). The shop at 1931 NE Sandy Blvd. is bringing Steve Turner of Mudhoney in for a DJ set at noon, our own Nathan Carson will be spinning records at 4pm, and then YOB's Mike Scheidt will be performing an acoustic set at 5pm. Oh, and all the shops will be having a one-day sale as well - 10% off new CDs/vinyl; 20% of used stuff.

Jackpot Records - These shops are keeping things relatively low key for the day. The downtown shop (203 SW 9th Ave) will get Steve Turner to play records when the doors open at 10am, and Talkdemonic's Kevin O'Connor will take over the wheels of steel later on in the day. The location on 3574 SE Hawthorne boasts a Vinyl Clairvoyant that will "psychically deduce what free record you will be going home with" starting at 11am. 

Record Room - The little bar/vinyl + cassette shop that could on 8 NE Killingsworth has a big day ahead of them tomorrow, starting at 12pm with a performance by DJ Ted, followed by Nathan Baumgartner of And And And (1pm), Death Songs (2pm), Surfs Drugs (3:30pm), The Shivas (4:30pm), Orca Team (5:30pm), and Hooded Hags (6:30pm). They've also got DJs lined up through the day, including My Holy Shoes, DJ Hero Worship, DJ Listen Lady, and yours truly. I promise you, I'm not getting paid to spin records nor are they giving me any preferential treatment to get a hold of RSD releases (no matter how much I begged...). Did I mention they'll also have a taco truck parked outside the store? Oh...and they also have "Very Special Guests" listed on the schedule at 2:30pm...and I would tell you who it is, but I fear that all the people who excoriated me in the comments section of my less than glowing review of their recent album would cry foul. (That there is called a clue. Get cracking, Encyclopedia Brown.)

Beacon Sound - Another handsome little store in NE Portland (1465 NE Prescott, to be exact) has a trio of live performances on the books by Neal Morgan, Alina Hardin, and Tonality*Star. The shop opens at 11am; the music gets rolling at 3pm. 

Anthem Records - More NE Portland fun, this one on 4018 NE 28th Ave. The shop will have a sale on vinyl (20% off) and CDs (30% off) and quite a killer lineup of DJs: Monkeytek, Gulls, Samizdat, Carrier, and Aaron Meola. 

Music Millennium - The institution on 3158 E Burnside will likely have almost every piece of vinyl being released on RSD in hand tomorrow morning. But better than that are these fun little things they have lined up: Starting at 7am, everyone waiting in line at the shop will get free donuts and coffee. At 8am, they'll play Jack White's new solo disc Blunderbuss and give you a chance to win a test pressing of said LP. Free gift bags and coupon books will be on hand. And you can enter to win a Bruce Springsteen prize package that features CD and LP copies of the Boss's new album, and the Darkness on the Edge of Town box set. 

Platinum Records - One of the go-to shops in town for DJs and studio heads are keeping it simple on RSD 2012. They'll have some exclusive wax on sale, as well as knocking 50% off the cost of their used and backstock 12"s and LPs. Find them at 104 SW 2nd Ave. 

Did we miss anything? Leave a note in the comments with the details. We'll see you tomorrow in the trenches. 

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