3CR’s Guide to Record Store Day 2019 in Chicago and Beyond

While it's a little earlier in the month than vinyl fans are accustomed, Record Store Day is this weekend, April 13! The worldwide event usually takes place on the third Saturday in April, but was moved up due to the holiday next weekend. RSD brings record store staff, customers, and artists together for a sizable list of exclusive releases, giveaways, and in store performances to celebrate the music community. This is the 12th Record Store Day and continues on its path of providing record aficionados with rare items to get their hands on. Now, it's fair to say that as the years have gone by, the criticisms of the day have piled up: from costly vinyl, records that doesn't necessarily need to be repressed, flippers picking up all the rarest goodies to resell at even more ridiculous prices and more. It's the same every year and because of that I implore you to look at the positives of RSD. Go out and celebrate the music community, the sounds they create, and the round slabs of wax the sounds are pressed on. While you're lined up waiting to pick out your vinyl grails (and hopefully a few regular LPs to support these great shops), strike up a conversation with the people around you and start developing that sense of community that the vinyl scene needs to survive! Listed below are some of the great stores that will be joining the Record Store Day fun on Saturday, April 13. The first batch are shops and venues that are celebrating the vinyl holiday in their own way. You may not find all the exclusive Record Store Day releases, but you will undoubtedly have a great time! The second grouping of stores are the officially pledged shops that will be raising their RSD flag high, divided between shops in Chicago and those outside the city limits! Check out some great bands and DJs, have a few drinks, and of course pick up some vinyl! We will be updating the list throughout the week as new stores officially announce their plans or update their already fantastic events. You can see the almost full list of Illinois stores at the RSD website.

RSD ADJACENT: Chicago & Beyond!

Audiophil - 17 East VanBuren St, Suite 17E, Joliet - 815-319-2143 Celebrate Audiophil's first Record Store Day from noon to 8pm with some live music from Joliet's own The Secret Lives, Dan Dougherty, and John Condron! There will be beer on site from Joliet Brewers Guild and they will also be drawing a winner from their stereo raffle (tickets are $1 to enter and all money collected will be donated to the Joliet School's District 86 Band)! Check out their event page for more details! Bob's Blues & Jazz Mart- 3419 W Irving Park Road - 773-539-5002 Jazz and Blues will be celebrated at Bob's Blues & Jazz Mart during their regular hours: 10:30am to 6:30pm! The party will raise the stakes at 1pm as The Smiley Tillmon Band feat. Kate Moss will be performing and refreshments will be served! Get there early to get a spot for the free show! Bloodshot Records - 3039 W Irving Park Road - @BSHQ This year Bloodshot's Chicago HQ storefront pop-up shop will be open between noon and 5pm to act as an oasis in the RSD chaos! This will be the spot to relax and enjoy some refreshments and maybe even some snacks in-between your RSD stops. Bloodshot will have some unique items including test pressings, signed items, out-of-print albums, their regular releases, and more. Plus 20% off all Bloodshot music and merch! So sit back and enjoy some Dark Matter Coffee, hydration from Waterloo Sparkling Water, and pizza from Tano's Pizzeria after all the RSD madness. Cambridge Audio - 1913 North Milwaukee Ave. - 312-636-4817 - @WeAreCAUSA Party with Cambridge Audio on Record Store Day and enter for a chance to win one of four curated vinyl selections (one raffle entry per person, two if you RSVP online)! You'll also be able to crate dig for some special records,  enjoy some complimentary beverages and listen to some records on the World's First aptX HD Turntable: Alva TT! Delilah's - 2771 N Lincoln Ave. - 773- 472-2771 - @delilahschicago Finish up your Record Store Day shopping from 4 to 7pm with some Dogfish Head's Record Store Day After Party upstairs at Delilah's! Collect an RSD pint glass, enter for a chance to win a custom Dogfish Head Crosley Record Player, custom Dogfish Head/Grateful Dead Records & more! Dorian's - 1939 W. North - 773-687-9824 Dorian's will be celebrating with their own "Through the Record Shop Day" from 11:00am tp 3:00pm, selling records with a nice gathering of independent dealers throughout their inventive and interesting space! Some of the vendors include International Anthem, Numero Group, and many more! Enjoy some drinks while you peruse the vinyl offerings! House of Vans - 113 N Elizabeth St. - 312-733-5270 House of Vans will be hosting a special showing of the Industrial Accident: The Story Of Wax Trax! Records documentary, a Q&A, and a fantastic show with Ministry and Cold Cave! VIP tickets (which get you into the screening of the documentary, the Q&A, and the show) are only available with the purchase of the Wax Trax! soundtrack at Beverly Records, Shuga Records, Laurie's Planet Of Sound, Dusty Groove, Reckless Records, and Dave's Records! There will also be limited GA tickets (available here on April 13) that get you into the concert portion of the night with Ministry and Cold Cave! Check out their event page for more details! Numero Group Pop Up @ Comfort Station - 2579 N Milwaukee Ave - @numerogroup Numero Group will be continuing their Record Store Day tradition by taking over Logan Square’s Comfort Station for a pop-up shop for the 9th year! Starting at 10am, the amazing record label will be selling records from their catalog and some rarities and oddities that likely won't be sold again! Highly recommend the Escape From Synth City collection! Honestly, this is a great way to diversify your collection with some lost and hidden gems. Shady Rest Vintage & Vinyl - 1659 S. Throop - 872-444-6488 This awesome little shop on the corner of Throop and 18th St. will be joining the RSD celebration from 10am to 8pm with some guest vendors, $2 budget records and tons of discounts including 15% off audio gear, books, home goods, and more! Plus, a different music genre will be discounted 25% every hour throughout the day! Enjoy giveaways from Reverb LP, beer from 5 Rabbit Cervecería and 805 Beer, and  DJs throughout the day:
  • 10:00am - NUNYA BIDNESS
  • 11:00am - Darren Reggae
  • 11:45am - Quinn Cunningham, Funk Trunk Records
  • 12:30pm - Uncle_EL
  • 1:15pm - Martin Crudo
  • 2:45pm - TEWZ
  • 3:30pm - DJ TREW
  • 4:15pm - Dj kou - CircusDJs
  • 5:00pm - David Tropicalazo!
  • 5:45pm - Jm: JJ JELLYBEAN
  • 6:30pm - MOOSE (Moises Hernandez)
  • 7:15pm - 8pm: DJ DEEZ
Tack Room - 107 S Allport St. - @tackroom Tack Room will be collaborating with Dogfish Head and their neighbors 606 Records for a fun day of live bands, DJ sets, and excellent giveaways! Wild Praire Vinyl & Vintage- 1109 N. Western Ave - 773-580-7946 Wild Praire will be open from 10am to 8pm for RSD and will be putting out several large collections they've been acquiring specifically for this day! THey will also be opening up their decks to the public 'til 6pm! Just email or message them through Instagram @shopwildprairie if you wanna jump on the turntables for a half hour set, and they'll put you on the roster. The O'My's kick off the after party with a live performance at 6pm - followed by Tone B. Nimble (Tony Fields) & Dylan from Tambourine Party Records playing tunes to get the dance party goin!

RSD PLEDGED STORES : Chicago

606 Records - 1808 S. Allport - 312-585-6108 - @606records 606 Records will open at 10am and will celebrate the day with DJ sets all day long! there will be plenty of exclusive RSD records, free Dark Matter Coffee, giveaways and more! A portion of their proceeds will go to Threewalls, a Chicago-based non-profit prominent in the visual arts community. 606 Records will also be collaborating with Tack Room & Dogfish Head (as noted in the RSD alternatives) directly across the street for additional giveaways and live music! DJ sets include: Audio Archaeology - 1324 W Devon Ave. - 773-856-3472 Audio Archaeology will be open from 8am to 8pm for RSD goodness. Marc 'Moose' Moder will be spinning from noon to 4pm. There will also be sale prices throughout the store and door prizes! Beverly Records - 11612 S. Western Ave. - 773-779-0066 - @BeverlyRecords Beverly Records will be enjoying RSD as usual with some great exclusive releases and will be the last chance to pick up this awesome tee (if they have any left that is)! The t-shirts will be 9.99 on RSD or free with $100 purchase! Bric-A-Brac Records & Collectibles - 3156 W Diversey Ave - 773-654-3915 - @bricabracrcords Bric-A-Brac will start things up at 8am to take part in the consumer frenzy! In addition to the RSD records Bric-A-Brac will have mystery bags and some tasty treats like donuts & Halfwit Coffee to help with the wait in line. DJs will kick the music off at 11am and then the live bands will be playing all afternoon as usual starting at 1pm. DJs and bands will include: Lost Lake DJ schedule:
  • 11:00am-12:30pm - Marlowe Baca (Sonorama Chicago)
  • 12:30pm-2pm  - Jessie Oleson (Choral Reefr)
  • 6:30pm-8pm - 45s on 33 DJs (Steve & Stacey)
  • 8pm-9:30pm - Tim Kinsella & Jenny Pulse (Good Fuck)
Band schedule: Bucket O' Blood Books and Records - 3182 N Elston Ave. - 312.890.3860 - @bucketoblood Bucket O' Blood, which will open at 9am, usually turns their RSD into an awesome themed party and this year is no different. This year they'll be TAILGATING the event, so bust out the pom poms and body paint!  The party kick-off will commence at noon with DJ Chuck Wren, food and a very special beer! Metropolitan Brewing and Bullet Proof BBQ will be on hand helping push the whole event over the goal line! And don't forget these awesome t-shirts! Dave's Records - 2604 N. Clark St. - 773-929-6325 - @davesrecordschi Dave's will open up around 9am, but he occasionally opens up much earlier than the usual announced time, making for a nice long line. In previous years, the first people in line arrived at 10pm the evening before RSD. So arrive early, get one of the exclusive posters that the store gets made for RSD, enjoy the 50% off used records and non RSD 45s (old & new), and don't forget Dave's rules for RSD 2019! In addition to the day of festivities, Dave's Rcords will have special sales every day leading up to RSD, so stop in and see what today's deal is! Dusty Groove Records - 1120 N. Ashland Ave. - 773-342-5800 - @DustyGroove Dusty Groove's Record Store Day will run from 8am to 9pm and feature some magic in the afternoon, giveaways, refreshments and a chance to spin the wheel of fortune with every purchase. They will also have live magic in the early afternoon! Gramaphone Records - 2843 N. Clark St. - 773-472-3683 @gramaphonechi Gramaphone will be celebrating vinyl with local labels, artists, and more starting at noon.  They will be putting out a LARGE collection of house and techno from a local Chicago legend in additon to all the Record Store Day releases. There will also be a very special holy grail record priced at $1 hidden in the store - first one to find it takes it home. Details to follow on their event page. Oh, and of course DJ will be setting the mood throughout the day! Groovin' High - 1047 W. Belmont Ave. - 773-476-6846 Groovin' High doesn't have the most consistent schedule throughout the year, but the one time of year that you can count on Groovin' High being open is on Record Store Day, so don't miss out on this pretty great shop. Seriously, dig through their stacks and you'll find some great rarities. Laurie's Planet of Sound - 4639 N. Lincoln Ave. - 773-271-3569 - @lauriespos Laurie's Planet of Sound will get their RSD started at 9am and will have a full schedule of musical performers.
  • 11:00am Lou (current employee & WNUR DJ)
  • 12:00pm Melissa "DJ Tainted Love" (former employee/BLVD Records/Logan Arcade)
  • 1:00pm Samorama (current employee & Late Bar resident)
  • 2:00pm John Laurie (his name is literally on the store)
  • 3:00pm Alex White (former employee & current rocker)
  • 4:00pm LIVE MUSIC from Pete Cautious featuring current employee Paul!
  • 5:00pm Paul (current employee/Pete Cautious/WZRD/Minivan)
  • 6:00pm Chuck Wren (Jump Up! Records)
  • 7:00pm -9:00pm employees Tim, Tom & Matt (The Curls) in a rap battle, or probably just taking turns DJing.
No Requests - 3358 N Karlov Ave. - (312) 544-9804 - @n0_requests No Requests, Feeltrip Record's recently opened brick and mortar shop, will be taking part in the RSD festivities from 9am to 7pm! They'll have select Record Store Day 2019 titles, coffee by Four Letter Word and some Rxbars to help keep your energy up, Feeltrip Records giveaways and raffles (including posters, records, tapes, concert tix, +more) and DJ sets starting at noon and going on throughout the day! Arrive early and you'll be able to pick up some used records 10% off from 9am-12pm and maybe even get some stuff signed by Paul Cherry himself from 11am to noon! DJ sets include: Pinwheel Records - 1722 W. 18th St. - 312-888-9629 - @PinwheelRecords Pinwheel Records will open their doors at 9am for their fourth RSD and it will be a big one with plenty of vinyl, coffee from Intersect Coffee, donuts from Panaderia El Acambaro, awesome baked goods from Scott's mom, and a mind blowing lineup of live music all day long! Music starts at 2pm! Keep an eye on their event page for updates! Rattleback Records - 5405 N Clark Street - 773-944-0188 - Rattleback Records have partnered with CMBG - Cescas Margarita Bar & Grill to help celebrate RSD from 10am to 7pm. In addition to all the great records, raffles, and giveaways at the shop, Rattleback Records will have a DJ at Cescas' back patio where they'll be spinning music all day. Show Cescas your RSD Rattleback Records receipt and get 15% off your meal! Reckless Records Loop - 26 E. Madison - 312-795-0878 - @RecklessRecords The downtown location will open its doors from 10:00am - 8:00pm for all your RSD vinyl needs! Reckless Records Wicker Park- 1379 N Milwaukee Ave. - 773-235-372 - @RecklessRecords Reckless' Wicker Park spot will be open from 10:00am -10:00pm. There will also be in-store performances from Negative Scanner and Fire-Toolz in the afternoon! Reckless Records Lakeview - 929 W Belmont - 773-404-5080 - @RecklessRecords The newest location of Reckless Records will be ready for the RSD masses from 10:00am -10:00pm. They'll also be celebrating with in-store performances from Arthhur and DJ Clent in the afternoon! Record Breakers - 2935 N. Milwaukee Ave. - (773) 698-8387 - @recordbrckrsCHI RSD at Record Breakers will be begin at 9am with tons of vinyl! Then a little later at 11am, the live music will start up and One Trick Pony Brewery will be on hand with some free beer for those of you 21+! There will also be limited freebies, raffle prizes and free coffee! Pets are welcome and be sure to say hi to Humphrey the Turtle while you're here! Shuga Records - 1272 N. Milwaukee Ave. - @Shuga_Records Opening at 8am, Shuga will be getting down with RSD the best way they know how! There will be some free coffee from Dark Matter Coffee, free doughnuts, giveaways from Lagunitas Brewing Co + Emporium Arcade Bar Venue, and a nice lineup of live music. Oh, and plenty of RSD titles for you to buy! Live Instore performances include

RSD PLEDGED STORES: Beyond Chicago

4ASongVinyl - 1045 Burlington Avenue Suite 6, Lisle - 630-442-7985 4ASongVinyl will be handing out numbered wristbands at 6am to keep the line fair when they start selling RSD exclusives at 10am! From 9am-11am you'll have a chance to enjoy some bagels and Beatles, hosted by Marq on Main and Caffe di Moda! Check out everything they have planned (including crate giveaways) on their website ! Algonquin Records - 532 E Algonquin Rd, Des Plaines - (847) 827-0673 Algonquin Records will open their doors to the RSD crowd at 10:30am. They'll have a five-item limit, one of each title per customer! Blue Village Vinyl - 309 W. Ogden Ave. Westmont - 630-963-1957 Blue Village Vinyl will celebrate with a store-wide 10% off sale as soon as their doors open at 10am, live music from Michael McInerney & The Vaughn Building, and a book signing by Mitch Michaels! Cheap Kiss Records - 22 S. Villa Ave. Villa Park - 847-414-9765 Cheap Kiss Records will open up at 9am for your RSD needs! They will have a 10% off deal on all used records and fun giveaways (posters, pins, bags)! Mile Long Records - 350 W. Front Street, Wheaton - 630-474-4954 - @mile_long Mile Long Records will be opening its doors to the Record Store Day masses at 9am! Oak Park Records - 179 S Oak Park Ave., Oak Park - 708-524-2880 While Oak Park Records will have a limited amount of RSD records, their specialty over the years has become the amount of great used product that they put out just for record store day. Doors will be open 10am-7m with tons of discounts! All used CDs & LPs will be 20% off and new LPs will be 10% off. Single movie DVD & Blu-Rays 45rpms, cassettes, and budget LPs will be 50% off! budget CDs for .25c, over 1000 LPs in our 5 for $1 section. They’ll have their famous homemade chocolate chip cookies on hand! They’re huge and they’re free! The Old School Record Store - 7446 Madison St, Forest Park - 708-366-7588 The Old School Record Store opens at 10am for all your RSD needs with limited freebies given away to the first number of customers. DJ K-Blaze will be spinning tunes from 1pm to 3:00pm! Purple Dog Records - 329 N Center St., Naperville  - @PurpleDogRecord Purple Dog Records will be opening at 10am to celebrate RSD! You can check out the list of titles they'll have in stock here! Raffe’s Record Riot – 701 Devon Ave. Park Ridge  – 847-518-5330 – @RaffesRecrdRiot Raffe’s Record Riot will open up at 8am with plenty of RSD exclusives in their new location! Record Wonderland - 737 E. Nerge Road, Roselle - 847-306-1290 - @recordwonder Record Wonderland will open at 8am with all their RSD exclusives and surprises in tow! They'll also have 20% off their used media! Rediscover Records - 9 S. Spring Street, Elgin - 847-961-8445 Rediscover Records will open bright and early at 8am for RSD! They will be providing complimentary RSD swag (while supplies last), sodas, water, coffee, and snacks! The Oddball Art Labs Mobile Art Lab will be in the shop all through April to help celebrate RSD with their wonderful Art Blocks! Rolling Stones Music - 7300 W Irving Park Rd, Norridge - 708-456-0861 Rolling Stones Music will be stocking exclusive RSD product, have some giveaway items that are free with purchase and discounted vinyl as well. Store opens at 9am and closes at 10pm! Scratched Vinyl - 119 Barrington Commons Court, Barrington - 847-809-5820 Scratched Vinyl will be opening their doors for some RSD goodies at 9am! Siren Records - 3902 Main St., McHenry - 815-347-8363 Siren records will open their doors to the RSD faithful at 8am! They will have plenty of RSD records as well as amazing swag bags from their friends at Concord Records! Squeezebox Books and Music - 1235 Chicago Ave., Evanston - 847-943-9309 Squeezebox will be opening at 10am with plenty of RSD titles on hand and giveaways like SPACE show tickets! There will be a sale from Friday to Sunday (4/12 – 4/14) with 20% off new and used vinyl/CDs. The discount only applies to non-RSD titles. And they'll have live musci throughout the day: Val's Halla Records - 239 Harrison St, Oak Park - 708-524-1004 - @ValshallaRecord Val's Halla Records will open at 9am with a day full of vinyl, storewide sales, free donuts and coffee while they last, and great in-store performances. Check out the lineup below! Vintage Vinyl - 925 Davis St., Evanston - 847-328-2899 - @VVMOEvanston Vintage Vinyl will open up their shop at 11am for all your RSD needs! White Wolf Sonic Princess will be playing outside starting at 10:45am!
Check back here for updates and new events as they are announced throughout the week!
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Julian Ramirez