Crate Diggin’ | Record Store Day Drops

With the pandemic waning, and pockets full of stimulus cash, small businesses are busy trying to make up for more than a year’s worth of lost––or at least severely depressed––revenue. No surprise then that the summer of 2021 will play host to two Record Store Days (June 12 and July 17), the traditionally once-a-year infusion of vinyl rarities and reissues into independently owned record stores around the country.

If you’re thinking “People still buy vinyl?” The answer is yes. A lot of vinyl. In fact, in 2020 vinyl record sales outpaced CD sales for the first time since the 1980s, according to CNN. And in Northeast Florida new music retailers continue to pop up at a steady clip, with nearly a half-dozen shops currently operating in and around Jacksonville’s Urban Core.   

Record Store Day, meanwhile, has been to independently owned vinyl music stores what Black Friday is to big box retailers. 

With hundreds of reissues, previously unreleased live recordings, unique box sets and eclectic compilations on offer for June’s RSD drop, even the most fervent vinyl fiends are likely to be overwhelmed. So we reached out to a handful of local record store owners to find out what they’re rolling out and what they’re excited about. 

Yesterday and Today 

1522 Hendricks Ave | San Marco

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Formerly a weekend pop-up at the Beach Blvd. Flea Market, Yesterday and Today has a good selection of used rock, pop, soul and jazz records. They get new inventory pretty consistently and they have been the region’s longest-running participant of Record Store Day. Here’s a sample of what they’re offering up on RSD.  

Olympia Theatre, Paris, France 5/3/72, Grateful Dead 

Available for the first time on vinyl, this six-LP set is the complete OLYMPIA THEATRE, PARIS, FRANCE 5/3/72 show from the Grateful Dead’s legendary Europe ‘72 Tour. 180-Gram, Limited Edition of 10,000 worldwide.

Meteora, Linkin Park

The follow-up album to Linkin Park’s multi-platinum debut, Hybrid Theory, the double-LP-RSD version of Meteora is pressed on blue vinyl.

How It Feels To Be Lost (Deluxe), Sleeping With Sirens

The deluxe version of the band’s 2019 album includes four additional tracks. 

Wolfson Equipment and Records 

3801 University Blvd W #4 | San Jose 

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Located in a nondescript industrial park near the intersection of Powers Avenue and University Boulevard, Wolfson Equipment and Records is a crate digger’s dream. Though the store boasts 5,000 sq. ft. of records, CDs, cassettes, books and miscellaneous music ephemera (posters, flyers, tees, buttons, etc.), a few seemingly arbitrary RSD rules have kept Wolfson from (officially) participating in the event (something about not having windows). No bother, owner Ron Johnston says his store still draws an RSD crowd, simply by sticking to the store’s modus operandi; putting out hundreds, if not thousands of new arrivals each week. Of particular note, Johnston says his recent acquisitions include some eclectic collections––‘80s mopecore like the Smiths and The Cult on vinyl, a vast assortment of classic and rare soul albums on CD. A good bet on any given day, Wolfson is a must-see on RSD.

Tiger Records

875 Stockton St | Riverside

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Though it’s barely a year old, Riverside’s Tiger Records has played an integral role in Jacksonville’s vinyl revival. Shop-owner James Siboni may have a sweet spot for rare punk and HC seven-inch pressings, but he’s genre agnostic when he comes to Tiger’s offerings, flexing his vast musical knowledge to keep the bins stocked with a deftly curated mix of pop, indie, psych, hip-hop, world music and much more.

Tiger is not an official RSD participant, but Siboni says he’s got a bunch of tricks up his sleeve for June 12, including “common and popular pop, rock and jazz stuff” and a supremely rare butcher-cover pressing of The Beatles Yesterday and Today.  

Eraser Records

1026 Edgewood Ave | Murray Hill 

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Murray Hill shop Eraser Records will ring in two years in business much the same way it celebrated its grand opening: with live music, revelry and a ton of cool and rare vinyl on offer. In addition to welcoming local vendors for the Trash panda Flea Market, Co-owner Lauren Hamilton says Eraser will be putting out more than 300 official RSD releases. A few highlights below.

Brain Telephone, Frankie And The Witch Fingers 

NYC psych outfit Frankie & The Witch Fingers latest from Brooklyn’s Greenway Records. 

The Pleasure’s All Yours: Pleased to Meet Me Outtakes & Alternates, The Replacements

A collection of material from the critically acclaimed fifth studio album Pleased to Meet Me by fervently beloved alt-rock pioneers The Replacements. 

Chromatica, Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga’s sixth studio album on exclusive translucent yellow vinyl, with a 28 page book, collectible zine. “People have been calling nonstop about this album,” says Eraser’s Hamilton. “Yes. We will have it.”