[Record Store Day 2015] Fun Things To Talk About With Strangers While You're In Line Waiting to buy Records

Davie Grohl says buying records on Record Store Day is serious business. I guess it is these days, huh? 

I'm not sure what Record Store Day is like anywhere other than in NYC, but here it's nuts. My fondest RSD memory was back in 2011 when I rolled up to Sound Fix (RIP) at 8am and stood in line with Alex and Sami from CoS for 2 hours until the store opened. It was a brutal 2 hours because the night prior Sprout and I had gone out with Fitts from The Kickdrums and had more Jameson than people who needed to get up early (or be alive for that matter) should every drink. Even still, despite the worst hangovers of our lifetimes (it is now the one we have compared every other hangover to ever since) it's hard not to think fondly of the moments where we were gushing about the releases we were hoping to get, the Sound Fix folks bringing coffee and pastries for all of us waiting in line, and the overall sense of community that is felt on this and every Record Store Day since.

Record Store Day is a my favorite day to celebrate my favorite thing with my closest friends. Unfortunately, not everyone has a built in posse to roll up to those long RSD lines. You may heading out to RSD solo. Even if you're not, this is a rare opportunity that comes once a year to meet a chunk of people all at once that have presumably the same interests as you, so instead of burying your face in your phone, take advantage of the situation and strike up a conversation!

First impressions are important and we want everyone to know how you're some kind of awesome, so here are some fun things Sprout and I will hopefully be discussing with strangers outside of Rough Trade tomorrow:

• Phonograph records were originally pressed onto shellac! However during World War II the United States declared that shellac was a strategic material for the war and due to scarcity records started being pressed into vinyl, which is what is still used today. (Yale)
• Some folks in the universe claim that the best way to clean your records is by using wood glue and a credit card:

Warning: this guy does not feel the same about this method:  

• Trying to put a price tag on music is complicated as hell, honestly. The history of it is pretty fascinating though. (Pitchfork)
• The first thing ever recorded was Ben Franklin singing/shouting Mary Had A Little Lamb and it was recorded onto a tin cylinder. (LiveScience)

PS this is what it sounded like:

If that tickled your fancy, this guy shows how Edison did the recording on the cylinders that they recorded to at the time:

• The most expensive record player as far as I've been able to hunt down is a whopping $300,000. It's called the Goldmund Reference II and it's a high-precision turntable with level calibration to less than 1/100th of a millimeter and its stylus, pivot and counterweight perfectly aligned for optimal dynamic balance. There's also three teflon tubes that prevent vibration of the wires as they carry signal from the turntable, amongst various other ultra fancy features. There are currently only 25 of them in the world because they only make 5 of them a year, so this is as limited edition as one can get. (Most Expensive, Music Stack, DJOYBEAT)

• Are you for rocktism or are you more of a poptimist? Or are you just chill like us?  

• So, this is awkward, but is Record Store Day even good for the small independent stores that participate? (The Guardian)

• I mean, you could probably debate/diss on Tidal for at least 2 hours. There's so much to discuss! Like how exclusivity like that can be detrimental to charting positions on Billboard, pretty much every artist other than the #TIDAL16 are like, "uh lol this is so dumb", but maybe doing things like featuring indie artists is a saving grace? (Probably not considering their CEO just stepped down and there are already layoffs.)  Also WHAT ABOUT US FANS HUH #TIDAL16!?!? p.s. That "declaration" that Madonna mounted the table to sign is soo zzzzzz. 

• There's lots of legislation in the works at the moment to try to make the music industry a better place! They're considering amending the consent decrees for performance rights organizations ASCAP and BMI, some folks are hoping to overhaul the copyright law, there's a bill up for review right now that's trying to make sure mixers, producers, and engineers make money off via royalties, and there's a radio royalty bill up for debate that would make terrestrial radio finally pay for public performances (aka radio play) for music (this currently isn't the case, btw). 

• Uh, who among you are going to buy these limited edition releases and then NOT EVER LISTEN TO IT LIKE A CRAZY PERSON? A surprising 15%, apparently. (What HiFi?)

If you haven't made your list and checked it twice you need to do so because being unprepared can result in heartbreak so check out the Official List of Record Store Day Special Releases. There are lots of things going on tomorrow in celebration of the happiest day of the year so maybe see what your local store is doing. There's a TON of stuff going on in NYC that you should check out if you're in the area. 

Don't forget to be VERY POLITE to the people working at your record store tomorrow because there is no doubt that they will be stressed out of their minds by the swarms of people coming out. Obviously be nice to your fellow shoppers, too. Some of us are short and can't reach the overhead shelves so offer to help out if you see someone struggling (Sprout was my savior last year with this). Who knows, maybe all these sweet tips will land you a record store bae (sorry, I had to).

And if you're going out for Record Store Day so you can buy a bunch of the ultra limited runs so you can put them up on eBay, please comment below so I can find you and slap you. 

 

[Watch] Foo Fighters Live at Reading Festival 2012 (Full Set)

It's Monday, I'm tired and it's my Birthday. With that in mind I fancied giving you all a little gift instead of just opening them all up for myself. I can be nice like that sometimes... Foo Fighters may have just announced a little break and Dave Grohl is keeping himself busy with the Sound City Documentary but last year Dave, Taylor, Chris, Pat and Nate played pretty much every festival and arena imaginable, finishing up with sets at Leeds and Reading festival at the end of August in the UK. I was lucky enough to witness the Leeds set which will remain up there with one of my all time favorite shows. Ever. Foos were made for shows like this and they have a way of involving everyone in the crowd from the kids on the barrier to the people climbing on top of bins in the back for a better view. It's festival rock at its finest. Over the weekend though I stumbled upon this video of their entire Reading set whilst in a drunken birthday stupor. 

Clocking in at over 2 hours long it features all of the usual hits and on stage shenanigans from the band along with plenty of crowd participation, not that Dave and his lungs need it. Take some time out of your day and enjoy the show. Happy birthday to me, huh. 

[Watch] Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic & Pat Smear Perform "Cut Me Some Slack" Live

Unless you were living under a big fat f'in rock yesterday you probably witnessed the internet explode at the prospect of a "Nirvana reunion" featuring Paul McCartney. Well it kind of did happen and didn't tarnish Nirvana in any way. I wouldn't exactly call it a reunion though, just an all star cast of musicians rocking out in a live setting. Paul is on stage and describes being invited to a "Jam session" and that's exactly what I'd call it. Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic along with Pat Smear joined McCartney on stage at the all-star 12.12.12 Concert for Sandy Relief and performed a track they've titled "Cut Me Some Slack" live for the first time ever. Just watch it and hit play above. Pretty fucking cool if you ask me, I could watch Dave smash a kit all day.

[News] Dave Grohl Confirms Foo Fighters Hiatus

Over the weekend there was a lot of speculation that lengendary rockers Foo Fighters were on the verge of a breakup. It was all based on a comment he made in passing while perfroming in front of thousands of fans in Central Park for the Global Citizen Festival that had the internet clamoring for clarification. Today front man Davie Grohl finally took to the internet to set the record straight:

"Hey everyone...

Dave here. Just wanted to write and thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for another incredible year. (Our 18th, to be exact!) We truly never could have done any of this without you...

Never in my wildest dreams did I think Foo Fighters would make it this far. I never thought we COULD make it this far, to be honest. There were times when I didn't think the band would survive. There were times when I wanted to give up. But... I can't give up this band. And I never will. Because it's not just a band to me. It's my life. It's my family. It's my world.

Yes... I was serious. I'm not sure when the Foo Fighters are going to play again. It feels strange to say that, but it's a good thing for all of us to go away for a while. It's one of the reasons we're still here. Make sense? I never want to NOT be in this band. So, sometimes it's good to just... put it back in the garage for a while...

But, no gold watches or vacations just yet... I'll be focusing all of my energy on finishing up my Sound City documentary film and album for worldwide release in the very near future. A year in the making, it could be the biggest, most important project I've ever worked on. Get ready... it's coming.

Me, Taylor, Nate, Pat, Chris, and Rami... I'm sure we'll all see you out there... somewhere...

Thank you, thank you, thank you...
Dave"

And there you have it. I'm honestly not shocked that they're going to take a break. They all have their wives, babies, and other projects to tend to. I'm just REALLY glad that I managed to snag tickets at the last minute and be there for what may be the last Foo Fighters show evar.

[Watch] Mick Jagger, Foo Fighters & Arcade Fire Visit SNL

As we reported last week, Saturday Night Live broadcast the Finale of its current season this past weekend and the guests were pretty damn noteworthy! Mick Jagger presented and was joined by Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire and Jeff Beck. If like me you live in the UK and missed the broadcast don't fret as The Audio Perv managed to catch all the action so we can re-live it today. First up at the top you can see Mick perform "The Last Time" with Arcade Fire and Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes. 

After the jump we have a host of videos to keep you entertained and wipe away the Monday Blues. Following Arcade Fire is hard but if anyone can do it you'd have to choose Foo Fighters to do it, right? They performed a medley of "19th Nervous Breakdown and "It’s Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)". 

Next up was Mick and the talented Mr. Jeff Beck who debuted a new blues inspired track from the Rolling Stones man.

The final part of SNL's Finale was a little bit of a bummer as after 7 years on the show it appears Kristen Wiig is leaving the cast.  Arcade Fire and the house band performed "She’s Like A Rainbow" and "Ruby Tuesday" whilst Kristen and the cast members all looked a little emotional. 

[Watch] Preview Promo for SNL Finale Featuring Mick Jagger, Foo Fighters & Arcade Fire

The clue's in the title for this one. Tomorrow Mick Jagger hosts the season finale of Saturday Night Live and will be joined by guests Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire and Jeff Beck. Peep the little teaser promo video at the top. Make sure you cancel any plans you have tomorrow evening! (Via CoS) 

[News] Foo Fighters and Arcade Fire to Join Mick Jagger on SNL

What are your plans for a week today? Well, ok, I should specify that it's next Saturday evening? Whatever it is cancel it for Mick Jagger is hosting and performing on Saturday Night Live's season finale, May 19th. Not only that but now reports are coming in along with tweets that his backing band will consist of not one but two Grammy award winning bands: Foo Fighters AND Arcade Fire. So that important meal you had planned with the family, cancel it.

[Listen] Unreleased Foo Fighters 'Million Dollar Demo' Tracks

The recording of Foo Fighters' fourth studio LP One by One was uneasy to say the least, as the band nearly broke up, tumroil ensued, and the band eventaully scrapped their entire first recording—now dubbed the Million Dollar Demo. The second recording of the album is what we heard with the 2002 release, but the entirety of the first recording was scrapped. Now, as pointed out by Grunge Release, rough recordings of the demo tracks have made their way online, including two full recordings of "Have It All" and "Come Back." You can stream both unreleased tracks after the jump.

"Have It All":

"Come Back":