​LOCAL SHOPS PUT THEIR OWN SPIN ON RECORD STORE DAY

Whether you’re looking for limited pressings of vinyl records or a chance to snatch up some oldies at discount prices, you’re bound to find unique experiences at each local record store as they celebrate Record Store Day 2016.

“It’s a really great thing for drawing attention to local record stores,” says Aaron Swinkels, who has much to celebrate this year since his store Junk Giant recently moved downtown with the former location becoming Vinyl Giant.

Instead of selling a variety of antiques like its sister store, Vinyl Giant focuses strictly on new and used records and old stereo equipment. For Record Store Day, they’re offering 20 percent off used vinyl and with the purchase of any album, a chance to be entered to win a prize.

The grand prize is one free new album and one free used album while the second prize is the 40th anniversary reissue of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” In addition to discounts, Vinyl Giant will have food, free drinks and live music on a trailer stage in front of the store. The store will open at 8 a.m.

Shannon Grindberg , who has been running Phat Kat Antiques & Vintage Vinyl since 2010, will open shop at 10 a.m. and for the first time ever will be opening up the back room to the public and bringing out 1000s of more records plus around 20,000 45s, autographed music memorabilia and door prizes. Most items will be 25 percent off.

“We don’t do the store stuff,” Grindberg says. “We do something totally different.” This difference includes exclusive memorabilia from the start of Fargo music, such as posters and signatures from the late 50s and early 60s. His collection includes concert posters from The Danes, The Barbarians and of course, Bob Dylan.

For those looking for Record Store Day exclusives, both Orange Records and Mother’s in Moorhead will be participating.

Radio Free Fargo will be selling merchandise outside of Orange Records for about an hour before the shop’s early opening time of 9 a.m. Raffle tickets will be sold for a chance to win a Sansui turntable with the proceeds benefiting KRFF 95.9.

For discounts, the shop will give 20 percent off used vinyl and CDs. Local record label Black Ring Rituals will have an Orange Records exclusive cassette, featuring tracks by Fargo noise bands. Images of the records they’ll be carrying can be found on their Facebook page before Saturday.

Mother’s will celebrate the holiday with a 9 a.m. opening. Fargo-Moorhead’s oldest record shop will feature storewide sales, drawings, door prizes and live bands. The concert begins at 1:30 p.m. with ClimbaXe, Anomic and A Dying Tide performing before former “The Voice” contestant Blind Joe hits the stage at 3 p.m. A list of their Record Store Day releases can be found on their Facebook page.

Since 2008, Record Store Day has been celebrating independent records stores across the globe and how much they contribute to their communities. Every year, record labels put out limited edition records to be sold on the third Saturday of April. This often includes reissues of albums that have been out of print for years and content that’s exclusive to records. Last year, around 60 percent of releases were from independent labels.

Among the lineup this year are releases from Johnny Cash, The Flaming Lips, David Bowie and a Bob Dylan 7-inch disc with songs from his forthcoming album “Melancholy Mood.”

A Record Store Day Ambassador is chosen each year with Metallica claiming the title for 2016. As a Record Store Day exclusive they’ll be releasing a live CD from a performance in Paris on June 11, 2003. The proceeds will be donated to Fondation de France’s Give for France charity.

YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Record Store day is Saturday April 16