Record Store Day gets heavy play in NW Philadelphia

When Main Street Music owner Pat Feeney celebrated the first National Record Store Day in 2008, his business ordered a mere 10 limited edition vinyls for the event. Five years later, he’s up to 400 collectible vinyls pre-ordered for the special day.

This year’s National Record Store Day is on Saturday, April 21. Manayunk’s Main Street Music and Chestnut Hill’s Hideaway Music will be participating in the event. 

“Last year it was raining sideways, and we still had 40 people standing outside,” Feeney says. “And this year we’re expecting to have twice as much.”Feeney says some of the limited edition records he has ordered for Saturday include releases by Wilco, the Flaming Lips and Ryan Adams. Customers who spend more than $75 will receive a free sample CD featuring selections from the new batch of vinyls. And there will be plenty of live music to enjoy while perusing through the selection, with seven bands scheduled to perform live in the store beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday. 24-year-old Manayunk resident Stephen Lorek, who plays bass and sings for the band Shark Tape, will perform right down the street from his home at Main Street Music on Saturday. Lorek grew up overhearing records by the Beatles, Electric Light Orchestra and Tom Petty on his father’s turntable. More recently, Lorek says albums like Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Ocean Rain” continue to influence him as a musician, and the vinyl format seems to be the most savory format for auditory indulgence. “The sound quality can’t be beat. There’s nothing like turning the lights off, and letting the record takeyou places, like a movie,” Lorek says.45-year-old songwriter Scot Sax, of Ardmore, recalls walking to school with David Bowie’s “Young Americans” vinyl in his arms, just to keep it close to him. Sax has seen vinyl records become obsolete in the wake of cassettes, compact discs and the internet, only to rebound in the last five years. “Record stores are kind of like the guys playing violin in the titanic,” Sax says. “They have more pride knowing they’re still standing when everybody else fell off the boat.”Sax will perform at Chestnut Hill’s Hideaway Music on Saturday in honor of Record Store Day, along with The Lux.Sax has toured the world throughout his nearly 20-year career, and says he and other musicians often seek out local record stores while traveling, because of the expertise and distinct personalities they offer. “Usually the guy behind the counter loves the music as much as you, and the owner is in the store when you visit.” Sax recalls. “Sometimes the conversations you have with the people there is worth the $10 you spend alone.”Sax alluded to a line to the film “Almost Famous” that he says sums up the role record stores have played for countless music aficianados. “If you’re ever lonely, go to the record store, all your friends are there,” says Sax, paraphrasing a line from the film “Almost Famous”. “You can be in the middle of nowhere and the people you grew up listening to like the Beatles and Elvis Costello are on the record album shelves, people who have meant so much to so many peoples lives.” Record Store Day takes place on Saturday, April 21. Main Street Music (4444 Main St.) will feature the bands Shark Tape, Cheers Elephant, Megan Reilly, John Wesley Harding, Anthony D’Amato, Jesse Malin and The  Spinto Band starting at 10 a.m. Hideaway Music (8612 Germantown Ave.) in Chestnut Hill will feature performances by The Lux at 1 p.m. and Scot Sax at 2 p.m.