Hello vinyl lovers! I wanted to stop in and let you know about some great crate digging opportunities coming to KC very soon and report on my recent finds, both discs and locations.

As I alluded to in my last report I was able to attend the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival, Record Show and Flatstock 24 Poster Show. I was in Austin, TX for four days. I saw 73 bands, went to the record show two days and the poster show three days. It was a crazy fun and very busy four days. The first day I went to the record show I was so tired I could barely dig. I mostly talked to the dealers that I knew and revelled in all the beautiful vinyl. I did find three records the first day, The Mothers of Invention- We’re Only In It For The Money, The Hombres- Let It Out, and Bob Dylan- Blood on the Tracks with rare full mural back cover- all for $20. The second day I did some actual digging and came home with some gems including Hank Williams first 10″ LP. It was a wondrous event and I had an amazing time. Here are a couple of photos from the show. The second one shows local crate digger Brenton Cook. Behind him you will see the Sonic Youth’s feedback friendly guitarist Thurston Moore- wearing the green jacket. Yes, we shopped for vinyl with Thurston Moore!

Although it may not be quite the scale of The Austin Record Show, Kansas City is host to a great regional record show this coming Sunday, April 11th. It will be at the Crown Plaza Hotel at 12601 W 95th St Lenexa KS (95th and I-35). It starts at 9am and runs until 3:30pm. Admission is $3. There will be dealers and individuals from all over the Midwest selling just what you are looking for. Don’t miss it as it only happens twice per year.

Also, mark your calendar for a record sale on May 16th at The Beaumont Club. I will pass along the details once I have them.

This edition I would like to feature a couple of the record stores that have been open for awhile and that I want to make sure everyone knows about. The first is Zebedee’s RPM.  They are located at 1208 39th St, Kansas City Mo 64111.  Zebedee’s is a great store.  They carry new and used vinyl and all types of music equipment and memorabilia.  The staff is very helpful and friendly and the prices are great.  On one recent visit I was able to find a nice stack of records all from the sale bins- 5 for $10 and several at $3 and $4 each.  If you like music you will enjoy this store.  They are on Facebook at : Zebedee’s RPM.

The second store I want to remind everyone about is Vinyl Renaissance.  They are located at 10922 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Shawnee KS 66203 and on the web at: Vinyl Renaissance.  I like to think of them as KC’s high end record store.  They have high end stereo equipment and high end vinyl.  They have a huge web presence and an international clientèle.  I love going there and looking at all of the amazing records they have for sale.  Most are beyond my crate digging budget, but it is nice to dream.  If any of you have seen the movie High Fidelity, you will appreciate the staff and  the stores environment.  They are a very nice example of a local, independent, record store.

Here is picture of some of the highlights of my recent crate digging:

Speaking of independent record stores, National Record Store Day is Saturday, April 17th.  Go to any of the local independent record stores and find a celebration in progress.  There will be bands and fun.  Most importantly there will be Record Store Day exclusive vinyl.  All limited production and all only available on that day at the four local independent record stores, Earwaxx, Zebedee’s, Vinyl Renaissance, and Streetside Records.  I know I’m excited…

I’ll report back after Record Store Day and until then feel free to ask any questions in the comment section and/or let me know what you have found out there.  Good digging everyone!