Record Store Day in Limerick will feature live music from Little Hours, Windings, Zombie Picnic, Flag Listeners, Paddy Hanna and Pity of the Sea. Events from Limerick will be streamed worldwide on Hot Press Magazine. There will be some new music releases too – over 250 of them.
THIS weekend sees the eleventh annual Record Store Day on Saturday April 21. Music fans in Limerick can join in the international celebration of independently owned record stores with a host of live gigs and record releases. Eleven years later it is a calendar fixture that is hotly anticipated by the international music industry and the stores operating at a local level.
In its first year (2008) a small list of one-off titles were released. Today the number of exclusive versions, limited runs and first day releases is over 250.
A sample of what is on offer: From ABBA’s ‘Summer Night City’ on 7” picture disc and limited to 2000 copies to a vinyl LP from hip hop legends Cypress Hill of unreleased remixes of the Black Sunday album to a 12” Black Vinyl single of the original demo of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance produced by Nile Rodgers clocking in at 7.34 minutes long.
Irish music is also on offer – Rory Gallagher – ‘French Connection’ is a never before released live concert recorded in Paris in 1974. U2 is releasing ‘Lights of Home’, a single from their latest album Songs of Experience on a 12” picture disc in a clear PVC bag. The Undertones celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the ‘Teenage Kicks’ (1978) with a collection of 13 classic Feargal Sharkey era singles and hits.
“Golden Discs customers have been most interested in these Irish releases” stated Emma Harney who handles PR for the Irish music store.
For Steamboat Records, 2018 is their third Record Store Day.
The new enterprise has raised the bar in making RSD a focal point for music collectors in Limerick. The build up has included performances and in store events.
On Easter Sunday Steamboat Records had Hudson Taylor play in store event for over a 100 people in their acoustic room. Bray natives Wyvern Lingo performed tracks from their self titled new album a week later with Sara Ryan offering support.
A songwriting course hosted by John Spillane at Steamboat brought dozens of young songwriters eager to learn from his professional expertise. Such is the possibilities of this inviting space overlooking the River Shannon suitable for both art and commerce.
Steamboat Music has the advantage of having a performance space and can persuade the likes of Hudson Taylor and Wyvern Lingo to perform intimate versions of their sold out shows early in the day with free admission for parents with young kids and for teens who may not be able to attend the late night gigs.
For Steamboat’s Manager Mark Carey, RSD not just about record releases.
“Record Store Day, is not just a celebration of limited, predominantly unreleased vinyl recordings and special edition re-releases but more importantly at its core, it is a toast to original music and its roots, the humble record store, a place where people’s love of music is often created, stirred and nurtured. Where people discover new music, share opinions of their own music with kindred spirits.”
Mark has assembled an impressive line-up of live performances in the atmospheric acoustic room from 9am.
“The phenomenal Little Hours are the main event on Saturday set to perform in store from around 12:30.
“The store will open from 9am with Pity of the Sea first on stage, followed by Windings, Zombie Picnic, Flag Listeners, Paddy Hanna and Inner City Radio.
Steamboat are teaming up with music magazine Hot Press to live stream the full event the Steamboat Facebook page.
At Golden Discs on Cruises Street, DJ Toby will be on the decks playing vinyl from 1-4pm. In addition to the rarities, limited-editions and re-releases for Record Store Day look out for deep discounts of up to 40% on stock and up to 50% off decks and turntables.
In an era of record stores closing down, Steamboat was created from the closure of HMV in Limerick in 2013.
Owner, Mark Carey, realising Limerick would be without a record store after HMV’s departure decided to add one to his instrument store.
“It was an easy decision for us, a city without a record store would be a place I wouldn’t want people to live in. It’s inherently important for the creation and promotion of new original music.
“Steamboat’s business plan for the record store division was quite simple, we run the record store as a community goodwill project, it accounts for less than 15% of our business, it was never set up to make us millionaires.
“We wanted to achieve things other than financial goals with it. It has increased our contact with music lovers throughout the region, allowed us to build our network of musicians locally and nationally, promote music and playing music to people that hadn’t considered playing an instrument.
“That is what we’re about right now, pushing music on as many people as possible.”
Record Store Day happens this Saturday April 21.
