LET'S GO TO THE RECORD STORE!

This last weekend I was in NW Indiana visiting in-laws for the Holidays and I took an hour drive into Chicago to go to Reckless Records. I always look forward to visiting Reckless Records because I always seem to find some gems and it's always worth the drive/time.

It reminds me of being a teenager and taking the trip to Cleveland or Pittsburgh (whenever we could find a ride) to go to the record store in the 90's. This used to be an epic event, one that I always looked forward to. I would take whatever $$$ I had and hope that I find something good. Usually we found some real gems, but sometimes we found little or bought some stuff that completely sucked but that was all part of the fun! If you found good records/CDs/cassettes then that hour + drive was well well worth it, if not at least you got to take a trip/hang with your friends. It seems funny, but finding CRUMBSUCKERS "Life Of Dreams" used on cassette was like hitting pay-dirt and was something that made your friends green with envy (I still have and listen to that cassette!).

I feel this experience is something that is all but missing form today's generation. With all the music available at the click of a button online why would today's generation want to waste that gas $$$ and take a trip to search for anything tangible? Gone are the days of having to trudge your way into the real world and do some digging/work to find out about new bands, or finding an old gem that you never thought you'd never find, or even better, taking a chance on something you had never heard of before and giving it a chance based upon the cover art, name of the band, or the record label it was released on. To me, that was always the most exciting and I found out about so many great bands this way. Sometimes I found greatness, other times I found garbage. But to me it was rewarding regardless because I had invested not only my money for the purchase price, but also money for gas as well as a good chunk of my time. Often I was torn between buying one release or the other because my finds would force me to choose. Would that CD still be there the next time I came back? It may be months... this may have been my only chance to find that rare record!

Another great joy at the record store was finding that gem before anyone else could and your friends would be so pissed. "You're dubbing me that on cassette!" they would say. Often, this would be your one and only chance to snag a rare record/CD/cassette. Amazon.com and Ebay didn't really exist yet, so finding an out of print copy of something you had been searching and searching for was really something to get excited about or in some cases, jealous!

Some of the record stores I liked most are the previously mentioned RECKLESS RECORDS in CHICAGO, CHRIS'S WARPED RECORDS in LAKEWOOD (also about a block down the street was B-WARE VIDEO the only all-Horror video store... RIP!), ULTRASOUND RECORDS in CLEVELAND, BRAVE NEW WORLD in PITTSBURGH, IDE'S in PITTSBURGH and KIND SOUND which was right here in YOUNGSTOWN and was open for about 2 years while we were still in High School, but while Kind Sound was open we all scored some great rceords! I got ONE LIFE CREW "CRIME RIDDEN SOCIETY" there and KILLING TIME "BRIGHTSIDE" LP (original) for $5! The label on it sd "NYHC FORM WHEN THAT MEANT SOMETHING". The guy knew what he had, and he wanted to make sure someone who would appreciate it got their hands on it. And someone did! I even saw shows @ Ultrasound Records. We were sad when that store closed. What a great place!

Today's HC education can be administered in the comfort of one's home over the course of an afternoon. You can find any of these releases online I am sure. But finding a real copy... at a steal of a price, that to me is much more satisfying. It's all about the hunt and knowing you invested your time and your money into something. To me that meant something. Don't be lazy. Take a trip out into the world and do some digging. Take some chances. Invest your time and your money into something and maybe it will mean something more to you. And just maybe you'll find something exciting and have a fun time with your friends!

Here are the items I got at Reckless this past weekend... all for $25 total! ICEMEN "re-issue 7"", UNDERTOW "At Both Ends", GUT INSTINCT "Discography", ENDEAVOR "Crazier Than A Shithouse rat", FARENHEIT 451 "If I Knew Then What I Know Now", and TAD "Infared Riding Hood"