On April 19th, I was one of the music loving sinners, who for an unexplained reason, missed Record Store Day. But then again, I would argue that in my world, Record Store Day is everyday!

Now, perhaps you didn't hear about Record Store Day? Google it. You'll find posts on Ohmpark, Shoutnote, and Amoeba too.

There were special events in some of the heritage stores, including an in-store signing from Metallica.

"Independent record stores are a vital source of the ever-changing cool. They respond to the street faster than the chains can. They help us telegraph to each other what's "now" and what's not, what we should be telling our friends and neighbors about, and what's about to take off, or, no longer hot. Musical trends are confirmed at the local independent record store, by you and me... Why would we want to do away with all that?" – Joe Satriani

You want inspiration? Read this post. It really hits it on the head, what it's like to be a music fan, and to be this kind of music fan, takes many words, because you've got so many memories to share. You've got so many experiences, let me tell you how I got into THIS artist... sit down, because this is going to take a while, etc. etc.etc.

For me, it started sometime in the early 80s, living in Odessa, TX, and as I like to tell people, it was the home of oil wells, Permian Panthers football, and not much else. Perhaps you saw the story of the Permian Panthers, as immortalized in the movie Friday Night Lights. My dad took me to the local mall, and there it was: Record Bar. I got my dad to let me go in and I spent some time, but not nearly enough. In that trip, and in the next several, I picked up the single for Duran Duran's "The Reflex," with the commemorative poster that did double duty as the 45 sleeve as well. I got "Hooked on Classics" with the entire album, and got sucked into "Pac-Man Fever" by Buckner and Garcia.

In 1985, our next stop was Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a village of 500 at the time. I was happy that 45 minutes down the mountain led me to Hastings Books and Music. It wasn't ideal, but it was a place that continued to feed my growing need for music.