It’s that time of year, folks; Record Store Day. The time when music fans and vinyl-lovers descend upon their local music store for their annual day of exclusive releases.
Having first kicked off back in 2008, Record Store Day has fast become something of an international holiday on the music-lover’s calendar.
With plenty of special releases hitting the shelves, vinyl fans and collectors come together to hit up independent stores around the world in hopes of finding this year’s most sought-after record.
Of course, we’ve already seen the annual list of special releases coming out on April 13th, so the question remains; what are Aussie retailers doing this year?
With Record Store Day just around the corner, we’ve spoken to record store owners all across the country, and in this edition, we’re chatting to Matt “Footy” Horvath of Clarity Records in Adelaide to find out more about the store, and what’s on offer this year.
Check out this year’s Record Store Day ambassadors:
Getting to know you: Who are you? What’s your store?
My name is Footy and I own Clarity Records with my wife Laura and daughter Ruby.
How long has your store been around for?
We opened on April 17th, 2010, which also happened to be Record Store Day in that year.
Are there any certain genres you cater to at your store?
Although we have a strong focus on heavier music such as punk, hardcore, metal, etc., we cater for most genres of music. We specialise in local and Australian music, new releases and secondhand vinyl. We try to have a healthy range of most styles of music.
What has been the most memorable moment in the store’s history?
Definitely opening day/night was a special moment. The first Record Store Day where we did the 24 hour trade was next level.
Also we have been lucky enough to cater for John Baizley a couple of times when he’s been in town with Baroness. We love his band and art, so having him in store has always been an absolute pleasure.
How did your love of music first begin?
I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house growing up and my mum, aunty, and uncle left their records and record players at my grandparents’ house when they left home.
You really had to create your own fun at my grandparents’, so I would spend time going through all their records and discovering new music.
How did you get into the world of selling records?
I started my own record label in 2002 which ran for about 5 years. With that I also ran a distro, selling punk/hardcore releases from around Australia and internationally.
From there I started working at an independent record store about 2005(ish), and once that closed down it was a natural progression for us to open our own store.
Thinking time: What’s your all-time favourite record?
Propagandhi’s Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes.
Check out Propagandhi’s ‘Back To The Motor League’:
Do you also dabble in the world of record collecting? Any ‘white whales’ you’re still trying to track down?
I have an extensive punk/hardcore record collection of about 4000+. I’ve managed to track down most things I’ve been after, however a top want of mine is an original copy of Agnostic Front’s United Blood 7″.
What have you got planned for Record Store Day this year?
We trade for 24 hours on RSD. We will have a huge range of Record Store Day releases, both from Australia and international. We will have coffee being served out the front during the day as well as free vegan cupcakes.
We have ordered up large on stock for the store and we have 1000+ fresh new secondhand titles that we’ve been stock piling for the day.
Are there any releases you’re particularly excited for?
The new 7″ from the Hard-Ons [Harder & Harder], and the Horror My Friend split 7″ with Velvet Elevator.
Check out a teaser for Horror My Friend’s ‘Turned Loose’:
Record Store Day 2019
Saturday, April 13th, 2019
Clarity Records
60 Pulteney Sreet, Adelaide, SA
(Open 24 hours from 12am)
