See Also: • A comprehensive guide to Record Store Day 2012 activities • In honor of Record Store Day this Saturday: Ten records we treasure. What's your favorite vinyl? • Download a track from Wheelchair Sports Camp's forthcoming EP, Where We All Live
For years, Ian O'Dougherty (Uphollow, Ian Cooke, TaunTaun, Eolian) thought about throwing himself a 33 1/3 birthday party and having a bunch of his friends spin records. He mentioned the idea to Wax Trax co-owner Duane Davis, and when he did, O'Dougherty discovered that he and Wax Trax were both born in October 1978.
Davis was excited about the idea of having 33 1/3 birthday celebration for the store, but he suggested having on it over the weekend of Record Store Day on Saturday, April 21. So O'Dougherty and Wax Trax's event director Dave Wilkinson lined up a number of bands to play the bash, which is slated to run from Friday, April 20 through Sunday, April 22.
The party kicks off at 3 Kings Tavern on Friday, April 20 with Git Some, Glass Hits and Raven & the Writing Desk. Uphollow, which O'Dougherty says has gone through about four different versions, will play at Wax Trax on Saturday afternoon in its '90s punk version (the last show in this formation played was February 1999).
"We learned about bands from the employees there or just learn about bands from going through the stacks," recalls O'Dougherty, who says Wax Trax was the band's hangout in the '90s. "That was our direct influence on how Uphollow's sound changed in the '90s."
Uphollow will be joined that afternoon by an array of other acts such as Wheelchair Sports Camp, Coverage, Accordion Crimes on Saturday afternoon at Wax Trax, while Magic Cyclops and Get Your Going will be at Deer Pile (located above City, O City). On Sunday afternoon, Reckless Nights, Night of Joy, the Swayback and possibly Bad Weather California are slated to play at Wax Trax, and Munly and DeVotchKa'sTom Hagerman will be at Deer Pile. Jason Heller, former Wax Trax employee and Westword scribe, and Watercouse/City, O City owner Dan Landes will also be reading from their new books.
The idea of the weekend-long celebration, O'Dougherty says, is to support local businesses, as well as independent record stores, vinyl, Record Store Day and bands. "There are so many things colliding in one event," he points out.
If you spend more than $33.33 on local releases (and not just the bands playing over the weekend) at Wax Trax, you can then request to be on the list for all the five shows. Or you can buy one record by one of the bands playing to get into individual shows. O'Dougherty says people who buy albums have priority to get into the sets, since the rooms at Wax Trax and Deer Pile are pretty small. If there's space left, people can get into the shows for $5 donation.
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