Record stores around the country celebrated National Record Store Day on Saturday, April 20 including Eau Claire’s Revival Records and Abraxas Wax. Record Store Day was initially conceived in 2007 and has been going strong ever since.
Both of Eau Claire’s record stores are registered as participating stores on the Record Store Day website. The stores with this mark have signed the Record Store Day Pledge, which means they have agreed to act in the spirit of Record Store Day.
For the organizers, this means selling the commercial Record Store Day releases to physical customers and not holding on to them to sell online or to raise their prices.
The day is a way for people in the community to celebrate and spread the word about record stores.
The event encompasses nearly 1400 independently-owned record stores in the United States alone and today, Record Store Day is celebrated at independently-owned brick-and-mortar record stores around the world, such as Revival and Abraxas here in Eau Claire.
Abraxas Wax opened in late 2023, making this Record Store Day its first in business. Owner Seth Larson said the day is about music and not about getting more sales for the newly opened business.
“I don’t believe [the day] should help build my store’s image,” Larson said. “The store’s foundation is built on selling good music and you can buy good music any day of the year here. It doesn’t have to be on Record Store Day.”
In addition to records, Abraxas sells CDs, cassettes, VHS tapes, 8 tracks, speakers, posters and gently worn clothing. The store has been hosting small shows for local artists quite regularly and they had two groups perform on Saturday.
Voulouse is based out of Milwaukee and has a few singles released such as “Blushon” and “Coyote Bones,” with an album in the works.
The Nunnery is from Minneapolis, Minnesota and is composed of independent musician Sarah Elstran. Her voice comprises the group and she uses layering techniques to create a wide vocal range.
Revival Records, located at 128 South Barstow Street, offers store merchandise, cassette tapes, CDs and more. The store also participated in the event and has several exclusive releases available for in-person customers.
Some of these drops included “Nightfall of Diamonds” by The Grateful Dead (LP), “Stick Season” by Olivia Rodrigo and Noah Kahan (7” 45) and “Chase Atlantic” by Chase Atlantic (LP).
While there’s only one Record Store Day a year, the organization works with both independent and major labels year-round to ensure the day displays the best of record store culture.
In an age where we have readily available access to tens of thousands of songs, record stores offer a way for people to participate in a more personal listening experience and an opportunity to own the music customers are purchasing.
Moris can be reached at [email protected].
