The steady rain that fell over Newcastle and the suburbs on Saturday wasn't enough to stop the faithful from the hunt for the sweetest sound in the world.
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Record Store Day - the 17-year-old annual one-day sale event that celebrates the little joys of rifling through the crates in your local independent record shop for that one elusive LP - had retailers across the suburbs working overtime at the weekend.
Mitchel Eaton at Hiss and Crackle at Wallsend, who had arranged a line-up of local and visiting bands to play in his store on Saturday, told Topics he was exhausted on Saturday night but "feeling the love by the community".
Despite nearly 50 millimetres of rain drenching Newcastle, there was nothing to dampen the music and those on the hunt for an exclusive release.
Ben Leece, owner of Rudderless Records on Parry Street at Newcastle West, was watching the afternoon wind down after the day's trade on Saturday as the DJ spun records at the back of the shop. He had planned to have his line-up play in the small courtyard outside the store next door to The Edwards and was close to cancelling when the rain didn't let up, but at the last minute, he shifted some furniture and brought everyone inside.
Mr Leece chose not to chase the typical exclusive releases that have become synonymous with Record Store Day but instead decided to return to his roots. The day was always intended to be about music and about finding the community at your local independent. He wanted to bring that back.
"With the cost of living, people are struggling," he said. "There are a lot of records that come out on these lists that are just expensive for no reason.
"It feels like I'm taking advantage of a customer. Record store owners don't make huge money, but some of these titles are single records for $120 or something.
"I guess we tried to move it back to what it is meant to be and make it a celebration of the store and the community."
Mr Leece nodded to the second-hand crates in the front of his store where one or two final customers for the day were leafing through the offerings. A lot of the second-hand stuff, he explains, comes from deceased estates. It's an emotional thing to have in the shop.
"There's a lifetime of memories attached to this music," he said. "This tangible thing that they have held with their partner and they have danced to.
"There could be a record in there that's lived in five or six different homes before someone else finds it, and it has this new life. It's really cool to me to be able to be able to connect to someone who you don't even know because you love the same music or took a chance on a record."
The hunt for the album drives those who partake in the annual pilgrimage through the suburbs. Record Store Day is a one-day-only event, and there are no layaways or reservations and no shopping online. If you want that LP, you have to find it in-store.
They scour the lists, ring their favourite retailers days before to see what has come in, and sometimes line up outside their stores for hours just for the chase.
Mr Eaton describes music as a kind of religion. A year ago, when the music lovers' holiday rolled around again, The Mosh Pit owner Kellie Jackson told me there was a special joy in never knowing which way her customers would swing through the doors.
"I had some young guys in last week buying Lover and Fearless and they were a bit embarrassed about buying it. But don't be embarrassed! ... Just play it loud," she said.
Mr Leece set aside the lists this year, he said, because the day was meant to be about the chase and thrill of finding something unexpected in the crates; it was about the music.
"The coolest thing is being educated by the customers," he said. "There's an internet there, but to have a customer come in and give us a rave review for something we've never heard is cool.
"When I opened the store, I had a firm vision of a space where music is for everyone."
Simon McCarthy
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016.
Simon McCarthy is a journalist working at the Newcastle Herald in NSW. He writes news and features, and produces video and multimedia, for the Herald and Herald Weekender magazine. He contributes regularly to the Newcastle Herald’s daily Topics column, and is the co-creator and producer of the Toohey’s News podcast. McCarthy has worked as a journalist in regional NSW since 2013. He joined the newsroom of the Newcastle Herald in 2017 from the Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he worked from 2015 to 2016.
