Iconic Foo Fighters frontman, Dave Grohl, has been named the official ambassador of Record Store Day 2015.
The Nirvana sticksman and Foos frontman will be leading the way for
worldwide Record Store Day festivities as the culture of independent record shops is celebrated.
Grohl, be it a legend at the mic with a guitar, behind a drum kit or in
the directors chair for a documentary, instinctively pulls together
the ethos and attitude of Record Store Day for artists and fans, alike.
And the big guy himself has something he wanted to say about the importance of record stores too:
I found my calling in the back bin of a dark, dusty record store.
1970s K-Tels Blockbuster 20 Original Hits by the original Stars
featuring Alice Cooper, War, Kool and the Gang, Average White Band and
many more, bought at a small record shop in my suburban Virginia
neighborhood, it was this record that changed my life and made me want
to become a musician. The second that I heard Edgar Winters
"Frankenstein kick in, I was hooked. My life had been changed forever.
This was the first day of the rest of my life.
Growing up in
Springfield, Virginia in the 70s and 80s, my local independent record
stores were magical, mysterious places that I spent all of my spare time
(and money) in, finding what was to eventually become the soundtrack of
my life. Every weekend I couldn't wait to take my hard earned, lawn
mowing cash down for an afternoon full of discovery. And, the chase was
always as good as the catch. I spent hours flipping through every stack,
examining the artwork on every cover, the titles and credits, searching
for music that would inspire me, or understand me, or just to help me
escape. These places became my churches, my libraries, my schools. They
felt like home. And, I don't know where I would be today without them.
More recently, Ive been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to
rediscover this sense of excitement, that magical feeling of finding
something all ones own, by watching my kids go through it. Let me tell
you: Nothing makes me prouder than watching my daughters spin that first
Roky Erickson LP one of them picked out for their very own on one of
our weekend trips to the record store. Or to watch the reverence they
have as they handle their Beatles vinyl. How carefully they replace the
albums into their sleeves, making sure they’re placed back onto the self
in the proper sequence. Watching them realize how crucial and
intertwined every part of this experience is, I relive the magic of my
earliest experiences with vinyl singles and albums, their artwork,
liners notes etc. all over again and again.
I believe that the
power of the record store to inspire is still alive and well, and that
their importance to our next generation of musicians is crucial. Take an
afternoon (and some hard earned lawn mowing money) and please support
them.
You never know, it might change your life forever, too.
Dave
