Vinyl’s comeback celebrated

ON THE LINEUP Westport singer-songwriter Tony Reidy will be playing at Tertulia bookshop’s celebration of ‘Record Store Day’. Pic: Michael McLaughlin


Tertulia is hosting the first ever ‘Record Store Day’ in Westport, down at the Quay, on Saturday, April 22 – a celebration of vinyl complete with live musical performances from a host of local acts. This event, held widely in cities across the US, UK and Ireland, celebrates the unique culture of independently owned bricks-and-mortar record shops and the special role they pay in their communities.
The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008, in San Francisco at Rasputin Music when Metallica spent hours meeting their fans. Now each year hundreds of artists both internationally and locally famous, flock to record stores around the world for performances, signings, meet and greets and to fill their own shopping bags with music.
This has now grown into an annual tradition as a day for the people who make up the world of the record store, the staff, the customers, and the artists to come together. The existence of physical shops in our communities, play a vital role in sustaining jobs, in contributing to the local economy and creating shared social spaces where we as communities gather. For every €1 generated in a bookshop for example, another €2.40 is generated back into the community.
And let’s not forget the music. Who of a generation hasn’t yearned for the days of borrowing vinyl (quite often never to be returned!) of a Saturday night! Now vinyl is back. The owners of Tertulia are amazed at how many Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin albums are sold to young people at the shop – and it is not for their parents but for themselves.
So, time to brush off those old record players and wander down to the Quay on April 22. There will be live music from local artists starting at 12pm with Eagle Mountain Poets, GrΡinne Fahy, Tony Reidy and the Westport Junior Comhaltas.