A guide to Record Store Day in Montreal

The wall at Sonorama

The annual celebration of brick-and-mortar shops and music on vinyl known as Record Store Day happens tomorrow, Saturday, April 20. Go to the international movement’s website to see the staggering list of limited-edition releases coming out, and hope that these retailers will have them in stock:

Atom Heart

364-B Sherbrooke E.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Find some RSD releases downtown at this fine establishment, where traffic’s unlikely to be heavy.

Aux 33 Tours

1373 Mont-Royal E.

9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

In the Plateau, Aux 33 Tours promises hundreds of RSD releases as well as performances, beginning at 7 p.m., by André Papanicolau, Michel Rivard, Chantal Archambault, Tire le Coyote, Alex Nevsky and Groenland.

Beatnick

3770 St-Denis

9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

These Plateau rock ’n’ roll specialists will offer a store-wide discount which was undetermined when I called them today, but it should be sweet. My old boss at HMV always said that these guys were the “meilleur disquaire à Montréal,” and then sigh deeply as yet another Coldplay song came on.

Cheap Thrills

2044 Metcalfe

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

At 42, this downtown store is a veteran of the local wax-shack scene, with books, magazines, zines and DVDs for sale along with an abundance of vinyl, all packed into a pretty tight space. There will be lots of RSD releases here.

Death of Vinyl

6307 St-Laurent

12 to 6 p.m. AND Sunday 12 to 5 p.m.

This uptown vinyl depot is offering 20 per cent off everything and members of the Rhythm Club on the sound system.

L’Oblique

4333 Rivard

11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Plateau shop that’s been slinging discs for a quarter century reveals its newly renovated digs and presents eight bands playing live throughout the afternoon and evening, namely Leif Vollebekk (2 p.m.), Émilie Clepper (3 p.m.), Jim Corcoran (3:30 p.m.), Mécanik Synthétik (4 p.m.), Tire le coyote (5 p.m.), René Lussier (5:30 p.m.), Thus: Owls (6 p.m.) and Canailles (7 p.m.).

Phonopolis

207 Bernard W.

10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In Mile End, this sweet spot makes RSD a little sweeter by offering a 15 per cent discount on all their non-RSD merchandise, and local duo AroarA play live at 7 p.m.

 
 

Sonik

4050 Berri

12 to 5 p.m.

Tucked away on Duluth E., this is a good place to find RSD releases, as it won’t be one of the spots where people will be lining up at 5 a.m.

Sonorama

260 Bernard W.

11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“On vend des disques!” Plain and simple, from the people who brought Primitive Records to Montreal (the longstanding St-Denis shop), now located in Mile End.

Sound Central

4486 Coloniale

9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Discounts, prize draws, one-offs and giveaways are in the cards at this Plateau spot, which specializes in heavy music. ■