Much to the excitement of vinyl-heads everywhere, Record Store Day, the beloved annual celebration of indie music retailers, has finally returned. Much like last year’s event, which was modified for the pandemic, this year’s event has been split into two separate “RSD Drops” days, the second of which is coming up next Saturday, July 17. And with the Hudson Valley’s recently eased restrictions, shops like Warwick’s Original Vinyl Records are welcoming Record Store Day devotees back in style.
“Serious vinyl people make a pilgrimage out of Record Store Day,” says Jim Eigo, a 45-year veteran of the music industry who opened Original Vinyl Records in 2018. “Some of our regular customers may start out their day at a record store in Pennsylvania, drive to one in New Jersey, then head up to us.”
As part of Original Vinyl Records’ celebration, the store will be giving out a limited number of swag bags that include everything from free records and store gift cards to tee shirts and decorative bowls crafted from vinyl records by Eigo’s wife Pam. There’ll also be a raffle and giveaways, and free refreshments.
Just like Eigo’s 1,000-square-foot shop, a record hunters’ treasure trove of crates containing every musical genre imaginable, the releases coming out of the second RSD Drop are wide-ranging. “There’s something for everyone regardless of what era of music you’re into,” Eigo says. Among the many color vinyl variants, one-off pressings, hard-to-find archival projects, and reissues of classic and niche albums that Eigo calls “classic collectors items” include releases from The Clash, Pearl Jam, St Vincent, Aretha Franklin, Beastie Boys, and dozens more.
On Saturday, Original Vinyl Records will be expanding its hours from 9am-6pm, so if you’re hoping to get in on free swag, you should plan to arrive on the early side. If you’re looking for something else to do around quaint, scenic Warwick after you stop by, Eigo recommends grabbing a bite just down the road at farm-to-table restaurant The Grange or heading over to wander through one of Warwick’s best kept secrets, Pacem in Terris, Frederick Franck's living sculpture garden.
