Text by Lauren Landes
Images by Pia, Courtney and Amber

Another year in the tiny history book of Record Store Day has been logged! Huzzah! April 16, 2011 marks three years and four holidays since a group of music lovers conceived and founded Record Store Day, and the nascent event looks like its cogs are just starting to build up momentum. The overflowing anticipation and excitement ought to keep us all going until next April, when an even larger quantity of releases will presumably arrive in the bins of independent record stores across the world (don't expect to find any of these delicious goodies over at a corporate retail store, though). As a record store employee, it's very exciting to see so many people line up outside my second home before the rooster has crowed just for some exclusive CD/vinyl/other releases sure to be sold out forever.

A quiet day at Amoeba is still overwhelming enough for a lot of people, and a busy day like this past Saturday creates a very unique kind of energy that makes the place feel more like festival grounds than a record store--the vinyl tents at Coachella and Bonnaroo come to mind.

If only every day could be so packed with eager music searchers and ecstatic, hourly announcements for "Fucked Up," the world might feel about thirty percent peppier at all times. Nonetheless, this is why we at Amoeba get so excited for the holiday whose theme song is the sweet sound of excited fingers peeling thin plastic off a 12" square package.

Text by Lauren
Images by Jessica Teller

When Amoeba’s natural tendencies to draw and congregate music and culture from the world over combine with live spectacles, partying, and silly hats, Mardi Gras is effectively in (dis)order. This is exactly what happened on Fat Tuesday! Need more convincing? Do you want more evidence of the fun that was had? Read on, fellow reveler.

The day began as usual, but with an extra fresh scent of king cake and King Terry in the air! DJ Humble Bee was spinning amazing jams ranging from marching band covers of “Sexual Healing” to classic dance joints made for movin’. Then, as the clock struck 4:30, the Amoeba House Band burst through the Jazz room and onto the rock floor, where golden trombones and wee, polished piccolo trumpets blared into the air. Guitars, mandolins, and banjos sang as the drums kept beat, and the clarinet went strolling through the whole march. Cats put on their dancin’ shoes and let the good times roll. Dozens of musicians joined in the parade, including guys and gals from Vaud and the Villians, who positively dazzled onstage later on in the day.

Hundreds watched and experienced the joyous gathering of merrymakers as the spirit of N’awlins was brought to Los Angeles. Out on Sunset Boulevard, people, masks, and floats abounded, all covered in beads and confetti! Friends past and present were celebrating and celebrated, and floats commemorating our friend Lee “Flash” Gordon and Captain Beefheart kept us all close at heart and in spirit. The classic Yellow Submarine made its annual jaunt ‘round the record store in high fashion, as always, and Karen even managed to give beads to passers-by--in the middle of the road, in their cars—naturally.