Record Store Day moved into Saturday afternoon at Amoeba Hollywood with a DJ set by Lance Rock, a former Amoebite and current Yo Gabba Gabba! ringleader. Lance has always had exceptional musical taste and it was a treat to hear his soundtrack for one of our busiest days of the year. A handful of kids turned out, excited to see DJ Lance Rock in person.

Next up was Lucinda Williams, who chatted with fans and picked out a playlist of her favorite songs, including gypsy jazz, Mark Lanegan and Chelsea Light Moving.

It was been an incredibly busy morning (and afternoon) with the lines wrapping around the store. The main line for the registers even extended into the jazz room and bumped up against the prize wheel line at one point! But by about 5pm, things had slowed just enough to let us move the line for RSD13 titles into the store and put the remaining releases on the floor.

Harry Duncan’s Roots and Rhythms Series returns to Amoeba SF Saturday Oct. 27 from 2-5 p.m. To hear a sample of the music Duncan spins, listen to In The Soul Kitchen with DJ Harry Duncan on KUSF In Exile Tuesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. Listen to past shows here.

This Saturday’s show will include a rare appearance by legendary poet and activist John Sinclair. Sinclair was once the manager of Detroit proto-punks MC5 and lead anti-racist and pro-marijuana efforts in the 1960s. He was imprisoned in 1969 for the possession of two joints of marijuana, which spawned the John Sinclair Freedom Rally in Ann Arbor, Mich. in 1971, which featured John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Allen Ginsberg, Abbie Hoffman and another of other luminaries from the time. He was soon after released, and the Michigan Supreme Court ruled the state’s marijuana law was unconstitutional. He was charged with two others in the 1972 Supreme Court case United States v. U.S. District Court, which upheld that warrantless domestic wiretaps were illegal.

Sinclair is now based in Amsterdam, where he continues to write and record poetry, which is often accompanied by blues, jazz and rock musicians. He hosts a radio show at RadioFreeAmsterdam.com where he plays jazz, blues, R&B and other music, and maintains a blog, Fattening Blogs For Snakes. I caught up with Sinclair over the phone as he was working on a documentary in Healdsburg, Calif.

Halloween is a week away and that means it's nearly time for our second annual Pet Costume Contest!! Bring your spooky pooch in costume to Amoeba Hollywood on Wednesday, October 31 at 4pm and you might win the grand prize gift basket from Catts & Doggs or other cool treats. Plus, we'll have creepy DJ sets 2-4pm with DJ FANG FACE and DJ LEW SIFFER, candy for the kids and lots more fun.

Amoeba Hollywood will also close at 7pm, so be sure to get your shopping in early.

 

Need some inspiration? Check out a few of the contestants from last year's inaugural competition:

 

On Oct. 31 Amoeba Hollywood will begin its Halloween celebration at 2 p.m. with DJs, a dog costume contest and more.

From 2-4 p.m, Amoeba DJs DJ Fang Face and DJ Lew Siffer will spin cool scary tunes. And starting at 4 p.m., Amoeba will hold its 2nd Annual Dog Costume Contest. Bring your dog in costume and you can win a grand prize gift basket of dog-friendly treats from Catts & Doggs. Or just come and watch, if you can handle the unbearable amounts of cute. Just look at the photos from last year’s contest. Bat dog! Ramones dog! Can’t handle it.

Amoeba will also have candy on hand. The store will be closing on 7 p.m. that day, so come in early.
 

One of my favorite online destinations for dance music in 2007 is Australia's Resident Advisor. It's great for up-to-the-minute news, interviews, DJ charts and more. But while the writing is a bit off occasionally and the coverage a bit too club-focused, RA really shines through its podcast, an hour long mix by cutting-edge DJ's featuring the best the music has to offer. Recent sets from Alexander Robotnik, Âme, Maurice Fulton, Ripperton, M.A.N.D.Y. and particularly the completely satisfying Dixon mix have quenched my thirst for ever-newer mixes. Best part: it's free (unless you consider registration a cost). Go get it!