Whew, another Record Store Day has been and gone at Amoeba San Francisco, and what a whirlwind it was! The special international holiday created to celebrate the independent record store in all its resplendent glory brought with it special guest DJs galore, prize giveaways and, of course, mega-limited special edition releases by popular, record store-lovin' artists.

Over at the Haight Street store we had a salivating group of customers waiting with bated breath outside our doors for 10:30 am to finally arrive. When the doors opened at last, there was a mad rush for the limited edition 7"s, vinyl, CDs and DVDs that artists such as Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Pavement, Guided By Voices, Metric, The Flaming Lips, and many more had released in honor of RSD. We sold through almost everything within just a few hours -- some, like the Jesus Lizard singles collection, went in mere minutes! Employees worked like barkers, calling out artists' releases and getting them to the frantic masses as quickly as possible. The Information Counter was lit up with zillions of phone calls, checking on the status of any number of artists' special releases.


At noon we began our giveway drawings, ably hosted by our own spirited Zack, who took to the intercom with game show host-like zeal. Various customers won $50 gift certificates and their choice of a myriad of prizes, including Guitar Hero and a special prize pack from heaviest heavy rock label Southern Lord. These giveaways were met with cheers and screams of delight, both from being caught up in the moment and encouraged by their host!

The San Francisco Amoeba’s first in-store performance of 2008 - and what better way to set off the new year than with a live hip hop show?! (LIVE indeed…) It was just before six p.m. as I stood stage-side awaiting San Francisco based crew, 40Love’s set in support of their debut, full-length release: Advantage. This was my second opportunity to see them in action as my first, only a week prior, was to a packed house a the popular Milk Bar where they opened up for a duo of heavy-hitting out-of-towners. 

(Impressive…)

 

Soon after a quick opening set from SF natives, Dregs One and his crew, GMC, 40Love’s DJ Whooligan, local favorite and former Amoeboid… much love, stepped up to the 1’s & 2’s rockin’ a fat gold chain, which immediately etched a wide smile across my face. One by one the 40Love crew was introduced to the stage and the steadily growing crowd applauded the home team. They set it off with a real banger, just as they should, and (emcee) G-Off hits the beat runnin’ with a polished flow that packs a punch and doesn’t let up ‘til the show’s over. In fact… They ALL do. Fellow emcee, Mikos, who also takes on  the task of production for the trio, equally held his own on the mic -- something that so many have tried and failed at in hip hop. (Don’t front!)