By snoadmin
Torrance resident Brian Bustar spent his Friday night outside of the front entrance of Fingerprints from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., sacrificing a sound sleep and a clear mentality, in hopes of snatching rare vinyl pressings released in celebration of Record Store Day.
Independent music shops around the world celebrated the annual Record Store Day on Saturday by offering an extensive list of rare releases from big names like The White Stripes, Captain Beefheart, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, The Black Keys, David Bowie, Beach House, Common, The Clash and Bruno Mars, just to name a few. A full day of live music was also featured at Fingerprints with performances by The Beach Boy’s Al Jardine, folk artist M. Ward and British alternative-pop group, World Party, most famous from hits in the late ’80s and ’90s.
With the sun still set from the evening before, Fingerprints promptly opened their doors at 6 a.m., letting the eager line of customers flow in and grab whatever collectable pieces of vinyl they could lay their hands on. Even though the line stretched around the corner and to the end of the block, shoppers were on their best behavior, following the organization and politely reaching over heads and shoulders for the items they wanted.
“Part of it is the hunt,” Bustar said, whose collection has grown to 350 records over the past three years. “It’s about physically owning something that’s important to you.”
The idea of Record Store Day conceptualized in 2007 with the intent of promoting local and independent music shops after the fall of major music outlets, such as Tower Records. Fingerprints owner, Rand Foster, has seen a growth in his business since the start of Record Store Day.
“It’s uncommon for a record store to grow,” Fingerprints employee Chris “Oldboy” Lynch said between jumping among the lines of customers, giving assistance and calling out suggestions. “It’s a day to celebrate record stores. I admire that support.”
Jardine, original guitarist and vocalist of The Beach Boys, kicked off the first performance of the day at 2 p.m. He connected with the audience, sharing stories about playing football with his high school team in Hawthorn as well as tales of recording with Neil Young, during a quick Q & A.
He then started in on songs, which included samples from his solo album “A Postcard from California,” classic Beach Boys tunes like “Heroes and Villains,” as well as audience requests. Each song was interrupted by stories about writing songs, environmental support for the ocean and some forgotten lyrics. Even though most songs were not played in full, his charm and surprisingly strong voice won everyone over.
The second performer of the day, folk singer and songwriter Ward, soulfully whispered out tracks off his latest record “A Wasteland Companion” at around 5 p.m. His sold out show was supported by a full band, excluding the last three songs, which were stripped down and performed by himself acoustically.
Ward was one of the most anticipated performers for Fingerprints this year. The crowd of more than 250 people fell silent once the folk-great began to croon out songs, letting those in the back of the store be able to hear the soft vocals he provided over the electric guitars and booming drums.
The day of festivities came to a close with a performance by the British group World Party, who have not played a show in Los Angeles since 2009. They celebrated the April 10 release of “Arkeology,” which is a five-disc compilation of unreleased and live material from the alternative group, who have been playing since 1986.
World Party offered an acoustic set, complete with mandolin and fiddle, which was the perfect way to end off a long day of high-energy record shopping and top-notch performances.
Record Store Day was able to bring together young hipsters; experienced record collectors; moms and dads; children; and everything in-between.
“It’s not just about buying records,” Foster said. “There is a sense of community you just can’t get from sitting in front of a computer, no matter how fun Facebook is.”
Fingerprints is located at 420 E. 4th St.
