//Upstate Music Scene: COVID-Era Record Store Day & More
record store day

Upstate Music Scene: COVID-Era Record Store Day & More

Brett Barest

Music collectors know that Record Store Day is one of the biggest music days of the year as shoppers line up at record stores across the country to sort through hundreds of special releases they have to add to their vinyl collection. In goes without saying in 2020 that things like lines and crowded stores are not a thing right now (or at least they should not be) so Record Store Day had to undergo some adjustments to take place safely and responsibly. One such variation of this is happening this Saturday at Horizon Records and music lovers could not be better off for it.

The first major change to Record Store Day is that it was adjusted to be Record Store Days. Three RSD Drops were scheduled for August 29, September 26, and October 24. This would spread out the releases and, hopefully, the crowds to make things like social distancing and crowd management possible. For their part, our beloved Horizon Records sat out the first date, dipped their toes in the water for the second date, and are doing the same for the third Drop this Saturday.

Horizon Records is taking all measures to celebrate this RSD Drop so expect to wear your masks and see limited store capacity but, at the same time, know that there are some pretty spectacular finds on the list of releases for this round. The store will open early as with most Record Store Days but will try to keep things business as usual in terms of traffic and flow, meaning you will not have to battle the hoard of fellow shoppers we are used to on the typical events.

If we can learn anything from this pandemic era it is that local small businesses exist and thrive entirely on our love and support and, besides Horizon Records already being a Greenville institution, this is all the more reason to get out and give them a little bit of both. Plus, there are plenty of great finds on this list that would look great in any music lover’s collection…

Listen to Jason Isbell .. Shop at Horizon Records

Live Shows

Two weeks ago, as I celebrated the return of live music to The Radio Room, I noted that most (if not all) of the live music on the docket were local artists and that “it might take some time to see nationally touring artists to get back on the road”. I should have looked at the calendar a little more closely before I said that because The Radio Room has Funkstown, Maryland’s own Josh Morningstar stopping by for a show this Sunday on his way out through a tour of the Midwest. In the words of the great Michael Scott, “It takes a big man to admit his mistake. And I am that big man.”

Seriously though, this show is not just notable because it is a nationally touring artist taking the stage but, rather, that it is a really good one. Morningstar’s brand of songwriting is raw, heartfelt, and clever and is just my cup of tea… or bourbon, if you will. Start with “Damn These Birds” and “Must Be the Whiskey” and tell me that this is not a great reason to get out to a show on a Sunday evening. Local favorite Mark Webb Jr. kicks things off, which is a great local complement to everything Morningstar will bring to the stage to follow.

Find this show – and a boatload of others to choose from – on the iOnGreenville Live Music calendar and get out and enjoy an afternoon or evening of music somewhere in the Upstate in the days and weekend ahead. Bring your masks and hand sanitizer and enjoy whatever show you land at. Thankfully for us all, there are a ton to choose from again.


Upstate Live Music Calendar

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