Local musicians waxing nostalgic

It's like Valentine's Day for music fans, sans the teeth-rotting chocolates and overpriced roses. Saturday is National Record Store Day, and in honor of the occasion, we asked some Vegas musicians to share their thoughts on record shops.

"Record shopping is a Zen experience for me. It's finding that one used copy of an album treasured and forgotten about over the years. It's taking a chance on a cool band based on the name, artwork, genre without hearing it in 30-second clips. It's making time to pick out your next fave album, which isn't appreciated or satisfied with instant mp3 download. It's holding something real, created by musicians, designed by artists and pressed by people who care about the medium," Robert Bell, singer/bassist, The Psyatics.

"When I was a very young kid getting into heavy metal in the '80s, I found a local record store that served as my unholy church. The owner of the place manned the counter seven days a week and steered me from the W.A.S.P. and Lizzy Borden to Mercyful Fate, Venom and Iron Maiden. He and his wife got me involved in the tape trading scene and got a kick out of this kid spending hours in their store each day reading liner notes and asking a million questions. The foundation of everything that I know about music came from those formative years there," Jeremy Brenton, drummer, Demon Lung.

"I love record stores for the sheer reason that I'm a sucker for vinyl in general. I remember acquiring some awesome Graham Parker and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass records for next to nothing at the legendary Balcony Lights when I first moved here. There will always be a special place in my heart for record stores," Brendan Scholz, singer/guitarist, Deadhand.

"Flipping through racks of vinyl records has always been one of my favorite things. It's where it started for me, and I've come back to it in the last year. I go at least once a week. Sometimes I spend 20 bucks on something new, sometimes 3 bucks on something used. It makes me happy. I can't explain it, but the Internet can't replace it," Ronald Corso, producer, National SouthWestern Electronic Recordings.

"Taking a trip to the record store used to be a weekly ritual for me that included exchanging and discovering new and different bands with friends. Now, no one's leaving the house to buy anything and we are revealing our opinions to strangers online. There's a fabled few of these shops still standing, but the old vibe has died," Sandra Moreno, singer/drummer, The Gashers.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.