If you love local music, then Record Store Day 2024 is going to be one for the books for you.
Several major local artists will be part of the annual retail holiday including Fleet Foxes, Death Cab for Cutie, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees and others. Many of the records being released feature unreleased material or live sets that have not been pressed on vinyl.
You can view the full list of releases for Record Store Day 2024 (which is April 20 btw) over on the RSD website. Here’s a look at eight upcoming RSD releases from locals along with descriptions provided by the RSD website.
Malfunkshun “Olympus Awaits”
Malfunkshun is an American punk/LOVE-rock/proto-grunge band formed in 1980 by brothers Andrew and Kevin Wood. Combining glam influences with distortion, they were one of the earliest grunge bands, forming alongside the U-Men and Melvins. Their definitive lineup consists of the brothers and drummer Regan Hagar. After interactions with fellow grunge act Green River, Andrew would become the frontman for successor Mother Love Bone. Malfunkshun dissolved without having released much material, although they recorded demos and appeared in the landmark grunge compilation Deep Six. Malfunkshun’s demos with Andrew were later compiled and released on cd/digital as Return to Olympus on Loosegroove Records, which was founded by Hagar and fellow Mother Love Bone (currently of Pearl Jam) member Stone Gossard.
Olympus Awaits is a definitive compilation of all Malfunkshun recordings. It includes the above-mentioned Return To Olympus album (here on vinyl for the first time ever), very early demo recordings which feature a more urgent, fast hardcore/punk and songs featured previously on compilations only. This is the ultimate LOVE ROCK archival release of MFUNK!.
Screaming Trees “Weird Things Happening: The Ellensburg Demos 1986-1988”
Ellensburg, Washington is known for the world’s 3rd largest three-day rodeo, 90’s NFL legends Brian Habib and Drew Bledsoe and as the hometown of seminal Northwest band Screaming Trees. In the late 80’s, Ellensburg residents were often confronted with the strangely primitive sounds of the band emanating from their headquarters in the back room of the Conner family’s Main Street store, New World Video. Here was the scene of creation of songs from the band’s early Velvetone and SST albums. During this prolific time, much of the band’s music never made it beyond their own ears but was fortunately captured on Gary Lee Conner’s 4 track cassette recorder. Those cassettes have survived, intact, down to this day and have now made their way to this recording. So now, transport yourself back to New World Video, in late 80’s Ellensburg, and hear the weird things happening.
TAD “Infared Riding Hood”
Tad was a band that couldn’t buy a break. Sued for album cover art by Pepsi (among others), dropped by a major label for showing Bill Clinton with a joint in his hand…and then right when Infrared Riding Hood came out, their A&R rep got canned along with all of her bands. Which explains why this 1995 record has never seen a US LP release…till now! It’s a sludge and grunge fest (grudge fest?), right up the alley of fans of the Melvins and those whose tastes lean more leather than flannel. Aqua blue pressing limited to 1100 copies, exclusive for Record Store Day!
Death Cab For Cutie “Live at the Showbox”
Live At The Showbox is a 17-track collection of songs recorded over a three-night stand at the Showbox in the band’s hometown of Seattle, on February 24-26, 2020, right before the COVID pandemic descended upon the world. These songs were originally released on Bandcamp for 24 hours in May 2021 – this will be their first physical release, limited to 2500 copies on pink marble vinyl.
A statement from the band about this recording: “Like so many other artists, we expected to play a lot of shows in 2020. To gear up for the year ahead, we decided to warm up by playing an intimate, three-night stand at a venue that’s near and dear to our hearts – the Showbox in Seattle. Well, 2020 didn’t quite turn out like we had planned – but happily those three magical nights in February 2020 did, and we’re glad to say that we had them recorded!”
Pearl Jam “Dark Matter”
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees Pearl Jam return with an exclusive yellow and black ghostly Dark Matter LP colorway for Record Store Day 2024. The band’s 12th studio album
was produced by Grammy® Award Winning producer Andrew Watt.
Mudhoney “Suck You Dry: The Reprise Years”
New 5LP box set featuring the three Reprise studio albums and an EP from the Godfathers of Grunge, as well as two bonus LPs of live tracks, B-Sides and unreleased demos, all making their debut on vinyl. This limited set includes the first North American pressing of their Reprise debut, “Piece Of Cake”, liner notes by Keith Cameron, author of the book Mudhoney: The Sound And The Fury From Seattle, and new artwork by illustrator Edwin Fotheringham.
Loosegroove Records House of LSGRV: 2024 Loosegroove Records Artists Compliation
Loosegroove Records is a Seattle-based record label created and run by guitarist and songwriter Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam, Painted Shield, BRAD), and drummer/Creative Director Regan Hagar (BRAD, Malfunkshun, Satchel). Distributed through The Orchard, Loosegroove prides itself on its curated and eclectic roster of artists encapsulating a broad range of musical genres. Currently working with alt-rock band Tigercub, singer/songwriter Jonny Polonsky, folksinger Mason Jennings, Painted Shield featuring blind, BIPOC, nonbinary singer, rapper, sound manipulator Brittany Davis, along with new signings, James and the Cold Gun, Zoser, and more.
Loosegroove Records began in the 90s releasing music from Malfunkshun, featuring Regan and the late Andrew Wood, Critters Buggin, Weapon of Choice, and punk band, The Living, which includes Duff McKagan among others. In 1998 they signed Queens of the Stone Age and released the bands’ debut album as well as a few successful movie soundtracks and hip-hop compilations before taking down their shingle in 2000. They regrouped again in 2020, with a strong foundation and reputation in artist development and A&R.
Fleet Foxes “Live on Boston Harbor”
A triple LP set recorded live on the “Shore Tour” captures Fleet Foxes performing a two hour career-spanning set on August 10,2022 at Boston Harbor, Mass. Pressed on black vinyl in a wide-spine sleeve with an orange obi wrap.
Do people really associate Drew Bledsoe with Ellensburg? I suppose he was born there but I remember him more from his high school days playing for Walla Walla High School.
I associate him with WSU and the excellent Patriots documentary on Apple TV.