Record Store Day! Free Beer! Free Turntable! Used CD Sale!

Record Store Day isn't just Limited Colored Vinyl Day. It's a celebration of the record store and any celebration needs good beer, right? Thanks to Dogfish Head, the official beer of Record Store Day, we will be giving away plenty of delicious Aprihop seasonal ale to the over 21 crowd. And that's not even our best Dogfish Head-related giveaway.

We know it's hard to believe anything could be better than beer, but the groovy turntable above certainly qualifies. To enter, stroll up to Leon's or the Brick Store, who will have a keg of the rare Bitches Brew on tap, and order any Dogfish Head. Not only will you get a scrumptious beer, but you'll also receive a raffle ticket entering you for the turntable.

A free turntable is a great way to get into vinyl, but we know that not everyone has abandoned CDs. Like we said, it's Record Store Day, not Limited Colored Vinyl Day. So, all used CDs will be 50% off on Saturday and Sunday. No matter your favorite format, stop by, have a Dogfish Head, and celebrate the record store.

Local and Recommended: Slugga

Given the rate at which Atlanta has been churning out quality punk bands for over a decade, it shouldn't have been so easy for Slugga to sneer and stomp their way into this city's heart. With a batch of instantly memorable songs and more than their share of in-your-face aggression, however, Slugga has quickly established themselves as a can't miss live act.

Unlike many punk bands, Slugga has proven perfectly capable of translating the freneticism of their live act onto record. After an excellent demo tape, the band's vinyl debut comes courtesy of Orlando's Total Punk Records. As indicated by their no-frills approach to Bandcamp tags ("punk" and "that is all"), there's not a lot to say about Slugga's gimmick-free brand of hardcore. If you're not a fan of the genre, they're not for you. But if you have any appreciation for hardcore, check out their new single and you won't regret it.

We have plenty of copies in stock in our local section so come grab a copy and be sure to see Slugga live at 529 on Friday April 17th and at the Atlanta Mess Around and Atlanta's Burning festivals.

S.A.R. Records Giveaway for Black History Month

What better way to celebrate Black History Month than by giving away a selection of titles from Sam Cooke's S.A.R. Records? As one of the first black musicians to run his own label, Cooke holds an important place in African American music history even beyond his own legendary singing career. With groups like Cooke's former band the Soul Stirrers and Bobby Womack's Valentinos, S.A.R. Records housed some of the best R&B acts of the early sixties.

Thanks to the kind people at Sony records, we will be giving away all of the amazing CDs you see pictured above and listed below. To enter, send us an email, call us, Tweet us, Facebook us or simply stop by the store. The titles included in the contest are:

·         The Complete S.A.R. Recordings – L.C. Cooke

·         Lookin’ For Love – The Valentinos

·         Joy In My Soul – The Soul Stirrers

·         The Best Of The Tymes

·         The Best Of The Orlons

·         The Best Of Dee Dee Sharp

·         The Best Of Chubby Checker

·         Sam Cooke’s S.A.R. Records Story

·         The Poet I & II – Bobby Womack

·         Ain’t That Good News – Sam Cooke

·         Legend – Sam Cooke (DVD)

Win Tickets to R.E.M. by MTV Screening at Midtown Art Cinema!

As seminal alternative rock institutions founded in the early eighties and known by three-letter abbreviations, R.E.M. and MTV are a natural pairing. That pairing will bear fruit in the form of REMTV, an awe-inspiring 6-DVD box set in stores on November 24th. The set includes five discs of live performances ranging from festivals to award shows to The Colbert Report. The sixth disc is perhaps the jewel of the set, a feature length documentary entitled R.E.M. by MTV covering the band's career all the way from Chronic Town through Collapse Into Now.

Can't wait until November 24th to see the documentary? You're in luck! Midtown Art Cinema will host a special advance screening of R.E.M. by MTV on Tuesday, November 18th. Even better, your ticket stub will double as a $10 off coupon for the REMTV box set at Decatur CD from release through the 27th. Speaking of Decatur CD, we're also giving away a pair of tickets for the screening. As always: stop by the store, call us, email us, tweet us or Facebook us to enter.

Ticket Giveaway: Dream Syndicate Sat Sept. 27 @ the Earl

The last time Steve Wynn was at the Earl, his Baseball Project put on a whale of a show that our own Warren Hudson considers to be one of the best of the year. That concert will not be an easy one to top, but expect just that to happen this Friday and Saturday (Sept 26 and 27) as Wynn returns to front the reunited Dream Syndicate, jangly standard-bearers of Los Angeles's Paisley Underground. Dream Syndicate's AllMusic bio lists the band alongside the likes of R.E.M. and the Velvet Underground as a forefather of modern indie rock--praise that is equally lofty and deserved.

As such, we're honored to be giving away a pair of tickets to the Saturday show. Dream Syndicate will be playing their 1984 album Medicine Show in its entirety along with some additional selections from throughout their career. It's not often you get the chance to see indie rock royalty in such an intimate setting, much less for free! And be sure to get there in time for the openers as Dream Syndicate will be joined by fellow legends of the Los Angeles underground Savage Republic and up-and-coming locals the Small Reactions.

To enter, make use of our battered but trusty entry box on the counter!

Ticket Giveaway: John Hiatt with Tedeschi Trucks Band at Chastain Park

Already awesome enough to release John Hiatt's stellar Terms of My Surrender two months ago, the fine folks at New West Records have ratcheted their awesomeness to the next level by giving us a pair of tickets to give away to Hiatt opening for Tedeschi Trucks Band this Friday at Chastain Park. Warren has only just finished raving about the last John Hiatt show at Variety Playhouse and he guarantees Hiatt and his band will not disappoint. The presence of Tedeschi Trucks Band is simply icing on the cake.

To get your free pair of tickets, come by the store and utilize our high-tech entry system on the counter. Again, the show is this Friday, so hurry down here and enter for your chance to win. And if you do win, say hi to Warren at the concert. Even Atlanta's Friday rush hour traffic can't keep him away from a John Hiatt concert.

Beatles in Mono, You in T-shirt!

Almost any discussion of the Beatles will lead to an argument. Whether it's early Beatles versus later Beatles, Lennon versus McCartney, Revolver versus Abbey Road or mustachioed Ringo versus whiskerless Ringo, Beatles aficionados just can't come together. Everyone agrees, however, that the Fab Four's catalogue sounds best in mono.

With today's release of the Beatles' mono catalogue on 180 gram vinyl, it is easier than ever to hear Liverpool's finest the way they were meant to be heard. Every album (except the stereo-only Abbey Road and Let It Be) is available individually with painstakingly recreated original packaging or in an awe-inspiring box set also featuring a hardbound book of photos and essays. Additionally, Mono Masters, previously only included in the mono CD box, compiles the band's mono singles and b-sides into a handsome 3xLP package.

Whatever your level of Fab Four fanaticism, we've got something for you. If you're quick to react, you'll get something extra. See that comfy blue t-shirt above? It can be yours for free if you're one of the first to buy either two of the individual albums, Mono Masters, or the box set. Quantities are very limited so act fast if you want to dress sharp!