For more than 10 years now, Record Store Day, the annual celebration of locally owned, brick-and-mortar music shops, has stoked the passions of music lovers all over the country. Every year, artists release new and previously unheard music, along with bootlegs and reissues—often in collectable formats, including vinyl and cassette.

Below are some of the choice titles that you might be able to get your hands on if you visit Streetlight or Rasputin. But don’t forget to visit other local shops. Look to On the Corner Music in Campbell for great bargains on used records. Be sure to factor in some serious browsing time in order to comb through the massive selection at The Record Man in Redwood City. And be prepared to tap into your savings account after listening to the high-fi audio equipment at The Analog Room in San Jose.

Neil Young
Tonight’s the Night Live
Revered and reviled in equal measure, Tonight’s The Night is an almost mythical release for Neil Young fans. Though it has some of his best songs and was named one of the 500 best rock albums of all time by Rolling Stone, it is also difficult, obstinate and drunk with grief. This live album (from a two-night stint at the Roxy) was the first performance of the songs that would haunt a generation.

Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire EP
The first release by Win Butler and crew, this self-titled seven-song EP is available on vinyl for the first time ever. Originally appearing in 2003, the album features one song that was later re-recorded for Neon Bible (“No Cars Go”), as well as a few that have been staples of live sets over the years. Perfect for completists, or anyone interested in following the band’s development over the years.

The Dap Kings
A Closer Look At The Dap-Kings
Destined to become a DJ staple, this collection of instrumental tracks by one of the greatest live bands this side of Y2K is sure to go quick. The Dap Kings were the backing band for almost the entire neo-soul movement of the early 21st century, laying down the tracks for Amy Winehouse, Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones—all of whom are sadly gone. Now this release allows listeners to hear the detail in all its glory.

Chicano Batman
Chicano Batman
The long-out-of-print self-titled full length by L.A.’s Chicano Batman gets a limited reissue treatment for Record Store Day, this time with new artwork. Celebrated for their soulful mix of psychy ’60s rock and good ol’ party vibes, they’ve been a singular (and funky) voice in Latin rock since this album dropped in 2009. A testament to their timelessness, it still sounds as fresh today as it did then. Limited to 3,000 copies.

Courtney Barnett
The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas
On the strength of these two EPs, Courtney Barnett went from playing Melbourne bars to Saturday Night Live. Now reprinted on picture disc for Record Store Day, this edition comes with goodies like a Mom+Pop Records 10-year poster, and a Barnett temporary tattoo. Originally released in 2014 (before she collaborated with Kurt Vile), the record includes the hit “Avant Gardener,” which established Barnett as something of this generation’s Lou Reed and launched her career in the process.

Waxahatchee & Kevin Morby
Dark Don’t Hide It / Farewell Transmission
Jason Molina’s untimely death in 2013 haunted many in the music community. In life, the singer of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co. seemed dogged by an incredible pain, following him around like a shadow. This split from Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee) and Kevin Morby (Woods, The Babies) comprises two covers of beloved Molina songs as a fundraiser for Musicares, a nonprofit that offers mental health services to musicians. Beautiful music for an important, oft-overlooked cause.

Notorious B.I.G.
Juicy 12-inch
Yes, this is only one track and, yes, it was originally released way back in 1994 (and can still be heard regularly today), but “Juicy” is without a doubt one of the best hip-hop songs of all time. From the beat, to the impossibly catchy chorus, to the pitch perfect rags-to-riches lyrics, this is the song every emcee in the game wishes they wrote. A must for every party, DJ set and collector alike. Biggie lives on.

Wu Tang Clan
Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers) on Cassette
Why give Enter the Wu Tang a cassette tape release in 2018? Because if you want to hear Wu Tang the way Wu Tang first heard Wu Tang, this is it. When it was released in ’93, the tape was the dominant format for demos and studio bounces. Plus it has a different sound than vinyl—it’s grimier and more boomy, which makes it perfect for this famously gritty record, and one of the best albums in hip-hop.

The Ramones
Sundragon Sessions
One of the rarest items on this list is the Sundragon Sessions by the Ramones. Recorded in ’76, these were demos for the band’s second album, Leave Home, and were only released recently as part of that record’s 40th anniversary box set. If you didn’t get the box set then, or simply want these gems on vinyl, this is the one and only way to do so. Limited to a worldwide run of 10,000.

Czarface & MF Doom
Man’s Worst Enemy 7”
Inspectah Deck often gets forgotten in the rouges gallery that is the Wu Tang Clan, but he’s had a renewed sense of purpose in the hip-hop supergroup Czarface. This new 7” is meant to be played along with the accompanying comic book that serves as the record’s insert. It’s a (graphic) novel usage of media, and one makes the case for the physical record over streaming in a whole new way.

The South Bay music scene scores again. Earlier this year, Curious Quail won an opening spot for Live 105’s BFD concert at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, and now Saratoga blues-rock trio Fritz Montana are the winners for the local band opening spot at the station’s Not So Silent Night concert this weekend at Oracle Arena.

The band earned a spot on the lineup after its bluesy alt-rock song “Say It So” won the most votes among other Bay Area bands.

“Winning the opening slot at Not So Silent Night has been a very humbling experience,” says Fritz Montana lead singer and guitarist, David Marshall. “We could not have achieved this without the support of our families, friends, and fans. Winning this contest is definitely the highlight of our band thus far.”

Fritz Montana will be performing on the first night of the two-day concert on Friday, before Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend, Queens of the Stone Age, AFI, Arctic Monkeys and Capital Cities take the stage. Saturday night includes headliners Arcade Fire, Phoenix, ALT-J and Lorde among other bands.

The trio claims San Francisco and San Jose as their home towns, with two-thirds of the band actually residing in the South Bay.

Fresh after the release of double album Reflektor, Arcade Fire announced plans for a North American tour today that include a date at Shoreline Amphitheatre and a suspicious gap during the scheduled dates for Coachella 2014.

Fueling rumors that the band is a potential headliner at Coachella, the first leg of the tour skirts the april dates of the two-weekend festival with concerts within a reasonable drive in Austin and Denver before and after the festival.

After a break in May and June, the second leg of the tour begins July 30 at Shoreline Amphitheater. However, Bay Area fans will get a live preview of the bands new material at Not So Silent Night this December at Oracle Arena.

Tickets for the July 20 show go on sale Nov. 22.

Tour Dates:
March 6 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum Center
March 8 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
March 10 – Auburn Hills, MI – The Palace of Auburn Hills
March 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – Consol Energy Center
March 13 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
March 14 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
March 16 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
March 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
March 18 – Bridgeport, CT – Webser Bank Arena
April 9 – Houston, TX – CWM Pavilion
April 10 – Austin, TX – 360 Amphitheater
*April 11-14: Coachella?
*April 18-20: Coachella?
April 23 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
April 26 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
April 27 – St. Louis, MO – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
April 29 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
May 1 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
May 2 – Atlanta, GA – Aaron’s Amphitheatre
July 30 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 8 – Seattle, WA – The Gorge
August 11 – Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
August 12 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
August 14 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
August 17 – Washington, DC – Verizon Center
August 19 – Boston, MA – Comcast Center
August 22 & 23 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
August 26 – Chicago, IL – United Center
August 30 – Montreal, QC – Parc Jean Drapeau

There was something instantly exciting about watching the eight-piece River City Extension play the tiny Blank Club this past Sunday, especially seeing them employed such atypical rock instruments as a banjo, violin and trumpet. They played passionate, heartfelt indie-folk that was sincerely fun to watch and different from any other bands currently wearing the indie-folk label.

With barely enough room to fit everyone on stage, River City Extension brought so much energy and talent they instantly took control of the crowd. I predict this relatively obscure New Jersey band will build a solid buzz in the indie rock world within the next couple of years.

With eight people, they were free to vary their instrumentation from song to song. They played keyboards, guitars, percussion, mandolins, you name it. All the different instruments and the fun that was driving their music, made the show feel like a jamboree, similar to the infectious live shows of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. But rather than Sharpe’s freaky, hippie vibe, River City Extension played folk music that was honest, working-class and pure New Jersey rock and roll.

At times, they drifted into the quiet intensity of Fleetwood Mac or the down-and-out guttural pain of Bruce Springsteen. Their songwriting was clearly influenced by Arcade Fire—though a much more complex version of the group. They utilize dynamics to its full extent. When they reached full volume with everyone singing in union, it was a downright hootenanny, without a shred of irony or pretense.

The end of the set brought smiles to everyone’s faces. The band jumped off the stage, carrying percussion, and singing a passionate acapella song. They danced around the audience taking all the pain imbedded in their music and turning it into joy.

Local Ben Henderson, is filling in on bass with the group on this tour, opened the show with a set of his solo material. His music was well-received, as usual. River City Extension’s violinist joined him for a few songs along with Good Hustle bandmate Dan McKee.

“It’s good to be home in San Jose,” Henderson told the crowd, “If only for a day.”