April 16th, 2016. A day that will live in spin-finy, otherwise known to the general population as "Record Store Day." Whether it's just another Saturday to you or hailed as another major holiday, here are eight reasons why you should embark on a journey to your nearest record store, as told through the lens of various stages of Joseph Campbell's "A Hero's Journey" :
1. The Ordinary World: This is where your story begins; the hero. Amidst the stress of a week filled with exams, papers and deciding which is more important, studying or sleep, you feel like something is missing. But you're not sure what yet...
2. The Call to Adventure: About a day later, you receive a call that will change your life forever. You are invited to experience one of the holiest days marked on a music lover's calendar: Record Store Day.
3. Refusal of the Call: At first, you're ecstatic to expand your already overflowing record collection or finally begin one. But then, you take a look into your bank account and your heart sinks. A new, heart-wrenching decision must be made: to continue to eat for the next week or to fill your ears with sounds of the record you have always been dreaming of.
4. Meeting the Mentor: After wrestling with the options that are before you, you vent to your roommate about your dilemma. They give you the wisest and most factually sounding advice you have ever heard: YOLO. After finally deciding to attend Record Store Day, you decide to pick up an extra shift at work to ease your (and your parent's) worries about your plummeting bank account.
5. Crossing the Threshold: You wake up and check your calendar and your heart begins to race. The day has finally arrived. You put on your best flannel, lace up your boots and strut out the front door to begin your journey; this is the vinyl countdown.
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: Once you arrive at your local record store, a series of obstacles are immediately thrown your way. First, there is the ultimate test of which records to purchase; will it include a classic 70s hard rock desire or a 2010 underground indie album? Next, it's the time to distinguish your friends from your enemies; who will help you find your holy grail of vinyl and who will try to steal it away from you?
7. Reward (Seizing the Sword): Suddenly, something catches your eye from the corner of the store. Could it be your favorite album, buried beneath a collect records that got lost in the chaos? As you realize your eyes do not deceive you, you move across the store as if in a dream, dodging and weaving through the maze of prospective buyers and fellow music lovers. Once you hold the record in your hands, you know this is what you were meant to find on this sacred day.
8. Return with the Elixir: You have reached your final stage in your journey. Exhausted and emotionally drained, yet with a beautiful grin seen painting its way across your face, you open the sleeve and breathe in the classic musty vinyl aroma. Once the needle graces the record and you hear that crackling sound that resembles a bonfire on a cool autumn night, you understand that while the journey may have been difficult, it was worth it in the end. As the sounds of your favorite songs flood your ears, your bank account doesn't seem so important anymore (at least for that moment).
