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Next Sarturday, 2010 April 17th is Record Store Day! As we head closer to the big day, I wanted to give you some highlights:

* There are brand new Record Store Day 2010 t-shirts and a commemorative poster available at www.recordstoreday.com. The shirts are a pretty, calming blue-purple-grayish thing for the men and ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb red for the ladies. The poster was designed and handscreened by Chapel Hill NC poster artist Ron Liberti and is super-limited.  (Also, we have a few 2009 “classic” shirts left, and they are on sale right now too)

We also recommend our very own Vinyl Kills MP3 classic T-Shirts for this day.

* Record Store Day has appointed a new Ambassador for 2010, and you should see what he has to say. Ambassador Joshua Homme  (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Them Crooked Vultures) has produced an explanatory little video about Record Store Day and why it’s so important. We think it’s a must-see. Check it out on www.recordstoreday.com

* Are you a tweeter?. Record Store Day is on Twitter as @recordstoreday  Follow & join the fun by answering question of the week, like this week’s:  “What’s your favorite guilty pleasure album?”  (They’re on Facebook too.)

* Record Store Day releases have caused an even bigger buzz this year than in the past few years—and those years were buzzy-buzzy. There are more than 150 pieces being released just for Record Store Day this year, and you can find a list at www.recordstoreday.com. You’re gonna find something(s) you can’t live without, but remember that not every store will bring in every thing, and even if they could, most of these are limited so check with your local stores and strike up a conversation. Let them know what you’re dying to get your hands on!

* Also over at www.recordstoreday.com (gosh, that site has it all, huh?) there’s a great contest up right now where you can win a Record Store Day prize pack from Zoom, Samson and Record Store Day. They’ve got even more contests lined up to unleash in the weeks to come, so check back often. Can’t win if you don’t enter! Duh.

Finally, keep in mind what Record Store Day is all about—supporting your local indie record stores. I’d like to encourage you to check them out now, and after Record Store Day too, they’re really fun places to hang out. And while you’re at it, stop in at some other local merchants too. You can find almost anything you need at a locally owned retailer.

Have a great week!