This Year At Good Records, Where It Also Serves As The Store’s Annual Anniversary Bash, Dallas’ Granddaddy Of All Record Store Celebrations Once Again Shined Bright.
Photos of Siamese, Texas Gentlemen, Cure for Paranoia and Medicine Man by Cal Quinn. All others by Karlo X. Ramos.
There was a moment there in the early afternoon on Saturday when it seemed like one of Dallas’ great annual traditions was in danger of losing its luster.
Maybe it was the overcast skies or the cooler-than-usual temperatures — or perhaps it was due to the fact that, this year anyway, there were no fewer than 10 like-minded events going on around the region. Whatever the reason, the crowds just didn’t appear to be swarming Good Records like they usual do at this time of day for its yearly combined Record Store Day and store anniversary celebration — the 10th and 17th annual such affairs for Good Records, respectively.
But then a funny thing happened: The sun came out, and so too did the stars.
First, in town for a Saturday night show at the American Airlines Center, Tom Petty’s official Instagram account gave the store a surprise shout-out:
Then Dallas’ own Erykah Badu, long-announced as being a part of the day’s DJ offering in the store’s storage space, appeared. And, all of a sudden, this annual throwdown once again became the party it’s for so long been revered as being.
Headlining a roster of established Dallas DJs whose selections throughout the day were as tasteful and interesting as they were broad and head-turning, Badu’s own sonic curation turned the space into a party — albeit one that pushed the shop’s temporary sound system installed into this space to its limits. During her hour-plus-long set, Badu turned the garage space into a true DIY party. After battling a less-than-cooperative speaker system for the beginning half of her set, Badu settled into her groove by dropping early hip-hop and funk tracks much to her fans’ delight — especially once the Good Records staff cut the lights in the space, cuing to this crowd that it was OK to dance as if no one were watching. Of course, no one was; rather, all eyes in the jam-packed space were affixed on Badu, who appeared to be having a blast — especially when she dropped Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and in turn whipped her crowd into a frenzy reminiscent of that song’s iconic music video. Later, upon the completion of her set, her fans would surround her on her walk back to her car, asking for selfies or autographs on just-purchased LPs, which Badu was happy to provide.
Inside, meanwhile, things on the shop’s vaunted AstroTurf stage too found its groove, as some of Dallas’ best new bands wowed the crowds inside of that space, demanding their attention as they browsed the store’s racked. Among the highlights were the ever-impressive Siamese, whose set was as dramatic as it was impressively choreographed, and the always jaw-dropping Texas Gentlemen, whose throwback Texas outlaw sound was assisted here by a guest vocal turn from sometime Gent (and breakout area star in his own right) Paul Cauthen, who seems singlehandedly appearing to be maintaining Waylon Jennings’ vocal legacy. Although they capably did as much, it seems The Gents didn’t need to prove their mettle to anyone during this performance; by the end of their set, the group’s debut EP, a Good Records-exclusive RSD offering, would sell more than 250 of the 300 limited edition copies that had been printed up just for the occasion.
In the end, it seems stupid to have ever, if even for a moment, doubted the vitality and staying power of this annual affair. Dallas has been blessed with some great record stores over the years, but when it comes to truly celebrating music, Good Records seems to have permanently established itself as being in a class all its own.