Happenin Fest

You never forget the first time you touch vinyl.

I remember looking at my dad’s old record collection for the first time when I was in middle school. He had been collecting since buying a record player in the 80s, and having been an avid lover of rock, funk and jazz, had a variety of both unique and popular artists in his arsenal. I remember first browsing through it sometime in my middle school years, amazed at the odd and wonderful cover art, and the grittier images of musicians lacking the candy-coated sheen of airbrushing.

Vinyl vs CDs

Having spend my early childhood listening to Pop music on CD’s, records presented me with an authenticity and realism to music that I had never experienced before. On the days that my dad would play his records while doing handiwork or ironing his shirts, the clarity of the music seemed to echo through the house in a way that my boom box never could.

As I got older, my brother and I would dive into any record store we came across, aimlessly searching for both familiar and elusive music that could be added to the collection.

Record Hunt

With the exception of a few, most of the records we stumbled across lied tucked away in dusty corners of thrift stores and junk shops, with no rhyme or reason or respect. Fortunately with the encouragement of the public, vintage record stores are on the rise.

In fact, the timeless love story between people and record stores has developed into its own holiday, appropriately deemed Record Store Day. This year’s holiday falls on April 20th, with Huntsville’s own shining example Vertical House Records holding a major celebration: The 2nd Annual Happenin Fest!

A Happenin Fest

Doors open at 11:00 am, with the store receiving newly released vinyl. Quantities are limited, so be sure to get there early! Then the festivities continue into the evening with the 2nd annual Happenin’ Fest, hosted by Happenin Records, Vertical House Records, Get Bent, Old Black Bear Brewing Company, and DIY Birmingham.

In honor of Record Store Day, this event will host 12 regional and national bands, including Dent May, Useless Eaters, Sugar Stems, and ST 2 Lettaz (formerly of G-Side). There will also be Djs spinning records between bands.

For a list of the records coming out on Record Store day that Vertical House will be stocked with, visit the Record Store Day website. And if you don’t own a record player, I think this would be a good enough excuse to get one. Because the best part about hunting for records is: you never know what you might find.

More Vertical House

• Find Vertical House Records on Facebook
• Follow Vertical House Records on Twitter
• Visit the Vertical House Records website

Event Information: Happenin Fest

Date: Saturday, April 20th
Time: 5pm-12am
Location: Vertical House Records, inside Lowe Mill
Cost: $10
Tickets: Advanced tickets available online