Saturday, April 18th at 3 pm J&R’s “Next Great Metal Band” winner, Misery will top off the live performances at J&R’s celebration of Record Store Day.

On February 21st, in J&R, Misery was chosen by the crowd at a live instore performance that pitted them against three other great metal bands. A hard hitting metal band from Long Island, Misery was formed in the early 90’s and in August 2008 released their album “Fifteen Years Of Aggression” and supported Life Of Agony on an East Coast run in December of 2008 and January of 2009. Misery reached as high as 12 on the FMQB Metal Radio Charts and can currently be heard on Sirius-XM satellite radio station Liquid Metal. Misery can also, be heard on cable shows such as Music Choice and DMX. Misery has played an end-less amount of shows on the East Coast of North America and with their unique sound and style have supported bands such as Biohazard, Pro-Pain, Overkill, Death Angel, Testament and Spoiler NYC.

“This is the new breed of heavy.” - Joey Z of Life of Agony

Misery “Low Life” @ Sundance 2/13/09

Anne Akiko Meyers will be performing and signing autographs on Saturday, April 18th as part of J&R’s celebration of Record Store Day at 1:00 pm.

Meyers has just issued an appealing new CD, Smile, on the Koch International Classics label. It’s an eclectic collection of mostly short, tuneful pieces: Charlie Chaplin’s nostalgic Smile, Astor Piazzolla’s seductive Milonga en Re and Introduccion al Angel, Michio Miyagi’s wistful Haru no Umi (’Sea in Spring’), all played with an unfailingly sweet tone, molding her phrases like a singer.

Starting her studies at age four, Anne Akiko Meyers first performed with a local orchestra at the age of seven, then burst into national prominence at age eleven, when she twice performed on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Johnny Carson and appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She was soon performing throughout the United States, Japan, Australia and Europe and by the time her debut disc of the Barber and Bruch violin concertos was released at age 18, Meyers was recognized as one of the stars of her generation.

She was featured in a live global Internet broadcast with Keith Lockhart and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, performed in front of some 750,000 people during Sydney’s 250th Bicentennial celebrations, and has performed for dignitaries including the Emperor and Empress of Japan.

A best-selling recording artist, she seeks to reach wider audiences through new works and showcasing under-performed or rarely heard music; recordings of works written expressly for her include a live performance of the Somei Satoh Violin Concerto with Tetsuji Honna and the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra on the Camerata label, and Angelfire by Pulitzer-prize winning composer Joseph Schwantner with Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on Hyperion.

Anne Akiko Meyers studied with Alice and Eleanore Schoenfeld at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, with Josef Gingold at Indiana University, and Felix Galimir, Masao Kawasaki and the late Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School. The recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, she performs on the “Royal Spanish” Antonius Stradivarius violin, dated 1730, that once belonged to the King of Spain.

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Office of the Mayor, City of New York, Proclamation

Whereas:
Since the dawn of recorded music history, record stores have been an important part of our lives. More than just the place to get the latest hits from your favorite musicians, they provide a venue to expand your musical horizons and learn about other cultures, support artists and the music industry, and argue with neighbors over which is the greatest guitar solo of all time. Independent record stores have been crucial in launching the careers of some of the biggest names and trends in music. But in recent years, the proliferation of free music on the internet has threatened this vital industry more and more.

Whereas:
The number of independent record stores — which for years have enriched our lives with great music and supported our local economies by creating jobs and revenue — has plummeted. Even larger chains have been hit hard by the changing tides of music distribution. These stores need our business more than ever. That’s where Record Store Day comes into play.

Whereas:
Record Store Day is an important opportunity to support local businesses and musicians, and the music industry in general. More than 1,000 stores worldwide — including New York Cit’s J&R Music World — are expected to participate in this exciting event. Customers will have a chance to get their hands on some rare recordings and promotional materials, meet some of their favorite musicians, and hear some all-star acts at in-store performances.

Whereas:
New York City is proud to take part in record store day in support of an industry that has been a vital contributor to our cultural and economic vitality. I encourage everyone to head to J&R or your local record store, pick up a CD, an LP, or a DVD (or, in my case, an 8-track), and do your part to keep the record store industry rocking and rolling in the years to come.

Now therefore, I, Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York, in recognition of this important event, do hereby proclaim Saturday, April 18th, 2009 in the City of New York as: “Record Store Day”

We were lucky enough to have NARM President Jim Donio answer a few questions for us about upcoming Record Store Day and the importance of record stores. Check out what he had to say below.

You are the President of NARM, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers. Can you tell us a bit about what NARM does and it’s function in the industry?

The National Association of Recording Merchandisers is a not-for-profit trade organization that serves the music content and commerce communities by helping advance the promotion, marketing, distribution, and sale of music. NARM provides its members with a forum for diverse meeting and networking opportunities, information, and education to support their businesses, as well as advocating for their common interests. Our core content delivery membership consists of music retailers and wholesalers, including brick-and-mortar, online and mobile companies. More than that, our membership encompasses distributors, record labels, multimedia suppliers, technology companies, and suppliers of related products and services. Individual professionals and educators in the field of music are also members.

Record Store Day is a fairly new event. How did it come about and how many retail stores are participating this year?

Record Store Day has more than 1,000 participating retail outlets around the world. The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 by a group of independent store owners and their organized business coalitions as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding independently-owned record stores in the United States and internationally, and to highlight the contributions they makes to the industry and their communities. This is one day when independently-owned stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet and greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Franscisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.

Vinyl has definitely shown a resurgence lately. Why do you think that is? And do you think it’s for the long haul?

Vinyl records are extremely appealing to a large segment of the population who share a pure love for music. From young collectors discovering the warm tones of vinyl, to the audiophiles who enjoy the “raw and real” sounds, vinyl has become a preferred way to enjoy favorite bands. New generations are still discovering the uniqueness of the LP, and some consider a vinyl album a true work of art and a must-have collectible.

Why are record stores still important?

Record stores are important today because these retail outlets offer a true cultural and economic relevance to their local communities. Music is purchased by a diverse mix of consumers around the world, whose preferences are as varied as their ages and backgrounds. Purchasing music today is not “one size fits all,” nor is it mutually exclusive. For example, a consumer may buy music online, but still enjoy the experience of visiting record stores. As music crosses all demographics, many music fans prefer their unique experience of escaping to a record store where they can listen to new music, browse selections, and discover new sounds — all in a familiar, communal atmosphere. I believe there will be vibrant and thriving record stores for many years to come.

In addtion to four live performance, exclusive offerings and giveaways, J&R’s celebration of Record Store Day will feature an Advance Listening Party of 50th Anniversary Legacy CDs on the 2nd Floor of J&R Music World, 23 Park Row, 12 noon, Saturday, April 18th.

In celebration of the 50th anniversaries of their recording, Columbia/Legacy is releasing special Legacy Editions of Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, Miles Davis’ Sketches Of Spain and Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um. All three are slated for a May 26 release and excerpts of all three will be played at J&R, Saturday.

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The Time Out Legacy Edition will feature two CDs and a DVD. The DVD features a new 30-minute documentary on the making of Time Out, including footage of Brubeck illustrating selections from Time Out at the piano. The audio portion of this package features over 90 minutes of music, including an entire second disc of previously unreleased live recordings from the Newport Jazz Festival from 1961-’64.

Sketches Of Spain was released in 1960, but recorded in ‘59. The two-CD Legacy Edition of this collaboration between Gil Evans and Davis features more than two hours of music: the original album along with rehearsal and alternate takes previously heard only on the 1996 set Miles Davis & Gil Evans: The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings, plus the lone live performance by Davis with Evans, “Concierto De Aranjuez” performed at Carnegie Hall on May 19, 1961.

The two-CD Mingus Ah Um features more than two-and-a-half hours of music, including Mingus Ah Um and its sequel, Mingus Dynasty, in their entirety, plus four bonus tracks from the sessions and three alternate takes.