Liza Mitchell
For independent record store owners and vinyl enthusiasts, Record Store Day is among the most anticipated events of the year. Created to celebrate the contribution of independent record stores and the unique role they play in their communities, RSD maintains the vibrancy of the art form and supports the owners of the stores who promote music in a tangible format in this digital age.
As the owner of Young, Loud & Snotty Records in Atlantic Beach, Dale Kellerman takes his place among the independent purveyors of vinyl across the country celebrating Record Store Day on April 21st with limited edition releases and records produced by artists exclusively for the day. When Y, L &S opens its doors at 79 Sailfish Drive in Atlantic Beach at 9am, a line of customers will be waiting to score the must-haves on their list. “It’s definitely helpful to record stores, and it’s cool that people get excited about it,” says Kellerman. “Record Store Day is my busiest day of the year.”
Records are available on a first come, first serve basis. There are no holds on records, and Kellerman encourages people to show up early because titles are limited. The full list of titles in stock for RSD will be posted on the store’s Facebook page. The last thing Kellerman wants is for a customer to show up and stand in line only to leave empty-handed. “We may have one copy or ten of something,” he says. “When a customer really wants a record and they finally find it, it’s a satisfying feeling.”
Established in 2008, Record Store Day is celebrated across the country with over 200 titles released specifically for the day. “Some artists make limited edition special releases like colored vinyl or a numbered version, kind of like a collector’s item,” says Kellerman. “Maybe it’s not been released before on vinyl, or maybe it’s not been pressed in 20 years and they will only issue like 1,000 copies.”
Young, Loud & Snotty was christened in the summer of 2012, named in honor of the first album released in 1977 by the punk band Dead Boys. The name captured everything Kellerman hoped to embody with his operation. His store includes titles by his favorite punk bands, rock classics, metal, hardcore, jazz, blues, hip hop, rap and everything beyond the pale of mainstream pop music. He also stocks posters, band and skateboard t-shirts, comics, art, buttons, DVDs, books and custom Young, Loud & Snotty boards, shirts, and hats.
It was a risky move for Kellerman to open a brick-and-mortar storefront when other independent record stores across the city were folding. He remembers driving around the Beaches, thinking about his next move. Landscaping was at the top of the list. But as he stopped at a red light, he noticed the number of trucks pulling trailers loaded with lawn equipment. Not wanting to compete in an oversaturated market, he rolled the dice and got lucky.
“I’ve always been into music, especially records. There weren’t any record stores out at the Beach. CD Connection had just closed six months before, so I kind of took a big gamble,” says Kellerman of his decision to open his storefront in an unassuming strip center on Sailfish Drive among a unique collective of merchants including an Asian market, a Buddhist center, a vape shop, a tattoo parlor, and a pawn shop. Kellerman fit right in.
Now, almost eight years later, business is good, even though he still hears exclamations of surprise from first-time customers, unaware that the store even existed. “I didn’t know there was a record store here!” says Kellerman. “I get that at least once a week.” Kellerman relies on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to help promote Y, L & S by posting photos of the latest releases, sales on used vinyl, arrival of new skate decks, and in-store performances.
Kellerman himself is the guitarist and vocalist for the punk band The Reachers and is a partner with Slasher Screen Printing and Viking Skateboards. He also maintains an enviable collection of vintage pinball machines and the classic Atari 720 Degrees arcade game that are available for play at the store. “The stuff in the shop is stuff I grew up with, playing pinball and skateboarding,” he says. “I didn’t want to just sell records. Someone may not need a record that day, but they might need a new skateboard.”
The natural cross-pollination of punk rock and skateboarding led Kellerman to discover his love of music. Bands like the Dead Kennedys and Agent Orange provided the soundtrack for skating a ramp in a friend’s backyard. He carries trucks, wheels, bearings, and stickers manufactured by smaller companies. Y, L & S stocks some of the bigger names as well, but Kellerman identifies with the ethos of the more modest brands that do it less for profit and more for the love of skateboarding.
Over the last few years, Y, L & S has developed a solid local following interested in perusing the new and used records as much as tricking out their skates. Kellerman has recently noticed an upswing in younger customers, high school kids that search out titles from older bands like Black Sabbath, the Doors, and Led Zeppelin to new releases by current bands that are doing their part to impart the value of vinyl onto the next generation of music fans.
“There are a lot of kids from I’d say 13-17 that are coming in to buy records. I started buying records as a kid and started getting back into it in my early 20’s. It can be a dangerous habit,” says Kellerman, who uses a spare room in his home to store his vinyl stash. He regularly scours thrift stores and flea markets for used vinyl for the store and to add to his own extensive collection. Sometimes, it’s hit or miss. “A lot of Barbara Streisand or Christmas records,” he says. “But sometimes, you get lucky.”
Check out www.youngloudandsnotty.net for a link to all they’ve got in store for Record Store Day, April 21st.
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