Culture
11 Jun 21

Record Store Day: Steamboat Records in Limerick gearing up for Drop 1 this Saturday

To celebrate Record Store Day 2021, Hot Press is chatting to some of the country's favourite music shops, in anticipation of the big day.

Record Store Day is “one of the highlights of the year for independent record stores,” according to Mark Carey, owner of Steamboat Records. The Limerick store have been busy in preparation for Drop 1 this Saturday, June 12.

On Record Store Day in previous years, the shop prided themselves “on having more in-store performances in our store in the country than any other store on Record Store Day,” says Mark. Despite being unable to have any artists perform this year, they are doing “everything to help push and promote music in Limerick.”

While Record Store Day, like all events at the moment, has been impacted by the pandemic, Mark believes the event has come at the right time. "There's been a big push for independent businesses and shopping local during the last year,” he points out.

Steamboat Records have been preparing for Record Store Day for months, and are excited about the support the day is getting. “It’s really great to see a lot of the current generation of artists getting involved in RSD, the likes of Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga and Twenty One Pilots,” he notes - saying that the involvement of these artists in Record Store Day is a “testament to the amount of people who are getting into vinyl and we've certainly noticed over the last year.

"We've seen a lot of people coming into the store for the first time and it's fantastic,” he adds.

The Limerick Shop are eagerly anticipating the big day where record lovers bond over their shared passion, and newcomers foster a new interest in vinyl collecting.

“RSD is a great day for the community that we see in our store," Mark remarks. "It's a great way to bring like minded people together, sharing their love of music and having a fun day out."

With Record Store Day set to kick off on Saturday, Steamboat Records are also looking forward to the future, where the festivities won’t be impacted by Covid-19. “We've some big events planned for further down the line to make up for it," Mark hints. "Plenty of parties to come."

Keep an eye on hotpress.com for more Record Store Day 2021 content.