Saturday, April 21 is the fifth annual Record Store Day. My town, New Paltz, is uniquely blessed with two independent record stores: Jack’s Rhythms, founded by the late Jack Goldberg and now run by John Lefsky; and Rhino Records, founded by…a rhino, I guess, and now run by the inimitable Rick Lange. These guys and their staffs are lifers with multiple literacies and passions: music, film, art, literature, even baseball and tennis, and the confluences of them all.
And while the rest of the civilized world argues over whether you own a thing when you buy an MP3, or just a revocable license to play a thing on a different thing, which you own, we Paltzonians can go score actual artifacts in real places from dudes who are every bit deserving of the titles “sage,” “mentor” and “advisor on the journey of cool.” Please recognize Record Store Day this year and keep these great institutions vital and viable. You won’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, I’m afraid.
Jack’s Rhythms is located at 54 Main Street New Paltz; (845) 255-1082. Rhino Records is located at 3 Church Street in New Paltz; (845) 255-0230. The Woodstock Music Store, located at 6 Rock City Road in Woodstock (845-679-3224), also plans to celebrate the occasion from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Read more about Record Store Day at www.recordstoreday.com.
Join the family! 
