If you’re a vinyl nerd, you’ve likely had April 19 marked on your calendar for a while now. Saturday marks the seventh annual celebration of Record Store Day.

The event is all about showing love to your local record store and sharing the music you love in a communal setting with those around you. The day is marked by special vinyl and CD releases, performances, giveaways, parades and general festivities that take place at local record shops around the globe.

According to the official Record Store Day website:

“This is a day for the people who make up the world of the record store—the staff, the customers, and the artists—to come together and celebrate the unique culture of a record store and the special role these independently owned stores play in their communities.”

Here at It’s All Dead, we couldn’t agree with this sentiment more and we encourage you to get out and support your local record store this Saturday by picking up some new music by your favorite artists.

Personally, this will be my fourth year participating in Record Store Day. I began collecting vinyl in late 2010 as a way to cope with some difficult life events. The hobby soon become a source of joy and one that has benefited greatly from Record Store Day events over the past several years.

Not only does the day offer the opportunity to snag awesome special vinyl releases, but it promotes the idea of community – an essential part of the music experience that has been dreadfully affected by the digital age.

While standing in line, browsing through records and listening to music, you’re bound to meet someone with a common interest. The shared experience of music is something that bonds us together helps us relate to those around us. Record Store Day is the opportunity to embrace that idea and have a real connection with not only the music, but those around us who love the music as much as we do.

So this Saturday – get out and enjoy! To find a record store near you that participates in Record Store Day, go here. For a list of all of the day’s exclusive releases, go here.

Let us know how you plan to celebrate Record Store Day and what records you’re excited to pick up on Saturday in the replies!

by Kiel Hauck

Kiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.