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Chicago - CHIRP Record Fair this weekend (4/14-15)


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I had done this in years' past but it's too expensive for a table and not worth the hassle for all the casual yuppies or whatever who come in with their kids just to kill a few hours.

I did, however, get the first two Veruca Salt LPs from Minty Fresh for $10 a pop a few years ago. Now THAT was worth it.

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It's pretty much all lame-o record dealer types. Not very many Chicago-based labels bother with it these days.

I've got this impression of it though I've never been. Figured it'd be all older dudes with long hair asking $100 for a copy of Mellow Gold telling me they can "sell it for that all day in their shop." I'd love to be wrong, but the $7 to find out might be better spent at Reckless I feel...

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After reading more about it, I feel that's what it would be. I think I'll save my $25 and put it back in my RSD fund.

Its only $7/$5 w/the ad

If you're looking for newer stuff, stay home.

It's pretty much all lame-o record dealer types. Not very many Chicago-based labels bother with it these days.

If you are looking for older stuff, you might find some good shit.

I've never been to this before but I've been to pitchfork for the last few years and the way it sounds to me is that this is the same record fair minus the labels from out of town. I want to go only to go through to see what Music Direct has, unfortunately I can't go since I'm working all day and already had plans for Sunday, but if I knew in advance I would have gone since I'm passing on Pitchfork this year. Every year I've gone to pitchfork I've found some kind of deal with them. Ie Weezer - Blue Album, and Pinkerton for only $15 or the newest Explosions in the Sky(the one that folds out into a house) for $18, and Miles Davis Kind of Blue for $15. Plus various radiohead albums. At pitchfork they had the Flaming Lips Heady Nuggs for like $60 or $70, not that I care for them, just saying their prices seemed really great to me for that specific time.

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There seems to be a lot of hate for the fair here, which I don't get. If you like crate digging, finding hidden gems, etc... the fair is amazing. If you're looking for new stuff, it's not the best use of your time. There are a few tables where guys overprice shit, but they account for a minority of the booths there. I've had some success haggling with dealers to bring the price down on multiple item purchases.

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I was gonna go. I was gonna pay the $25 to get in early and beat everyone to the punch. I worked my ass off on side jobs to secure a solid $500 to spend. Then, the stupid fucking dog got sick and I spent $450 to find out HE HAS GAS!. And by me I mean my wife. I never wanted the dog or the fucking bills that go along with it.

Bottom line: don't get married. Hell, don't have pets or a girlfriend. They fuck up your life.

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I was gonna go. I was gonna pay the $25 to get in early and beat everyone to the punch. I worked my ass off on side jobs to secure a solid $500 to spend. Then, the stupid fucking dog got sick and I spent $450 to find out HE HAS GAS!. And by me I mean my wife. I never wanted the dog or the fucking bills that go along with it.

Bottom line: don't get married. Hell, don't have pets or a girlfriend. They fuck up your life.

But... PUPPIES!!!!!!!!!

Also, my wife says you should be more pissed at your vet for charging that much. What the fuck did they do to that poor dog?

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There seems to be a lot of hate for the fair here, which I don't get. If you like crate digging, finding hidden gems, etc... the fair is amazing. If you're looking for new stuff, it's not the best use of your time. There are a few tables where guys overprice shit, but they account for a minority of the booths there. I've had some success haggling with dealers to bring the price down on multiple item purchases.

This is what it's always been - personally that's what record fairs SHOULD be - places where predominantly second hand and older stuff is readily available. If someone wants new stuff, there's no shortage of places to find it.

that said, CHIRP is an amazing project and does a ton of cool stuff for the Chicago music scene.

I mean, my gosh - look at their radio station: Pissed Jeans, Public Image LTD, The Flat Duo Jets, Link Wrap and The Icky Boyfriends ALL in the 45 minutes. THAT'S good stuff! I'd even go so far as to say that CHIRP is for Chicago what WLUW is for Jersey/NYC in terms of a local station with a great curation of taste that doesn't exclusively pander to trends.

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I think they had a pretty decent amount of new stuff. most of it overpriced, but some good deals to find. Here's what I picked up

MIA - /\/\ /\ Y /\ (180g, sealed, corners slightly bent) - $8

Ray Lamontagne - Trouble (sealed) - $13

Matisyahu - Youth (180g, promo) - $5

Tool - Undertow (sealed, corners slightly bent) - $8

Skadanks - Give Thanks - $4

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me - $12

Portishead - Portishead (sealed) - $8

Some of these prices may not have been the absolute best, but they were finds that made me happy, especially the Skadanks for being so random. Plus, I could never walk out with a score like this in a typical record store, and avoided dealing with shipping... so it was nice to leave with everything in-hand. Go in with a budget, support a good thing, and leave satisfied... great day in my opinion.

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