Looking for some new tunes or simply need to fill every last square centimeter on your Kallax shelf? If you’ve already shopped at Chicago record stores, an upcoming traveling record fair should provide some additional options for your autumn soundtrack.
Independent record labels Ghostly International, Dead Oceans, Jagjaguwar, Secretly Canadian and Chicago-based Numero Group are collaborating on an “traveling label expo,” packing a 24-foot Penske truck and embarking on a 15-city tour throughout September. When Paved Paradise stops in Chicago on September 25, the event will host a curated selection of LPs, 45s, cassettes and CDs from each of the participating labels—plus, “limited edition ephemera” like colored vinyl variants, out-of-print releases, T-shirts and other stuff that music fans will love.
In addition to all of the things available for purchase, organizers are also promising “special guests and local collaborations” during every stop of the tour, so don’t be surprised if you see some local artists getting behind the decks for a DJ set or setting up for an outdoor performance. Numero Group co-founders Ken Shipley and Rob Sevier as well as Ghostly International Special Projects Director (and Brooklyn Flea Record Fair Director) Amanda Colbenson will be in attendance during every stop of the tour, answering your burning questions and providing recommendations from their respective catalogs.
The Chicago edition of Paved Paradise will be the tour’s penultimate stop, taking place outside of Bungalow by Middle Brow in Logan Square. You’ll have to stay tuned for more details about the event (including its hours) and Chicago-specific collaborations—perhaps Middle Brow will brew a beer inspired by the scent of dusty vinyl?
And if you can’t wait to experience a record fair, there’s another taking place in Chicago very soon. Anyone with tickets to the Pitchfork Music Festival on September 10, 11 or 12 will have access to the annual CHIRP Record Fair, where a variety of record labels, local record stores and other vendors sell their wares to attendees seeking an escape from the sun (or rain).