CLARK, NJ — Record Riot is a music lover’s dream. There are more than 40 vendors selling vinyl, compact discs, rock T-shirts, cassette tapes and posters. Record Riot is coming to Clark on Sunday, April 21. It will be at Arthur L. Johnson High School, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an early admission at 9 a.m. The show will take place in the school cafeteria.
The concept of Record Riot began back in 2008, when Steve Gritzan hosted his first event. It was such a big deal, the story ended up in the New Yorker magazine.
“It was a mob,” Gritzan said. “It was crazy. Everyone was surprised how many people came. The complaint was ‘it was too crowded.’ It’s not as novel now. There are other vinyl events.”
Currently, Gritzan is hosting 22 Record Riot shows in eight states, including New York, Massachusetts, Ohio and Virginia.
Gritzan attributes Record Riot’s success to the fact that people love events. “It’s the era of events,” he said. “Something to do to get out of the house. You can buy records on the internet; it’s about coming to the show. People like reptile shows, gun shows, tattoo shows. Record shows fall into that.”
Ages of attendees range from 12 to 70, but the “sweet spot,” according to Gritzan, is between 20 and 35. “That’s what’s growing in the record business,” he said. “Older people have been into records for a while.”
While not every vendor does the same show, there are between 20 and 50 at each one. “Some come to different shows; local people who live within an hour of the show,” Gritzan said. “It’s like having 15 different record stores in one room.”
The crucial part of the show, according to Gritzan, is that attendees never know what a vendor may bring. “Sometimes a simple Frank Sinatra record, in some cases a rare psychedelic record. People are looking for common things to rare things,” he said.
During the event, all kinds of music is played from either a playlist created by Gritzan, or he’ll play tunes, song by song, based on who is in the room. “We try to play all kinds of music,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons the show is popular. It sets the mood for the show. The ambiance is very important.”
If you’re attending a Record Riot for the first time, Gritzan advises, “Look around the room before you buy anything. You want to take a deep breath. There’s a lot to look at.”
Record Riot shows are booked well into 2025, which is fine with Gritzan, because he likes to know his schedule. The vendors also want to know when the shows are happening. And the venues want to book them. “We’re booking shows like crazy,” he said.
Gritzan said he has no idea what the future holds for Record Riot, yet it continues to grow. “Things keep appearing before my eyes,” he said. “More places are asking us to bring it to town.”
Aside from Record Riot, Gritzan has a store, Iris Records in Jersey City, which has been around since 1995. They are well known for their good selection of soul, jazz and hip-hop. But now they’re also selling indie, country and punk. “We’re a community-oriented store,” he said. Throughout the year, seven of the Record Riots are at Iris Records.
Gritzan lives in Jersey City part of the time and says he’s part of the Jersey City scene. He also lives in Orange County and Montreal. “I’m all over the place,” he said.
For more information on the Clark Record Riot, visit: https://www.recordriots.com/clark-nj/.
Photos Courtesy of Steve Gritzan