@LinerNotes

Okay, I need you to pay close attention to this one. Yes, this is an article and interview about a vinyl record. It is about one which is a Record Store Day Exclusive release. But this is no ordinary slice of licorice pizza, served up by a group of very good bearded musicians. No, no my friends. This is vinyl that you don't just play. This is vinyl you play .

Rex Manning Day Button by  @Isle_Of_Her . I want one! The official day to celebrate Rex Manning Day (April 8th) has come and gone. By now you've packed away your purple shirts, eaten your cupcakes and listened to "Say No More (Mon Amour)" more times than you can count. And while it is true that any incredibly awesome day you have can and should be considered your own personal Rex Manning Day, I was curious in hearing how some of you celebrated the official day.

Today is Rex Manning Day. The second most important annual music-themed holiday after Record Store Day.* When I started the Rex Manning Day countdown clock three years ago, I did it not only for my love of the movie Empire Records , but also for the potential of bringing the film’s fandom together via Social Media and to spread the word that today, much like May the 4th (Be With You), National (Insert Food Here) Day** and Talk Like a Pirate Day, is a very legitimate and fun holiday to celebrate.

Do you remember when you heard the news about Kurt Cobain? Those of us who were fans of Nirvana on April 8th, 1994 likely have Flashbulb Memories of where we were and what we were doing when the news of his suicide reached us. I remember it vividly, as it was a day that really put me on the course of writing professionally about music. It was also a strange moment as I had briefly met Kurt and the band just a few months prior.

We didn't know it at the time, but 20 years ago today, music fans lost a beloved artist, one who was never able to fully share with us the depths of his potential talents. Kurt Cobain died from a self-inflicted gunshot on approximately April 5th, 1994, according to the coroner’s report, but we wouldn't learn the tragic news for three more days, when an electrician who came to Cobain’s house to install security lighting discovered his body. In his last, tragic act, Kurt Cobain, the accidental revolutionary and unintentional voice of a generation, sowed the seeds of his transformation from rock star into legend.