Written By: Justin Shaw, Arts and Entertainment Editor
Photos By: Caleb Upson
Triple Play Records has served the Grand Junction community for over 35 years as the primary record shop in town. Attracting various vinyl collectors from around the state, their shop boasts an extensive collection of LPs, tapes, CDs, and more music-related items. Additionally, they specialize in disc golf products, an activity that is rapidly gaining popularity in Grand Junction.
However, Triple Play is best known as Grand Junction’s long-standing record shop, serving as a cornerstone for the town’s growing vinyl community.
TRIPLE PLAY RECORDS
The store was originally established in 1988 with only a few records, tapes, and CDs. Since then, it has slowly blossomed into one of the largest record stores on Colorado’s Western Slope.
“I’ve been going to Triple Play since they opened back up; it’s become my favorite record shop,” said Meri Comerer, an avid record collector. “Every time I visit, it’s like I leave with something new.”
Vinyl has been experiencing a resurgence as a popular form of tangible media, with sales skyrocketing following the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Associated Press, vinyl record sales increased 29% to $626 million in 2020 during the pandemic, surpassing compact disc revenue.
Matthew Cesario is the General Manager of Triple Play Records. He discussed the vinyl community’s recent resurgence since the pandemic.
“I’ve seen more of a resurgence in brick-and-mortar destinations for stores because of COVID,” Cesario said. “Everything had to be ordered online, but customers would much rather go a store so they could find what they want.”
WHAT IS RECORD STORE DAY?
Record Store Day is celebrated by independent record shops all across the nation. It started in 2007 to recognize and raise awareness about the unique culture surrounding roughly 1400 independently owned record stores across the United States. It’s a day for music enthusiasts to unite and celebrate their shared passion through various activities, partnerships, and deals.
Record Store Day 2024 featured hundreds of limited, one-of-a-kind independent record store exclusives available only at local record stores nationwide. This year’s Record Store Day featured 387 planned releases.
In addition, Triple Play partnered with local food trucks, businesses, and artists to roll out limited-edition products as well as host concerts. Canadian country and western singer-songwriter Corb Lund, who has three certified gold records to his credit, was one of those performers. At this intimate concert, he showcased some new songs from his latest album, El Viejo, for which he is currently touring.
Thanks to the special collaborations and performances, Record Store Day 2024 was expected to see a record-breaking turnout at Triple Play Records.
“It’s hard to gauge, but we are up 100% attendance on the Facebook event, and it’s not even a day out,” Cisario said days prior to the event. “Ordinarily, there are only about 40 people going; this year, there are over 130, and normally there are only about 100 interested; now there are over 450.”
Planning for this day began back in October of 2023.
“We started preparing things in October, getting our poster made, and then figured what we’re gonna do is get a food truck,” Cisario said. “Two years ago, there was a small list of options for trucks, but now there are so many that we were able to get a second one later in the day.”
The availability of another food truck allowed the event to last much longer than anticipated, with events stretching from sunrise to sunset.
“We just want people to come and enjoy Triple Play Records and Grand Junction’s beautiful downtown,” Cisario said. “It’s going to be a great weekend.”
RECORD STORE DAY 2024
On the morning of the event, the line began to grow and eventually stretched down the entire block. As soon as the doors opened, people rushed in to get their record store day exclusives. Records flew off the shelves, and customers left with their purchases in a matter of minutes.
“It was absolute chaos, I could only find a few records that I had wanted,” said Alyssa Comerer, a vinyl enthusiast. “The atmosphere was amazing, though, and it’s something you could only understand if you were there.”
Once the chaos subsided, there was a continual flow of customers throughout the day. Given all of the events scheduled around Record Store Day, it seemed safe to expect a steady flow of customers.
For over 35 years, Triple Play Records has been a vital presence in Grand Junction, helping serve the demands of the local musical community. Its wide variety of music formats and events add to its reputation as a cultural hub for Grand Junction music enthusiasts.
Triple Play Records will celebrate its 36th anniversary this year from May 11 to 13. The event will be held in conjunction with the Rides and Vibes Mountain Bike and Music Festival, which will include live music and events. Triple Play will host a disc golf course on Main Street and a vintage media sidewalk sale. For additional information, visit the Triple Play Records Facebook page.
blockpartygj.net 