Must-visit Phoenix shops and parties for Record Store Day Black Friday

Need a solid reason to leave the house and/or awkward family situations after Thanksgiving? Then head to your favorite local retailer for Record Store Black Friday. Already in its 14th year, RSDBF is another chance to snag a suite of special releases (CDs, records and singles) from some of your most beloved bands and solo artists. (Click here for a complete list of available releases.)

For anyone who still remains uninitiated, RSDBF is the holiday version of the long-running Record Store Day from April. This musical celebration, however, isn't just some musical sloppy seconds — it's sort of your pre-holiday shopping opportunity, with the bulk of releases also available for Christmas proper. (Which means you can be more strategic in your purchases, and where a little savvy planning goes a long way.) But just like RSD proper, quantities are limited and stores do hold special hours, so be aware before you shop.

And just like years past, there's going to be a veritable Thanksgiving cornucopia of participating local stores, including The 'In' Groove, Stinkweeds, Candy & Records and The Record Room. And, of course, there are the five Zia Records locations throughout the Phoenix metro area. Be sure to check out RSD's website for every participating store and the full list of releases.

With that many stores open, you’ll have an even greater chance to snag any of the 150-plus releases for 2024. Some of the extra-appealing standouts include Rage Against the Machine's concert from the 2000 Democratic National Convention, a special 30th-anniversary edition of "Purple" from Stone Temple Pilots, a two-song 12-inch taken from Pearl Jam's "Dark Matter" world tour, an extended version of Kacey Musgraves' "Deeper Into The Well" (with seven new tracks), the isolated vocals version of Billie Eilish's latest album, "Hit Me Hard And Soft" and a 25th-anniversary special edition of "Operation: Doomsday" from MF DOOM.

When planning your day, "Variety" also made an excellent point about the state of Black Friday shopping. With so many retailers now moving their sales solely online, RSDBF is one of last bastions of tradition for the "holiday." But that also means with fewer places to hit up, your own RSDBF shopping may get more or less crowded, which is something else to consider as you hit the streets that chilly Friday morning.

Other highlights for this year include a picture disc version of Steve Martin's "King Tut," a handful of single releases from The Beatles, a 12-inch featuring Whitney Houston's previously-unreleased "Love Is," a Snoop Dogg live record, a compilation of The Elephant 6 indie collective, a 15th anniversary edition of Gaslight Anthem's "Live at Park Ave" and "Imminent Redemption," Jane's Addiction's first new song in some 34 years.

Once you've grabbed your wares, these local shops have also organized parties/get-togethers with extra goodies and incentives. Some standouts include:

Breaking previous years’ tradition, Zia stores Valley-wide will now open at 8 a.m., with a select but nonetheless impressive list of available releases. Head here for a list of all Zia locations.

Meanwhile, much like in years past, Asylum Records, (2990 N. Alma School Road, Chandler) will host another meet-and-greet. This time, it's actors Douglas Tait ("Freddy Vs. Jason") and Dominique Swain ("Face Off").

Grace Records (2200 E. Williams Field Road, Gilbert), opens at 7 a.m. and is offering 10 percent off the entire store (excluding the RSD titles and other promotions) as well as 15 percent off apparel.

Stinkweeds, 12 W. Camelback Road, will be open at 8 a.m. and feature RSDBF releases as well as a "huge collectible used LP drop." There'll also be DJ sets from Grassy Nöel and others.

Candy & Records, 9402 N. Central Ave., once more has quite the day planned beginning at noon. There will be DJ sets (from DJ Donnie James Rio and DJ Dr LaFlow); a performance from the metal band Withering Heat; free candy; and a raffle for other prizes.

The 'In' Groove, 3300 N. 24th St., opens for another year at 8 a.m. They'll have all used and non-RSD vinyl marked down by 10 percent. Plus, you can stream the event on the store's YouTube page.

Once again, for all participating locations, a full list of the 150-plus total releases and other pertinent info and details, check out the official RSD Black Friday website.