After a hugely successful “Record Store Day Drops #1” held June 12th, Cactus Records & Gifts (Cactus Records), a staple of the Downtown Bozeman music and arts scene for over 50 years, is gearing up for “Record Store Day Drops #2” scheduled nationally for Saturday, July 17th.

While the first “Drop” date at Cactus was somewhat more subdued (though well-attended) than their pre-Covid Record Store Day celebrations, the hard-working friendly folks at Cactus are working on a much bigger celebration for “Record Store Day Drops #2.” Historically, Record Store Day has seen Cactus host several live music performances throughout the day, and while as of this writing the line-up has yet to be announced, a similar format as previous years is in its planning stages. This information will be made available on Cactus Records’ social media pages in the days preceding the big event July 17th.

The July Record Store Drops #2 will also be special because it is being held in honor of BaconBit, Cactus Records’ much-loved store dog of 12 ½ years who passed away 2 days after the June drop.

Record Store Day is highlighted by the release of over 200 limited-edition, collectible new and newly reissued record releases that are exclusive to independent record stores like Bozeman’s Cactus Records. Cactus has ordered most of these in order to please even the most discerning of music collectors, though as the pressings are limited, so are the quantities available, and fans are encouraged to show up early. Customers are only allowed 1 copy of each title they purchase.

Some of the more sought-after titles for July releases come from artists like The Allman Brothers Band, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Cure, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Foo Fighters, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Garcia Band, Gorillaz, The Infamous Stringdusters, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Pearl Jam, John Prine, Queen, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, St. Paul & the Broken Bones, St Vincent, Slightly Stoopid, and Amy Winehouse. A complete list of releases for this Drop Date can be found at https://recordstoreday.com/NewsItem/9578 .

The reasons for 2 different Record Store Day “Drop Dates,” as opposed to the typical single day, are in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. As per the recordstoreday.com website, “Things are improving but in this continued “unprecedented global situation”, where production and shipping is still in a state of struggle, the focus of these two Drops dates is on bringing revenue to the stores-- as well as to the artists, labels, distribution and every other business behind the scenes making record stores work, in a fiscally and socially responsible way. The spread of titles over two dates in two months allows some flexibility for the struggling vinyl pressing plants and distribution companies as well as provides stores time to prepare budgets and place the orders that safely get music into the hands of customers on a larger than normal release day.”

Inaugurated in 2007 to “celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store”. The day brings together fans, artists, and thousands of independent record stores across the world. Bozeman Celebrates RSD at Cactus Records and Gifts and at The Wax Museum. A number of records are pressed specifically for Record Store Day, with a list of releases for each country, and are only distributed to shops participating in the event.