This is your chance to be a part of The 2012 Light In The Attic Road Trip!

58 record stores…

2 days…

2500 miles…

2 Light In The Attic vinyl junkies …and you?

In the 1950s and ’60s, classic labels such as Chess Records would distribute their records via a network of hard-traveling reps selling records from the trunks of their cars; a mobile army of rack-jobbers spreading the good word all around the US. In homage to this, and as part of our ongoing 10th anniversary celebrations, we are going on a road trip. From September 20th to October 1st, we and a videographer will be taking a road trip down – and back up – the West Coast, visiting 58 record stores, each one of them bastions of vinyl resistance in a digital world.

The road ahead stretches from Seattle, where Light In The Attic was founded, to Los Angeles, our second home base, and back again. When we say we’re taking the long route, you’d better believe it – we’re traveling a total of 2500 miles. At each stop, we will be dropping off records, CDs and goodies galore at the assorted emporia. You can follow our progress daily at http://www.LightInTheAttic.net/roadtrip2012, where our vinyl-toting team will be blogging, vlogging and tweeting with the hashtag #litaroadtrip.

It’s the ultimate audiophile road trip, and the great news is there’s a seat in the van for one lucky Light In The Attic fan too. For this very special Free Basin’ Friday Tuesday, we’re offering a trip of a lifetime plus daily cash to spend on vinyl at the record stores on the road, room and board – and a place in history. For your chance to join the party, tell us why you should be in the van by emailing roadtrip@lightintheattic.net. The winner will be announced September 17th, 2012 right here on the Light In The Attic blog.

This is the sixth time that we have embarked on an old-school, record-hawking mission of epic proportions. Previous trips have included the East Coast, Midwest, West Coast, and Canada. For the previous West Coast excursion in May 2009, we loaded a van up with wares and hit the highway. “This epic indie retail journey may very well prove that the old-school way of doing business is what it takes to survive in this economically grim digital age,” said Venus Magazine.

There’s gold not only at the end of the trip but during the journey as well. The van lands in Los Angeles just in time for the first of two Light In The Attic 10th Anniversary concerts: September 28th at the El Rey Theatre and then back in Seattle for the October 12th festivities at The Showbox at The Market. Depending on the city, the shows are loaded with leading names from the Light In The Attic roster, including South Korea’s 75-year old ‘Godfather of Rock’ Shin Joong Hyun, veteran Yorkshire finger-picking wizard Michael Chapman, a very rare performance from rediscovered darlings of private press, Donnie & Joe Emerson, and a headline slot from the phoenix-like Rodriguez, star of the hit film Searching For Sugarman.

This will, indeed, be a birthday to remember.

Video created by Drew Christie www.drewchristie.com