The Diamonds of the Desert, after the break!
Record Store Day 2026 in the Antelope Valley (04/18/26)
Soundtrack for this Adventure:
"Go Go Juice" by Sabrina Carpenter
Greetings!
This journey was entirely something different before Thursday, April 16th.
For the original city we were going to adventure to was holding their, extremely busy, annual popular event... which made this vinyl lover completely revise everything a mere 48 hours before Record Store Day 2026. We never wanted to deal with traffic, blocked streets, or expensive parking. So I spent the next couple of lunch breaks balancing what I wanted to see with how much energy it would possibly take out of us.
Four outcomes ended up spilling out on my notepad. All will have their RSD diaries in due time...
(Probably? The future remains uncertain and this series only happens every 365 days! Who knows what's ahead of us. That's the plan though! Having another five years of content is always great!)
...but I figured it would be easier to travel east and see what kinds of Desert Roses are hiding out there. For the Antelope Valley holds three participating Record Stores (as of 2026): Full Score Music, Voodoo Vinyl, and House of Wax. Could they be better than Los Angeles, Pasadena, or last year's stop in Ventura? The answer actually surprised me! As one of these stores below might be that "Diamond in the Rough" we had been searching for all this time.
Enjoy our 2026 Record Store Day Adventure - in The Antelope Valley!
What was on my RSD 26 list? See for yourselves!
I didn't refer to this checklist at all during this adventure. The last minute change in plans threw everything up in the air so we ran wherever the wind took us...
And off we went!
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| (Driving through the Mojave Desert towards The Wind Farm..) |
Location #1:
House of Wax (Tehachapi, CA)
If I was gonna spend an hour plus in the car... might as well take this adventure all the way to the end of the line, right? "For the love of vinyl!" No matter the distance.
Surprisingly, my navigation system made this trek even longer by sending us down the unstructured gritty backroads of the Mojave Desert. A place where you want a dependable car and a full tank of gas. I'm kinda glad we got lost because discovering the insurmountable beauty of The Mojave 16/17/18 Wind Farm before arriving in town around High Noon certainly made for a beautiful small moment. One I won't soon forget.
On the other side was House of Wax - in the small Railway Town of Tehachapi. It is one of the final Participating Record Store Day Shop before heading eastbound out of Southern California. The vibes were immaculate as I entered the spaciously boutique. The floor wasn't overloaded with vinyl, which left enough room for walking and hanging out. A curated, chill spot in an slower pace environment that serves the community with stellar cultural events. Checking all the boxes of a perfect local record store (and guitar repair shop).
They only had a handful of exclusives left by the time I arrived after their busy morning. HoW's leftovers throughly impressed me though. No other shop during this adventure had any 7 inches remaining so I'm glad I picked up Olivia Dean's 'BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge EP' alongside Mile Davis' 'The New Sounds Mono 10" LP'. Had that Fall Out Boy Tour LP in my hands for a bit too. Thought I could find it somewhere else. (I didn't). Delusional hopes from a stellar selection.
The other shops didn't really specialize in Mainstream Pop exclusives so that made HoW standout above the rest. Knowing that was their speciality will entice us to return for another round. I just gotta stay on the highway over taking the detour next time.
Photos
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| (Loved this midday setup!) |
Location #2:
Voodoo Vinyl (Lancaster, CA)
In the heart of "Old Town" Lancaster lies Voodoo Vinyl, a hard-rocking record shop with plenty of geeky oddities that scratch my vintage toy / comic collector itch more than my wax obsessions. They had something for every nostalgic adult and optimistic kid. Their Record Store Day exclusives were limited, but I dug what I saw. Especially how they signed the date in fancy cursive on all the plastics.
I walked out with David Bowie's "Clear vinyl, half-speed mastered edition of 'Excerpts from Outside'" and props from the owner because he wanted to take that exclusive home too. And I really wanted his toy collection. Should've made a trade, right?
Photos
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| (Made me miss House of Secrets in Burbank) |
Location #3:Full Score Music (Quartz Hill, CA)
I think I found it y'all. The best kept secret for Record Store Day... at least for us!
(Results may vary)
Full Score Music in Quartz Hill had my jaw hanging as I walked up and down the overloaded, cramped dusty aisles deciphering their library with each step. Absolutely felt like I was back in a classic Tower Records with how many choices were at my fingertips. Every Record Store Day exclusive remaining had a Orange "RSD" post-it attached in the sea of Wayne's wax collection but I kept getting distracted by potential picks. Imagine a little bit of everything - Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, Pop, Soundtracks, etc.
They even had stuff from Record Store Days & Black Fridays past.
Ended up taking home John Coltrane Quartet's 'France 1965: The Complete Concerts', which the owner Wayne exclaimed was this year's greatest RSD pick as I was hovering over his majestic Jazz selection. I couldn't agree more. We didn't come across much Jazz compared to last year's journey and this pick fed our desert thirst.
Pity this wasn't the first stop. I might've captured something on my long forgotten list. Who knows? They said the crowd was out the door in the morning so probably not? Starting far and finishing closer to home made more sense. No need to go the long way round.
Now I know that there's another gem closer to home. Mission accomplished!
Photos
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| (Loved their colorful RSD tags. Orange was this year's paint) |
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| (They actually had John Lennon!) |
I definitely moved Full Score Music to the top for RSD Black Friday, replacing Amoeba & Canterbury, for the time being. Have a feeling I'll find everything I need... IF I go hunting in November. Trying to compartmentalize our collection without the feelings getting in the way. Hopefully the results will be better? We can't wait to find out!
Soooo... What Did I End Up Getting!? Take a look!
Yeah, I got nothing on my list and that's okay!
However, unlike last year, I supported all three boutiques with a Record Store Day pickup! Much love to House of Wax for the extra swag. They were definitely the first ever to share them with us! That Dogfish Head poster will make its way onto my office wall soon.
Thanks for Reading! Support Independent Sellers!
More Music & Adventures Soon!!!
(All Photos captured on my Samsung Galaxy S24FE)