By Karen Glauber

Do you wake up hours before dawn on Record Store Day? I’m in the process of upgrading my turntable, so my plan is to hit the first store on my itinerary at 6am. My wish list includes the 50th Anniversary box set of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era (1964-1968) and the 50th anniversary reissue of Todd Rundgren’s masterpiece, A Wizard/A True Star (replicating the original die-cut cover), plus special RSD releases from The 1975, Beach House, Husker Du and Ivy. Records are your friends.

Starting today (4/21), Mercury is in retrograde, which means that communication is a bit wonky and could be the reason why my Internet isn’t working. Like Elon Musk’s $3 billion SpaceX launch, my brain is experiencing “rapid unscheduled disassembly,” which I hope to mitigate by listening to new music and feeling the rush of identifying the next crop of hits. Amanda and Drew at Republic launched a new AJR song this morning. “The Dumb Song” is classic AJR, and repeated listens amplify my unwavering love for this band.

With the announcement of additional tour dates, anticipation was building for a new Foo Fighters single. “Rescued” arrived yesterday and became the most-played song of the day at the format. How quickly will Gary Gorman take this to #1? Will Rob Goldklang have a window to get Gorillaz (the darlings of Coachella) to #1 first?

Our beloved Cannons are back with a new single called “Loving You,” released on the eve of their debut Coachella performance. Response to the song has been exceptional, of course. Lisa Sonkin has both Depeche Mode and Rosa Linn in the Top 10—huge!

Columbia band blink-182, on the heels of their surprise Coachella performance last week, will now be holding court on the main stage this Sunday, replacing the ailing Frank Ocean. 10 years ago today, I stood next to Frank on the Outdoor Stage, while Tame Impala played in front of 40,000 during the worst sandstorm I’ve ever experienced. Working “Elephant” before Tame Impala signed to Interscope, is a career highlight that I share with Ted Volk. Back to 2023, will blink-182 have new music this summer?

Will you be at The Gathering in Las Vegas next week? I agreed to moderate a panel, because I’m very fond of Patty, Tracy, Chuck and Drew. Unlike SXSW, where I can command my panelists to play songs of my choosing, this time around there will be a chair at my side; a “hot seat” for my radio and record friends. Due to the pandemic, there will be people in attendance I’ve never met, so it will be an opportunity to share our achievements, goals and frustrations. There has to be a tipping point where Alternative radio is all-in on a song that is performing as a hit for the majority of the panel. Unwarranted ego and armchair A&R opinions from programmers make our jobs infinitely harder than necessary. Pay attention to what’s going on in the music business—now is not the time for entitled behavior.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who Shazamed Bakar’s “Hell N Back” when I saw the trailer for the upcoming Pixar film Elemental. Remember when the trailer for Slumdog Millionaire featured MIA’s “Paper Planes,” and the song exploded? “Hell N Back” was a Top 10 Alt hit a few years ago—will it go Top 5 this time around?

Marisa DiFrisco, my emo princess, just serviced David Kushner’s “Daylight,” which debuted on the Spotify Global Chart at #6, with over 28 million streams in the FIRST WEEK. Based on recent social-media posts, it appears that David is currently collaborating with Wesley Schultz from The Lumineers. Radio needs to be all over this record.

Not since Windser, whose “Memory” will get its due, have I fallen for new artists like I have for Blondshell on Partisan (check out “Salad” now) and Billy Tibbals, whose Stay Teenage EP came out today. Billy reminds me of my favorite Paisley Underground bands, like Three O’Clock and Rain Parade. The Byrds’ influence in music is eternal.

SONG TO HEAR: beabadoobee “Glue Song” (f/Clairo). Happy Record Store Day!