I write about random things a lot. I write a lot about random things. Quick, what do David Gilmour, Jello Biafra, Lemmy and Henry Rollins all have in common? They all worked as roadies for different bands before joining or forming bands of their own! In this case, Pink Floyd, the Dead Kennedys, Hawkwind and The Teen Idles, who later became Minor Threat.

Now that St. Patrick's Day is past and the dust has begun to settle, music geeks across the continent now look forward to their next favourite holiday: Record Store Day! This year, April 21 marks that one day a year devoted especially to the role of independent music stores in the relationship between an artist and their fans, and although that is still weeks away, announcements are already surfacing on what to expect this year.

Now in its fifth year, Record Store Day is celebrated with special live performances, exclusive memorabilia and limited edition artist releases; collectors, vinyl aficionados and über-fans alike all mark the calendar well in advance in order to prepare their game plan to get the finds they want.

And it stands to good reason — as an example, copies of Nirvana's Hormoaning EP were all swept up at the Sunrise Records at White Oaks Mall by 8:45 a.m. last year, before other shops in the city had even had a chance to open.

This year, there are a lot of exciting exclusive releases being planned for Record Store Day. Dine Alone Records, home of a growing roster of the best and brightest music around, has announced a number of exclusive, limited-edition vinyl releases, including Alexisonfire's Math Sheet Demos on 10” vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies, The Civil Wars' Live at Amoeba EP — eight songs recorded live in Hollywood in June 2011 — limited to 1,000 copies, and much more.

Animal Collective is releasing Transverse Temporary Gyrus, a collection of original and live tracks recorded in performance in an art installation at the Guggenheim Museum in March 2010. Metallica is celebrating Record Store Day with the release of Beyond Magnetic, an EP on silver vinyl featuring songs recorded during their Death Magnetic album sessions in 2008. And even The Receiving End Of Sirens has produced a release for the occasion, despite being completely defunct since 2007.

Vinyl Collective (vinylcollective.com) has been compiling and updating a list of announced releases, like exclusive 7” vinyl by Arctic Monkeys, James Brown, Flogging Molly, Florence + The Machine, Garbage, Jukebox The Ghost and more. Record Store Day always sees new life breathed into older releases as well, like deluxe reissue editions of albums by Attack In Black and Moneen, featuring extra discs' worth of bonus songs and new artwork.

Some tips to help you make the most of Record Store Day this year:

- Do your research. Call ahead or visit your favourite records stores in advance of Record Store Day to find out what additional specials or sales that the store might be having and what time they will open — many shops will open early for the occasion.

- Be prepared to be flexible. Despite arriving early, you might miss out on the record you're looking for. Roll with the punches — there's likely a different deal or sale to be found nearby.

- Take a chance on something new. There's a lot of new music pressed on vinyl lately, but there are a lot of reissues from established acts, too... try something you don't already know inside and out, you may find your new favourite album.

- Don't stress too much over money. You don't need the stress of trying to choose between several coveted items, not to mention the time you'll lose in trying to decide. It only comes once a year after all, and time is of the essence.

There is something for everyone! Record Store Day is often just the catalyst for further celebration — many stores have additional sales, giveaways and contests, translating into better deals and savings for collectors. There are few events as exciting for music geeks as Record Store Day; it's the Black Friday of vinyl and music shopping in North America.

Here in London, Record Store Day is being celebrated this April 21 at Grooves Records at 353 Clarence St.; Speed City Records at 299 Springbank Dr.; The Beat Goes On at 1120 Wellington Rd. S.; and at all three Sunrise Records locations across the city.

For more information on Record Store Day, including exciting announcements, listings for exclusive performances and a search for your local participating record shop, visit recordstoreday.com or follow @recordstoreday on Twitter. To see Vinyl Collective's growing list of Record Store Day specials, head to tinyurl.com/rsd2012.

And for the latest in music news, views, album streams and more, consider following this column on Twitter @fsu_bobbyisms or via Tumblr at bobbyisms.com. It's almost the end of another school year here at Fanshawe; time to start building your music library up for the summer! I'm out of words.