I’ve been to Las Vegas a few times over the last few years, but this was the first time I really got to dig through the record stores with some time. In recent times Mike from NOFX has opened the Punk Rock Museum in the city, so I had to include that as part of my schedule, and it even has a little record store inside.
I was staying in the downtown area and 11th Street Records was my closest store and first stop. The shop is big and spacious, they could really fit a lot more into the racks than what they have there, but having said that, they do have some solid records and obviously not everyone is like me and prepared to spend hours digging through racks, so this store is definitely more for a quick look, or knowing what you want.
The next two stores I made it to are what I personally think are the best two stores in Las Vegas for a dig. Moondog Records is located in a strip mall and looks unassuming but once you open the doors, you are greeted with a lot of stock, that spans across all genres and time periods. They have new and used vinyl but for used vinyl digging, it is top tier and reasonably priced. Record City is your classic old school record shop, packed with vinyl and very well priced. I managed to find a longstanding want list record from the Celibate Rifles in the racks, something I wasn’t expecting to find in the USA, let alone Vegas. While Record City is second hand focused they do have a solid amount of new vinyl as well.
If new vinyl is what you are looking for, I should mention the chain Zia Records, there are a couple of them in different parts of the city and they have a huge array of new vinyl, that is not to say you shouldn’t check them out for used vinyl, as they have a lot of that as well, but some can be a bit pricey.
Vegas Vinyl is another strip mall shop, that seems well stocked, but I was there just before closing time so didn’t get a chance to look through properly. I should mention Wax Trax, I didn’t get there on this trip but have been on previous occasions, if you know what you want, there is a good chance it is there, however it is a fairly chaotic set up with no pricing on the items, you have to get a price check at the counter. It makes it difficult just to browse and dig at your own pace.
Finally while in Vegas I had to visit the relatively new Punk Rock Museum. I was surprised by the scale and depth of it, there has really been a lot of effort poured into this place. As a museum the experience is great and insightful, if there are any criticisms it would be that it may be too focused on the US punk scene, but it is the country we are in after all and I guess it is an ever-evolving project. Upstairs there is a little record store, obviously focused on punk, it stocks both new and used vinyl, although small in range, it is well curated. You don’t need to be a dedicated punk fan to get something out of this place, I’d say it is a must visit for any music fan traveling through Vegas.