Zzz Records

For our northeast Iowa friends, I wanted to let you know that Zzz Records will be setting up tomorrow at the Pear Fair in Cedar Falls. The arts & crafts event runs from 11-5, and we'll be offering new & used records, as well as a large selection of CDs. The weather forecast looks great, and we hope to see you there!

We haven’t done a new release picture in a while. Some of these are reissues, but all have come out in the last 14 days.

Not pictured is the new Jesus Lizard album; those will be arriving with next week’s order!

Time for another ticket giveaway! We are currently accepting entries for a pair of passes for Knotfest, which is taking place on Saturday, September 21st at Water Works Park here in Des Moines.

QUICK WARNING:
If you get a response from another entity asking you to click a link to get your tickets, that is NOT from us. Please do not click that link.

To enter, simply comment below, send us a direct message, or sign up at the front desk. We'll draw a winning name at the end of the day next Sunday, September 15th and contact the winner afterwards. Good luck!

Pre-order time! The suddenly prolific Widespread Panic recently announced their second album of 2024. "Hailbound Queen", the follow-up to June's "Snake Oil King", will be coming out on November 8th. Vinyl copies will be $27.90 a piece at Zzz.

If you're interested in one, it's usually best to send us a direct message, email us, or call the store directly, and we'll get you on the list!

Zzz will be open til 6pm today (Sunday), but closed all day tomorrow for Labor Day. Hope you’re having a great weekend!

Some welcome news for central Iowans. We haven't had a 24 hours-a-day alternative radio station around here in 4 1/2 years, and that's only if you count Imagine Dragons and Maroon 5 as alternative.

Two things I’ve always appreciated about Iowa Public Radio: they definitely play a few deeper cuts, and when they do play a big hit, they aren't afraid to play an extended or slightly different version. Oh, and no ads.

Des Moines lands an alternative radio station, hitting airwaves with favorites, Iowa music

Quick reminder: We have a Nick Cave listening party Thursday night from 6-7pm at Zzz Records. Buy the album a day early & get free bags, stickers, and more while supplies last. Plus, we’ll have a drawing for a special 7” single!

See our events page for more information!

This is pop.

We’re all set up at the Des Moines Music Collectors’ Show today. It runs from 10am-4pm, and we’ve brought new & used vinyl, used CDs, and some posters.

Our shop will also be open today from noon to 6pm. See you soon!

We’ve got a packed weekend coming up! On Saturday, Ingersoll Live will be moving down the street to within shouting distance of our front door. We’ll keep the shouting to a minimum, but you should consider coming down for live music, food vendors, and much more. We might even be running a special sale at our shop (keep an eye on this page for more info).

Sunday is the next Des Moines Music Collectors’ Show… our first one in five months! The record show will once again be at the Stoney Creek Hotel in Johnston from 10am-4pm. Admission is still just $3, but free for students & military members.

We hope to see many of you at one (or both!) of these events!!!

Where did all these black metal albums come from?

Where did these Beatles records come from?

Our annual back to school poster restock is being filled as we speak! Make sure you nab some before you move into your dorm! Posters are still just $7… one of the rare items we stock that has never increased in price!

UPDATE: We have drawn the names for the Jack White lottery. The lucky contestants were Steve F, Frank R, Jesse L, and Brad G. Thanks to everyone who entered! If you were unsuccessful but would like a regular black copy later (target date Sept. 13), just let us know any time. Thanks! - Nate

Jack White update #2

Although we are still waiting on copies of the new Jack White "No Name" LP, we can confirm that a few are on their way and should be arriving soon. Supposedly our first few copies will be the limited version on blue vinyl. (This version was allegedly limited to 2,000 copies, but there are definitely more than that; however, the exact number is still unclear.)

If you are interested in a copy of this LP, all you need to do is to message us (either in a comment below, or via messenger) by the end of the day Sunday, August 11th. We will draw a few random names on the 12th, and those folks will have first crack at it. Our price on these will be $31.90 each -- much cheaper than the current discogs price!!! All copies must be purchased in person, though, so keep that in mind if you live outside of central Iowa.

Good luck!

Send a message to learn more

We’ve purchased some fantastic collections through the month of July, and we’ve been hard at work adding these into our New Arrivals section. This might be a good weekend to stop in!

Also, we’ve extended our $4 poster sale a few more days. Load up before you head back to school, because posters cost a lot more in Stillwater and Bemidji!

Jack White update ---

We've had a lot of calls, emails, and messages about the new Jack White release. Here's a quick synopsis for all of you: In July, Jack released an album (currently called "No Name"), but it was only available at his Third Man record stores, and via mail order to his exclusive Vault club. Some fans decided to take advantage & make some quick money by flipping them on line for hundreds of dollars.

So to counteract that, Third Man decided to make another batch of them and send them to stores around the country. We (the stores) were notified about this late last week, and were told that this was top-secret information, and we could not discuss it with customers until today (Aug. 2). You can all imagine how that went. Nobody can keep a secret anymore, so word leaked out almost immediately, and it spread through the internet quickly.

Today should have been the big day where we announced that we have a bunch of copies to sell starting at 11am. Unfortunately, this has instead turned into a bit of a debacle. We've been informed that our distributors won't even have their copies until next week, and then it will take a few more days to get them to us (the stores). Also, we are likely only going to get a small fraction of what we originally requested.

So... we do NOT have any copies of Jack White in yet, and I'm not sure when they will be here. We don't know how many will actually come our way. Some customers have indicated there could be other stores out there who are taking orders on-line, and if you can find one for a decent price (list price is $31.98!!!), then you may want to grab it while you can.

I would be shocked if this doesn't turn into a mass-produced release at some point. So if we aren't able to get you a copy with this initial round, I'd say be patient, and hopefully we'll have access to more later in the summer or fall. And hopefully that $31.99 price will hold, too.

We'll keep all of you posted, of course! I apologize to all of you who contacted us over the past week, but we'll keep working on this to the best of our ability.

Send a message to learn more

Join us at Zzz Records on Thursday, August 29th at 6 PM for a pre-release day listening party for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' new album, Wild God (out August 30th on Play It Again Sam). Attendees will have a chance to win some cool prizes and receive a tote bag, stickers and more!

No purchase necessary to attend.
No RSVP needed.

Stay tuned for more info!

Need some posters for your dorm walls this fall? Lucky for you we’re having a back to school poster sale! All posters are just $4 through the end of July.

Did you ever wonder what Record Store Day was like ten years ago? One big difference between then and now is that there were a lot more 7” singles offered in the early days.

Pictured below are (mostly) RSD titles released between 2008-2019. All are sealed, but will be priced below $5 each and available starting tomorrow in our shop.

Exciting news! This year’s Ingersoll Live celebration will be moving to within shouting distance to our shop! We’re already planning some cool activities to coincide with this event on Sat, August 24. In addition, the next Des Moines record show will be on the 25th, so it’s going to be a busy weekend for us.

Stay tuned for more details!

Ingersoll LIVE celebrates 20 years on August 24 The free, family-friendly block party will be hosted in the 2300 block of Ingersoll Avenue from 3-10 PM.

We are once again the only Des Moines vendor selling tickets for Bowlful of Blues! This is always on Labor Day weekend in Newton, and this year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, September 1st. Tickets are $25 cash, or $1 more if paying with a card, while supplies last.

The new Johnny Blue Skies album comes out tomorrow! We haven’t been this excited since 1999 when the new Chris Gaines CD dropped! If you haven’t already ordered one, get a hold of us ASAP. Zzz price will be $24.90 each.