Holiday shopping doesn’t have to be a drag, and this weekend you can shop for whatever music lovers you may have in your life at a pop-up record shop while also enjoying live music, an album release, original art and listening booths. A new art space called Understudy is organizing the event, featuring Denver-based band Rubedo, who will be releasing their third album, Vaca on Friday. Many other talented local musicians will be showcased and there will be some personal record collections for sale.

Understudy is a 700 square foot space located in the Colorado Convention Center, funded by the Denver Theatre District (DTD). The DTD has been responsible for some massive installations this year, specifically the Terra Firma series that brought Dimopoulos’ Blue Trees and Shantell Martin’s sidewalk paintings to Denver. With Understudy, DTD hopes to provide a central, free location for experimentation in art and participation from the public. Last month, Understudy brought Thomas Evans (aka Detour303) to their little creative cove to mess around with sound and colors and this month it was Mathias Svalina with a Dream Delivery Service.

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The pop-up record shop will be a small intermission between Svalina’s Dream Delivery Service and the December resident, Denver-based artist Jonathan Saiz’s vending machine that will sell $20 mini artworks. Only from December 1 through 3 can shoppers search through records, purchase Rubedo’s new album, or experience the listening booths and other local art oddities. Expect to find a majority of the albums from local artists, but there will also be national indie bands represented as well. Understudy’s website also teases the promise of “a few special guests” who will be “selling their personal record collections as a one-time bonus for all you crate diggers.”

Aside from selling records (in both vinyl and CD format), the pop-up shop will continue to entertain you with original artwork from Mike Giant, listening booths with sound installations by Victor Escobedo and Moon Magnet Studios, refreshments and live music. Friday will be the party night, with later operating hours and free giveaways. Public transportation is highly recommended because of limited parking in near the Convention Center, and on Friday there will be even more traffic because of the Parade of Lights.

The full schedule of events is below, with descriptions from Understudy’s website.

Friday, December 1:

8 p.m. – 1 a.m.

Celebrate the release of Vaca with refreshments and free giveaways. Stop on by after the Parade of Lights!

Saturday, December 2:

2 – 11 p.m.

Record store open all day, with in-store performances by Rubedo, Holophrase, Entrancer, and many other of Denver’s favorite acts. Full performance schedule coming soon.

Sunday, December 3:

2 – 8 p.m.

Record store open all day, with in-store performances by many of Denver’s favorite acts. Full performance schedule coming soon