District Court is in session most weekdays at 1100 Fourth Ave. in New Kensington.

It’s the address of District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. And, while those who frequent the chambers may be fighting a rap with the law, the building’s basement will soon be a haven for hardcore music fans.

While Pallone is the DJ upstairs, downstairs the DJ is named A.J. — A.J. Rassau — and he’s a fan of hardcore punk music.

Rassau, 33, of New Kensington is opening Preserving Hardcore, an old-school record store that will cater to punk fans but also should offer tunes fans of other music genres will appreciate when it opens April 13.

Rassau’s long been a music fan and has worked in the Pittsburgh music scene. While doing so, he’s also accumulated a music collection.

That might be an understatement.

“I was overflowing my basement (with records),” Rassau said.

He started thinking about opening a store in January and, thanks to guidance from people at Penn State New Kensington’s The Corner — a small business incubator — and others, he found a location in the basement of the court building. The address is 1102 Fourth Ave., and it’s accessed by walking down the stairs in the rear.

Last week, Rassau was still setting up shop. But, when he’s done, he will have more than 6,000 vinyl records, 6,000 CDs and about 500 band T-shirts for sale.

He’s also working to set up a museum in the space dedicated to hardcore punk music and will offer live performances and weekend events in a drug- and alcohol-free setting, he said.

“I still find value in the physical media,” Rassau said, noting that his personal collection — which isn’t for sale — includes more than 10,000 records and/or CDs.

He’s hoping others will join him in continuing a passion for music they own a tangible copy of rather than paying for a streaming service on their smartphone.

“Opening a record store in 2019 is a daunting task, for sure,” Rassau said.

But the Pittsburgh area has 11 such stores — counting Preserving Hardcore — and they will be celebrating when his store opens, as it coincides with National Record Store Day.

“I think people are starting to see the value of maintaining (their) own collection,” instead of only owning digital copies of music, Rassau said.

If you own a record or CD, “you’ve got it forever,” he said.

Rassau has roots in the Alle-Kiski Valley — he was raised in the Natrona Heights section of Harrison and is a 2004 graduate of Highlands High School.

In 2002, he was featured in a Valley News Dispatch story about a garage rock venue he started when he was in high school. That didn’t work out, but he’s hoping Preserving Hardcore will.

“I’m not expecting a whole lot of foot traffic,” he said.

Instead, he’s hoping the venue become a destination for music fans in the region and also wants to give the youth in New Kensington a drug- and alcohol-free space to have fun, he said.

“We’re trying to be good neighbors to everyone here,” Rassau said. “I feel New Kensington’s on the rise right now.”

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