Published by BARONMAG
In collaboration with Kaneshii Vinyl Press
Who are you and your current job :
The Gramophone started out as a classical CD store in downtown Edmonton 29 years ago and is still owned and operated by Bryan Taylor.
Over the years we have morphed into more hi-fi sales, now about 75% of our business. We sell high-end audio (McIntosh, Chord, Luxman, NAD), turntables (REGA, Acoustic Signature, Music Hall…) and have a great headphone bar (Audeze, HiFiMan, Grado…). Along with this side of the business, we continue to sell music!
What musical styles do you specialize in?
We specialize in classical and jazz, with the largest selection in the prairie provinces. And we also carry other genres – pop, rock, blues, folk and bluegrass, world, children’s, choral. We stock CDs, SACDs, LPs, music-related Blu-rays and DVDs, and some Bluray Audio discs.
Can you give a small tour of the music scene in your town?
For the past 9 years, our store has been in Edmonton’s Old Strathcona district, a walkable area with coffee shops, gift stores and boutiques, bars and pubs, historic buildings, great restaurants, the historic Princess movie theatre, blackbyrd myoosik (another record store), the Varscona and other live theatre venues, and the live music jazz club the Yardbird. The University of Alberta is nearby. In August, the area hosts the Fringe, an international 10-day live theatre event. In June, we celebrate the Pride Parade and Festival. The Commercial Hotel/Blues on Whyte Pub is a regular hangout for live blues music, and there are other live music venues on Whyte Avenue.
5 local musician to check out!
Some of the musicians who have come out of Edmonton are jazz greats Tommy Banks and PJ Perry; Mac DeMarco, Canadian singer-songwriter; Canadian rapper and hip-hop artist Cadence Weapon; k.d.lang, who spent her early days in the Edmonton music scene; the Canadian electronic duo Purity Ring; singer-songwriter Colleen Brown; The Provincial Archive, Canadian indie band; the band Jr. Gone Wild (cowpunk); The Smalls (punk/metal); Souljah Fyah (reggae). And LOTS more!
What’s it like working in a record shop?
One of the great things for all of us who work at The Gramophone is our regular customers, the people who we’ve gotten to know over the years, who come here to get recordings and trusted advice on audio equipment. It’s about the relationships with the people in our neighborhood and city, and also the customers who come when they’re in town – from Yellowknife, Calgary, Cold Lake, Winnipeg… and all over. Come and see us when you’re in Edmonton.
gramophone.ca | facebook.com/The-Gramophone-Edmonton