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Local record store provides unique environment for music lovers

June 30, 2016   ·   0 Comments

Aardvark Music and Culture, at 229 Broadway, has everything a music store offers and more.

Launched in October 2008 by Perry Joseph, Aardvark has a six-studio, state-of-the-art music school. Music lessons range from guitar and bass, to violin and trumpet. Teachers are professional musicians and singer/songwriters, several involved with the Orangeville music community.

Aardvark offers a variety of musical instruments, books and accessories. Primarily guitar, but also drums, keyboards, microphones and stands.

Largely sold are vinyls and CDs, vintage and new. Mr. Joseph says he has an eclectic taste of genres and artists, but predominately music of the late 1950’s through the 1970’s.

Mainly a classic rock record store, genres include blues, reggae and jazz bebop artists of the late 1950’s and 1960’s and heavy metal, punk and art rock. Records from local artists include Fountain Bell and Devin and the Dark Light.

Vintage artists include Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell and Bob Marley.

Aardvark even sells non-musical products such as honey, coffee from Hockley Valley and soap from Caledon. Mr. Joseph says he sells these products of his friends to support art as much as possible. “Creators, whether they be digital artists, musical artists or whatever kind of artist they are, require support and input material. You can’t just create out of a vacuum.” A rhythm guitarist/vocalist, Mr. Joseph plays mainly with The Houseplants and Jason Wilson and the Perennials, the latter described as a jazz-reggae band with Celtic influences.

He says the resurgence of records is about wanting quality experiences, describing vinyl waveforms as less sharp than digital. “They are actually less abusive to listen to. They actually sound, to the human ear, more pleasing because of those nice, delicate waveforms.”

Mr. Joseph says he tries to provide good service for people to communicate, to satisfy their needs. He says he doesn’t want to be a pushy salesman, offering customers an environment with service and a place to relax.

“It’s about making people feel comfortable, letting them know that their needs are what’s important. A lot of stores you go to these days you don’t even get service. You go in, find the things you need, find your way to a self-checkout and take yourself out of there.”

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