Most industries must adhere to strict rules. Construction sites comply with safety regulations, financial advisors must be wary of illegal trades, and corporate offices must follow the guidelines of a well-documented chain of command. A record store, though, has always been more than a business. It is a community hub for the music-minded, a place for your taste to grow, and an extension of the ones running it. Products are sold, but the tangible goods are art itself, and dealing in art is not for the faint of heart. It seemed to be the perfect fit for Manuel and Kimberly Gemperli.
The couple, along with Jeanene, Tera, and Evon Blackledge, opened 22 Sound Records in Mandeville, Louisiana, just across the lake from New Orleans. Together, the joint-family record shop has set out to rejuvenate the record shop experience for modern times, welcoming all shades of music through their doors and keeping a keen eye on the ever-evolving landscape of genres and their subgenres. Since opening in 2021, 22 Sound has become a staple in its community, and they’re only getting started.
Glide had the pleasure of speaking with Manuel Gemperli of 22 Sound Records to discuss their first five years in business, what they’ve learned as a record shop owner, and how they plan to modernize record shopping. You can read our full conversation below.
How did you come up with the name 22 Sound? What does that number represent to you?
It’s actually quite simple. 22 is the name of the highway that the shop is on. We were thinking about the name for quite a while, and at some point, Kim had the idea of calling it 22 Sound, as an ode to its location and its home community. Had we not moved there and seen that open space up for rent on this highway, the store might have never existed.
How did 22 Sound decide to open up shop in Mandeville, Louisiana? What drew you to this city initially, and what is the local art scene like?
Kim and I (Manu) always joked that we would open a record store if we ever won the lottery. Well, that never happened. But when we moved across the lake from New Orleans to Mandeville in late 2020, we immediately thought that this town was missing a record store. I remember we were talking to Stew, Kim’s brother and a huge music fan who has been a big part of the store since the beginning, about how cool it would be to open a store here. So we had to take matters into our own hands.
At first, these conversations seemed like pipe dreams, but then one day, Kim actually stopped by the space that was up for rent, set up an appointment to look at it, and suddenly, we signed the lease and got the keys. Now we had to do it. It was a huge decision and a risky undertaking for our family, but we somehow were crazy enough at that moment to do it. It was the chasing of a lifelong dream, a true passion project. We felt that this community should have a place where music lovers could meet to discover, discuss, and enjoy music every day.
22 Sound has been open since 2021. How have your visions for your record shop changed in your first five years?
Our initial vision was to create a record store of NOW—a place that isn’t just a nostalgia trip, but one that is fresh and bright. Every day, new chapters of music history are being written, and all of that should be represented. What’s new today might be a classic tomorrow. We wanted it to be a place where you could discover new music, new to the world as a whole, and also new to you as an individual. The discovery should go both ways. We love curating and recommending things, but we also love hearing from people and learning about new music from them. It should also be an inviting place for everybody. We swore that we would never be elitist. Nobody in this store should feel embarrassed by what they love, even if it’s Nickelback.
It was important for us to always convey that feeling of welcome. We also wanted this to be represented visually. That’s why we decided to use bright, popping colors. When Evon, Tera, and Jeanene joined us, and our family business became a two-family business, it matched so well, because we all share those ideals. They brought in new ideas, new possibilities, and brought the initial vision to a new level.
What are some of your favorite memories or moments from the first five years of 22 Sound?
There are so many that it’s hard to choose. Our first Christmas season when it felt like the store was hopping for the first time, the time that we bought a 7000-record collection and barely had a walking space to the bathroom in the back anymore, the times Derek Riggs (creator of Iron Maiden’s Eddie) held signings at the store, the listening parties of bands that we had no clue had such devoted followings, the Record Store Days of course, but one that I like to point out especially is the party we threw when Evon, Tera and Jeanene joined us.
We specifically invited some of our most loyal customers at that time to celebrate our new team of owners, and it was just awesome to see all these people taking their time to get together and share that moment with all of us. It was a room full of people who love music and who love supporting something that was built and is being built further in the community, day by day, by the community. It started a new chapter for our store.
22 Sound sells some used records. Are you buying and shifting through personal collections, or how do you come across the used LPs on your shelves?
That’s exactly how it goes. Sometimes we go out to check record collections at people’s homes, in storage units, or wherever they’re kept. Sometimes, people just walk in. It might just be a box or even just a handful. It is great fun to flip through record collections. Every single one is unique. I often wonder about the travels these records took, and how they ended up in that person’s collection. They tell a story. What I love is discovering a record you’ve never heard of, decades old. You put the needle on it, and you’re blown away. Sometimes, you find records that you would have otherwise never discovered. No algorithm would have ever suggested them to you. That’s something only physical recordings can do.
What is the rarest/most expensive vinyl to come through 22 Sound’s doors?
I believe that would most likely be the original pressing of Tool’s Ænima. I remember being so happy that one of our regular customers and one of the genuinely nicest people I have ever met ended up with it. That night, he sent me a video of him playing along with it on his guitar. I knew it found the right home.
We are fresh off of Record Store Day. How did the event go for you this year? What does a day/event like this mean to a young store like yours?
It was absolute madness – in a good way. People start lining up around noon on Friday. That was quite an interesting sight – people standing or sitting in line in front of an open store. Evon ended up spending the whole night there, entertaining people and making sure they were taken care of. It gets bigger every year, and it is always a super enjoyable day. I know some stores are critical of the whole thing, and I partially get that. Not everything is perfect from the perspective of a small store like ours. I get into that a little more in an article in our zine, but I think it’s been a great, beneficial thing for us. It has brought many people to the store. And I think it’s a wonderful experience for the people. We know of some customers who met in line at RSD and became close friends. How awesome is that?
22 Sound also hosts events in your space, like your recent Tori Amos early listening event. What can people expect when arriving at one of your events, and what have been some of your favorites?
This is something that Evon, Tera, and Jeanene really pushed and made possible when they joined the team. It has been a great way to reach new people. Sometimes we see fans coming from pretty far away because we’re often the only store in the whole state to host those listening events. At those events, people often get a chance to hear records before their release dates. Plus, we always give away some artist-related goodies. But what’s really cool is that people who love these artists get together and enjoy the music in a very intimate space. In a way, you’re much closer to one another at these events than at concerts. It’s a great opportunity to interact with like-minded people.
The craziest ones were probably the two 21 Pilots events we had. I knew they had great mainstream success, but I had no idea they had such a devoted and large fan base. It made us see the band in a different light, even though it may not be one of our personal favorites. In addition to the listening events that the record labels initiate, we host our own events. For instance, last year we collaborated with other small businesses in the area to host a K-Pop Demon Hunter event that received a great response. We’re always open to working with other small businesses or artists to put things together.
What type of music or genre do you feel most of your customers are into, and are there any misconceptions about the listening habits of people in your state?
What we noticed very soon was the wide variety of tastes people have. Some people may think that in a more rural or suburban area, people lean more mainstream, but sometimes we are amazed by the underground gems some people request and how open some people are about finding new artists. For instance, one thing that set us apart from the beginning was our well-curated metal section. We’ve seen so many stores treat metal or punk as a byproduct, often lumping them together without any love. Because it’s a genre that’s really dear to our hearts, it was important to us to treat it with the respect and love it deserves. I love it when somebody comes to us and walks out with some filthy death metal record that only fifty people have ever heard of. Who would expect that in a town like Mandeville?
Speaking of Jazz Fest, it’s going on around now- do you ever make it down that way or take in the sights and sounds, and what are some of your favorite memories of Jazz Fest?
This may sound a bit weird to outsiders, but none of us have made it to Jazz Fest. What’s cool about the Jazz Fest weekends, though, is that there’s so much happening in the city around the festival. And that’s saying something in a city where a regular ass Monday night can be quite spectacular (Kim and I met on a Monday night on Bourbon Street – 16 years later: happily married with a son whose first favorite record was Blondie’s “Eat to the Beat”).
One really fun night was when Queens of the Stone Age played at the beautiful Saenger Theatre on a Friday of the fest. The show was absolutely amazing. Lee from Peaches Records told me that the band would go to One Eyed Jacks in the quarter after the show, so Kim and I decided to go there, hoping we might meet them. Not sure if they ever showed up. But Pepper Keenan happened to be hanging out there. I had already loved Pepper when I was growing up in Switzerland, so that was special. We were hoping to maybe get a quick picture with him, but we’re not the kinda people to bother anybody. Lee was nice enough to ask him for us, since they know each other. Pepper turned out to be a super nice guy, not arrogant at all. We ended up chatting with him for the longest time about all kinds of things, including some of his business ventures. We couldn’t believe we were hanging out with fucking Pepper Keenan talking about real estate and shit. Needless to say, I love New Orleans.
Can you tell me about The 22 Sound Zine? What inspired you to start this zine along with your shop, and what can people expect to find in there?
We think record stores should be places where you go to discover new music and discuss the latest in the world of music. The zine is supposed to be an extension of just that. We’re music-obsessed people. When I discover something new (or rediscover something old), I feel an urge to tell the world about it. You gotta know about this band, man! In the zine, we share the records we love or the thoughts we think when we listen to them. What would excite me most is if someone reads an article, goes out and checks something they didn’t know about, and ends up loving it as much as we do. It’s also a great way to let these thoughts out so that the poor people who live with us don’t have to listen to us go on and on about how great this one record is all the time.
What can your local vinyl enthusiasts expect from 22 Sound next? Where do you see the direction of your record shop going in the future?
We really believe in our vision, so we wanna keep the core of what makes us special and grow from that. People are still discovering us. And by expanding our customer base, we can expand the selection at our store, making it deeper and keeping it always fresh. The store is essentially like a big record collection that changes every week. There will always be something new to discover. The great thing is that every customer helps make it better. The community guides us in a way. We always have an ear for what people want, and we’re open to ideas.
We would also love to increase our online presence to reach more people beyond our community. We want to marry the past and the present in this store, so combining the digital with the analog feels natural to us. We want to expand those conversations you have in a record store outside of the walls of our shop and become a voice within the music community. We hope that we’re still in the beginning stages of a long journey.
Comments
Loading comments...
Leave a Comment