Venue closing leaves musicians in the cold

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Category: Arts
Created on Monday, 19 September 2011 14:54
by Kelly Malone

The closing of an all-ages venue in Saskatoon has created a hurdle for musicians and promoters. Sept. 4 marked the final show for Jale as musicians came together to say farewells through 10 hours of music.

 

The hall was forced to shut down after a neighboring business, Café Sola, announced plans to expand into the space.  Owner, Sarah Robbins was contacted but did not respond.

 

 “Losing the performance space is sad in a way because it is home” said Phil Greer, organizer for VIVE.  VIVE ran Jale as a performance space for the past year. With funding from the Saskatchewan Arts Board, VIVE hosted an all-ages series that produced 35 shows with a focus on young musicians ages 14 to 18.

 

But Greer is optimistic about the future of VIVE. “It was a nomadic promotion vehicle for a number of years” with shows previously in art galleries, homes, churches, and basements, he said. “I’m really hopeful the organization can still pull off cool underground shows this winter,” he said.

 

Jale also provided practice spaces for many bands in Saskatoon. “Once they (VIVE) got the boot we got the boot. The owner of the building saw us all as connected,” said Joanna Graves, bass player for the SeaHags.

 

 “I had to have band practice with fingerless gloves … I now play in an unheated garage,” said Graves.

The closing has deterred touring bands. “Chances are I’ll see a band coming through Saskatoon but not (stopping to play) a show,” said Matt Yablonski of Grey Owl.

 

 “A good track to go on would be to try to incorporate arts nonprofits in Saskatoon and create a co-op. It would make running a larger space more viable,” said Greer, explaining that this would help fill the void left by the closing of Jale while providing an affordable performance space.

 

 Ideally Greer would like to see a combination of an open office, art gallery, café, dance troupe, and jam spaces managed by ”an overarching organization that would run all aspects of arts in Saskatoon.”

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