Junction City Music Hall is launching a new weekly live music series, Tuesdays To Tape, which will send bands home at the end of the night with a multi-tracked recording of their performance.
While it’s not uncommon for some Toronto venues to offer a basic soundboard recording (often for a fee), this is the only one that gives musicians the individual instrument tracks, which they can then mix down later for more professional-sounding results.
As Junction City Music Hall booker Nathan Hunter explains, the concept is a reaction to bigger venues expecting local acts to play mid-week shows for free, with the hope that they can draw enough of a crowd to prove they deserve to be booked for paying gigs.
“I think it’s wrong to expect a band to come out and play a show, and not give them anything in exchange for that,” says Hunter. “Exposure sounds nice, but it doesn’t really do a lot for most bands.
“I find that a lot of musicians who get in touch with me are lacking something well-recorded. Going into the studio costs money, but I’ve got all the gear here to do a decent-sounding demo. At the very least, you’re walking away with something you can use later on to hopefully secure more gigs rather than a vague promise that you might get booked for another night if you manage to draw good numbers to a Tuesday night show you’re not getting paid for.”
The series was announced last Wednesday, April 13, and Hunter says he’s already swamped with bands looking to get involved. He plans to officially launch the night in early May, with three to four acts each night. Interested bands can contact Hunter via email to get on the schedule.
“Any venue running a decent digital console can do this, and I don’t know why it’s not happening more. It could help bands a lot, which in the long term benefits everyone. I hope some bands take advantage of this, get some decent demos, secure some good gigs from there, then go into a proper recording studio, release an album and go on to great careers.”
To get a sense of what’s possible, check out this video of Sad Boys Glee Club performing Your Alone at the Junction City Music Hall:
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com | @benjaminboles
