If you build it...
Three new venues join the MTS Centre in giving musicians a place to play
Melissa Martin



For years, Winnipeg’s music community has bemoaned the paucity of decent places to play. In the past year, however, many of the naysayers have finally had the chance to trade in the angst and pull out the amps. In 2005, Winnipeg experienced a relative explosion of new concert destinations.

The brightest and shiniest of the new arrivals is obviously the MTS Centre, which officially opened its doors in November 2004. After hosting April’s Juno Awards and welcoming over 1 million visitors during its first year in operation, the joint was named the 23rd-busiest venue in the world in a year-end roundup by concert industry publication Pollstar — not too shabby for a town that supposedly couldn’t support a state-of-the-art downtown arena.

Of course, most local musicians can only dream of filling a 15,000-seat arena, and Hilary Duff-sized extravaganzas aren’t every music fan’s cup of tea. Luckily for the city’s music scenesters, a trio of less ostentatious new venues are now buzzing with activity.

One of those new destinations evolved right out of nature’s wrath. Last year’s spring rains hit plenty of Winnipeggers hard, but for Michael Monk and his business partner Daniel Pedley the downpour opened up an opportunity when it flooded the basement of the Toad in the Hole pub in Osborne Village.

After the flood, which came only five months after the duo completed its purchase of the beloved watering hole, Monk and Pedley decided it was time to start over with a clean slate.

“I said, ‘Let’s make lemonade. Let’s not cry about it,’” Monk recalls.

After an intensive restoration and renovation process, the results of the duo’s plan were officially unveiled to the public in November. Now called The Cavern (a nod to The Beatles’ old venue of choice), the Toad’s basement has been transformed into a Winnipeg take on a vintage New York rock dive. It’s the kind of joint where an early version of The Stooges might have liked to down some beer and jam out some tunes.

“Downstairs never had an identity. Nobody knew what to call it,” says Monk. “Now they’re like, ‘Man, this place is awesome.’”

Even though insurance payouts covered less than five per cent of the total renovation bill, Monk and Pedley chose to spare few costs. They invested in a blistering sound system, tore down interior siding to expose the room’s vintage brick walls, and threw up chalkboards all over the washrooms to minimize vandalism while encouraging public art.

Most notably, the venue generally does not have a cover charge. Though Monk won’t rule out the possibility for some future shows, he says his focus is on catering to the musicians, including bands such as Novillero, who headlined The Cavern’s New Year’s Eve show.

“I pay the bands. That’s part of doing business,” he says, noting that he also put in a green room behind the stage.

There are more renovations coming for The Cavern, which can currently hold 93 people. Monk recently purchased an empty store next door to the Toad and plans to convert it into a connected side lounge by March, a move that will increase the venue’s capacity.

For bands who need a lot more space than The Cavern, 2005 also saw the arrival of the the Ramada Conference and Entertainment Centre. Once known as the Garrick movie theatre, the space has been transformed into a mid-size concert venue, or rather venues — the complex contains two theatres, one with a capacity of 609 and another that can seat 753. The Venue, as it is now being called, has attracted bands such as Propagandhi, Metric and Comeback Kid.

According to Dave Wilson, who was hired last April as The Venue’s manager and talent buyer, the space’s cinematic history is uniquely suited to hosting concerts.

“Even though it’s a rush-seating venue, there’s not a bad seat in the house,” Wilson says. “You’ve always got a good view of the stage. Because it was a movie theatre, the acoustics are really good as well.”

Part of The Venue’s success can also be attributed to its non-bar status. The Ramada can host all-ages shows and, with its size falling halfway between the West End Cultural Centre and the Burton Cummings Theatre, a lot of acts have found it a decent place to entertain the kids. To encourage punk and rock bands to play there, The Venue cleared out the seats in front of the stage in Theatre 2 (the 750-capacity room).

“It’s a step up for bands as opposed to the bar,” Wilson says. “And we’re open to any genre of music.”

If the Ramada is all about genre diversity, The Folk Club is the opposite: its focus is totally on the city’s roots scene. Then again, the venue’s mandate is quite different than that of other local spots. It was actually conceived as a way to continue the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s presence in the community beyond its standard four days in July.

The Folk Club, which opened in November, is housed in the same historic Bannatyne Avenue building as the festival’s offices, in a space previously occupied by the Crocus Investment Fund. After Crocus made headlines with its implosion and suspension of operations, the Folk Festival snatched up a 1,000 sq.-ft. spot and turned it into a 60-person room perfectly suited for small workshops, concerts and craft sales.

“The first couple of shows have been full,” says Folk Fest spokesperson Morgan Hammill. “People really like the idea of going to shows that aren’t at a club.”

Looking ahead to 2006, The Folk Club is settling into a twice-monthly concert schedule, with workshops and seminars continuing throughout the year. In January, the club is hosting a workshop on Celtic guitar, and local performer Cara Luft is leading a songwriting class. The club’s inaugural craft sale was a success, and Hammill notes there will be more to coincide with various holidays in the future.

“It’ll give us something to offer year round,” she says. “Plus, it piques people’s interest if it has our name on it.”

For more info see our What’s Up entertainment listings.