Whoop it up while making a tune
the Globe and Mail, August 12, 2005

When recording engineers Jesse Gander and Colin Stewart joined forces to open the Hive Studios last year, they decided to split the studio time in half; every month, they would each spend 15 days recording bands.

But what about the months with 31 days? Gander and Stewart decided to use them to throw parties: They bring local bands into the studio, invite a bunch of people and record a live session.

Gander has no trouble finding bands to play Live at the Hive. His Burnaby studio is now a hot spot for local indie musicians. He estimates that 100 bands have recorded here over the past year and a half.

The studio was so busy that 27-year-old Gander didn't start hosting the live sessions until January. Tomorrow's Live at the Hive, featuring The Robosexuals, The Approach and New Year's Resolution, is the studio's fifth live concert.

Live at the Hive is hybrid, part house party, part recording session.

People bring cases of beer and wander around the control room; Gander keeps a watchful eye on his precious equipment from behind the mixing board.

The shows aren't advertised, but at least 50 people always turn up. Most are friends or fans of the bands, but Gander says even if you don't have a personal connection, you're welcome to come if you RSVP by e-mail.

At the end of the year, Gander will release a CD compilation of the live tracks on the studio's label, Hive Fidelity Recordings. "It'll be 30 of our favourite local bands playing live with no fixing, no editing and no overdubs," he says. "It'll be a document of what our studio sounds like, but with 50 drunk people in the way."

When local rock band Ladyhawk played here, they taught the audience some melodies and had them sing into the microphones. The crowd at singer-pianist Veda Hille's show was asked to bring along acoustic guitars, shakers, banjos, tin cans, bongo drums and washboards so they could join in on certain numbers. Musicians from different bands are encouraged to jam with each other. Each performance is mixed live and recorded directly onto the Hive's computers, an experience some musicians describe as nerve-racking.

"At first it was kind of tense," says J. P. Carter from the band Great Aunt Ida, who played at the Hive in May, "but once the alcohol settled in and we played a tune or two, it got festive and silly. Once I realized the music sounded good, it became a lot more fun."

The next Live at the Hive is tomorrow at 8 p.m. at 8561 Government St., Burnaby, 604-216-4483. To RSVP, send an email to info@hivestudio.net.