Music has new playground in Upper Space
Livestreams, lessons, podcasts and more offered at new Niagara Falls broadcast studio
Anew broadcast studio in Niagara Falls hopes to take some of the sting out of COVID-19 for local musicians.
Since opening in early September, The Upper Space on Montrose Road has become a gathering spot for livestreams, podcasts, interviews, music lessons and rehearsals. As operator Christie Hails describes it, it’s a space that reclaims the local music scene after seven devastating months.
“After COVID (started), I was watching all the conversations online,” she says. “The musicians were getting so upset.”
With venues closed and concerts shut down, many artists took to streaming online shows to stay connected. But the problem for many is that streaming from their living room or basement wasn’t up to par, and there weren’t enough professional spaces in Niagara to accommodate them.
Seeing the void, the owner of the former Rona Cashway property at 5268 Montrose Rd. turned 279 square metres of the building into an all-in-one space for local artists, and asked Hails to run it.
Hails has been heavily involved in the Niagara scene for years, running the music hub indie-rocks.ca in addition to her former band, Battered Egos.
In two months, Upper Space has hosted a dozen livestream shows and has become the new home for Hails’ local radio show, formerly at the online 4680Q in downtown Niagara Falls.
Though Hails leans local, she says bands from across Ontario have used the space for livestreams.
“Everybody wants to come to the Falls,” she says.
The Niagara Falls mom of two says the new space has helped keep her focused after a rough stretch which included the breakup of her band, the death of a close friend (Niagara photographer Kandy Burns) and the end of a long relationship.
“I don’t dwell,” she says. “I like to push forward.”
To views concerts recorded at the venue, visit patreon.com/theupperspace.