The claim that there are no decent live music venues in Winnipeg has been a popular one as of late, as the Albert seems to be in a constant state of “opening soon,” the Lo Pub is searching for a new venue, Pop Soda’s had a fender bender and the Death Trap died out.

Attempting to pick up the slack are a slew of art galleries and coffee houses, while Sam’s Place (159 Henderson Hwy.) has been operating for the last three years just under your radar.

The intimate coffee shop, venue and bookstore is an activity of the Mennonite Central Committee and holds its focus on creating an all-inclusive, multicultural environment that promotes education and social justice.

“There’s not many spaces in Winnipeg for good music venues, especially for earlier shows,” says music booker Adam Brandt, 21, who has been working at Sam’s for just under two months.

“Our stage is perfect for newbies to music. We don’t really turn away that many artists. It gives lots of people opportunities to become a musician.”

Though the venue regularly hosts singer-songwriter types, it’s hosted everything from punk acts to the soul and funk of Ingrid D. Johnson.

“We’ve had some shows where it’s been packed, some where there’s not many people, some where just random people off the street come in and just say how great the music was,” Brandt says. “I want it packed every time. That’s the plan.”

Shows coming up include The Salvadorian Garbage Men (Friday, Nov. 23), Andrea Klymochko and Tatiana Friesen (Saturday, Nov. 24), Mighty Oak (Thursday, Nov. 29), Comhaltas (Friday, Nov. 30) and Orvis Raleigh (Saturday, Dec. 1).

While weeknight shows have free admission, the Friday/Saturday night gigs cost only $5, which goes directly to the MCC.

“ I want it packed every time. That’s the plan.

Adam Brandt, Sam’s Place

As it’s a bookstore, the venue also hosts authors. On Thursday, Nov. 22, Mennonite author Wilma Derksen has a reading scheduled.

“She writes about more Mennonite style and they serve Mennonite food,” Brandt says. “In the past we’ve had people reading Lord of the Rings and serving Lord of the Rings food, that sort of thing.”

Outside its blind-to-genre booking style, Sam’s has something else going for it - it operates solely on volunteers.

“How does it exist? It just does,” Brandt says. “We have tons of volunteers. People that want to volunteer constantly. If you come in, you’ll come in and see how we’re a family. I love it. Every single minute of it has been great, with a great response from customers, too.

“You get to work with every sort of person you could imagine. We get people straight out of high school or people trying to get their high school credits and they have to volunteer in order to finish, or retired people - it’s great.”

Are you an artist interested in performing at Sam’s Place? Email Adam Brandt at [email protected] and check out samscommunity.com for the details on upcoming events.

Published in Volume 67, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 21, 2012)