Frets in high places

Argyle Studio on their new, eclectic live-music video series

Local group Fold Paper performed in Argyle Studios’ new video series, From the Attic. (Tom Elvers-Supplied)

There are more than just termites and cobwebs thriving in a certain Winnipeg attic. Now, local musicians can make their mark up top in a new video series.

Winnipeg-based Argyle Studio has launched From the Attic, a series of live, in-studio musical performances from an eclectic list of local and national talent. The first season consists of performances from the Greg MacPherson Band, Fold Paper, Age of Self, Claire Thérèse, Bloc Parents and Anthony OKS, who perform released and previously unreleased tracks in the video series.

Cam Loeppky, Argyle Studio’s founder and owner, also works as the recording space’s audio engineer. He established the studio during the COVID-19 pandemic. After a shuffling of living accommodations among relatives forced him to work in his own home, Loeppky spent some time looking for a new space to host recordings.

“I found a space after months and months of looking and found this place,” Loeppky says.

“It was a dirty old warehouse in the North End that used to be a bowler factory. We just put up some walls and carved a tiny chunk of it into a really nice studio,” production team member Mike Requeima, whom Loeppky describes as the “Swiss Army knife” of the studio, says.

“It needed to be painted, so we traded painting for studio time. One of the painters that helped us was a set designer in the movies. We would have a weekly painting night. It was fun,” Loeppky says.

With the space established and furnished, Loeppky drew inspiration for From the Attic from a similar British internet series, From the Basement, which has featured artists such as PJ Harvey and The White Stripes.

“I thought, if I ever want to do something, I want to do that. This grant came about for keeping your studio relevant once the pandemic ended. I applied and got a little bit of funding, and here we go,” Loeppky says.

The pair admits the name of their series is a misnomer in homage to From the Basement.

“When I thought of it originally, my studio was in the attic of my house. Argyle Studio now is not in an attic. It’s on a main level,” Loeppky says.

Loeppky and Requeima are co-owners of the Good Will Social Club, and many acts featured in the series are involved in the local music scene.

“These are all bands that have played here and do play here and even work here. We’re all part of the same kind of community,” Requeima says.

Ultimately, as the staff works on a volunteer basis, they seek to promote both Argyle Studio as well as new and veteran local musical talent. Loeppky notes that the bands own their recordings done in the studio.

“We want to help the bands promote their material or get recordings of some songs that don’t make it onto the albums. Hopefully, it’s exposure for bands, the studio, the videography, the audio production, all that stuff,” Loeppky says.

To watch episodes of From the Attic or learn more about Argyle Studio, visit argylestudio.ca.

Published in Volume 77, Number 20 of The Uniter (March 2, 2023)

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