Sam Weber band live at the Owl Acoustic Lounge in Lethbridge on Sept. 30.
The Lethbridge music scene has lost a popular music space for live music.
One of the more established spots in the city, The Slice, has shut its doors for good.
The number of venues as well as bands in Lethbridge have always been up and down, depending on how popular the music scene is but this one hurts as many people loved the popular music venue.
This year has been slower and it ended up being a factor, much to the dismay of those involved in music around Lethbridge.
Connor Harvey-Derbyshire of Attainable Records says he has a deep respect for The Slice, as they were influential to the young company.
Being a company comprised of university students, the Attainable crew were in need of mentor ship.
“I really loved The Slice…when I first came to Lethbridge, I really didn’t have a place to play. Our very first showcase before we had this space was held at The Slice.” says Harvey-Derbyshire.
The music venues in Lethbridge are tightly knit since it’s a city with a small yet diverse music scene.
“We don’t see any reason why we should be competing,” said Harvey-Derbyshire. “We think supporting all the other arts venues is the key to success.”
One of the other popular live venues, The Owl Acoustic Lounge also feels the hole left by the departure.
Less venues means less places for live music which puts The Owl in a position of having to select fewer bands to play on their stage.
It’s really a lose-lose for all involved.
Steve Foord from The Owl isn’t quite sure what to think of the entire situation yet.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, I just want the shows to happen,” Foord said.
With less stages to play on, bands and artists are now forced to either wait until an open slot at one of the main venues is available or find their own place to play.
It leaves both musicians and venues in a struggle to find the balance between enough venues and bands.
Musician Andrew Gauthier hopes to see bands come from Lethbridge and make an impact greater than the local scene.
“I hope more bands come out and gain greater success from outside of Lethbridge.”
There hasn’t been a band to come out of Lethbridge that has reached great success yet and the lack of venues doesn’t help but it’s not a deterrent.
With school being in full force both the Owl and Attainable are hoping to see a bigger attendance as well as possibilities of new bands being formed.