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	<p class="jhmNav"><a href="/jhm/">JHM Journalism Foundation</a> &raquo; <a href="/jhm/awards.php">The Johnnies</a> &raquo; <a href="index.php">2008 Winners</a> &raquo; Arts</p>
	
	<h1>2008 Winners - Arts (Third place)</h1>

	<h2>59 Argyle keeps the tradition of raucous basement shows alive</h2>
	
	<p><em>By Michael Olender<br>
	Fulcrum (University of Ottawa) </em></p>
	
<p>THE QUIET HOUSE on Argyledoesn&#8217;t appear to be the radical livemusicvenue where many Ottawabands have been granted their start.</p>
<p>Upon entering, I see that the dinnertable doubles as a merch table. Thecramped bathroom is an exhibitionof curious photographs and quintessentialancient books. Past the roomykitchen and down the narrow steps isthe famous, cavernous 59 Argyle space.It is tight and clutt ered, with couches,a drum kit, and various instrumentssprawled across the carpeted fl oor.Trails of Christmas lights dangle fromthe low ceiling. The space can packanywhere from 20 to 25 people. Thirtywould be a full house. The shows aresaid to be immense, but sporadic. Iimagine the darkened space, bizarrelylit, brimming with a mass of tussledfans, the music forcing itself into everycorner of the room. And I&#8217;ve got a stupidgrin on my face.</p>
<p>Basement shows have a longstandingtradition. Their importancedates back to the 80s, dayswhen Black Flag and DOA wouldtour North America&#8217;s most non-traditionalvenues—the basements ofresidential homes. Basements havean important symbolic value to theDIY ethic and punk/hardcore culture.Basement shows are a way ofkeeping the scene small and independent.</p>

<p>The music scene in Ott awa hasfl ourished in the past five years. Undergroundmusic venues around thecity such as Club SAW and Maverickshave been instrumental in the localscene, off ering bands a place to play.Ott awa music guru Shawn Scallen,the man behind punkott awa.com andthe production company RevolutionRock, has hosted basement shows ofhis own, in his house and at his recordstore End Hits. Ott awa&#8217;s scene isa tight-knit community that reciprocatessentiments all around. Everyonehelps each other out. 59 Argyle is notonly adding its support, but in manyways it is spearheading the smallbandrevolution.</p>
<p>&#8220;[The scene] used to be a lot smaller… things just sort of exploded,&#8221;explained Dave Ward, who runs EndHits and Revolution Rock togetherwith Scallen. &#8220;The scene [came upfor awhile], but people are revertingback underground, like Argyle.&#8221;There is a history of shows at thevenue and the houses on either sideof it, that dates back to the 70s and80s. Five people currently live in thehouse. Every new tenant is carefullychosen to carry on the traditionof hosting the acclaimed shows.Stephanie Guthrie has been recentlychosen as one of those tenants.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the things that I love aboutmy life is that I live in a house thatdoes things like this,&#8221; said Guthrie.&#8220;Defi nitely, [we are] very much a community.We, at the house, and [friends]all organize shows here. We treat itlike a venue, but it&#8217;s also a home.&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;The fi rst show [that I helped puton] here was Ohbĳ ou. It was a smallshow and the audience was rapt.Everyone&#8217;s jaws were hanging open.Very ethereal. It was a very positiveexperience,&#8221; recalled Guthrie.</p>

<p>That experience intensifi ed Guthrie&#8217;sdesire to put on more shows.An eclectic selection of Ott awa bandshas graced the space, from the gauzyThe Acorn, to the heavier SleepingPilot, to noise rats Smoke Judo. Evenbuzz acts from across the country anddown south have made appearances.Toronto&#8217;s dd/mm/yy and Washington&#8217;sThe Robot Ate Me have both hitthe stage over the past year.</p>

<p>&#8220;There is no genre that we stick to.We book bands we would listen toourselves. The music has to be interestingand unique. There are no superloud, crazy punk shows. They usedto have those next door. Insane punkshows [where] people [are] hangingfrom raft ers and breaking shit. Butthe people here are not into that kindof music. We love this house; we reallyrespect it,&#8221; said Guthrie. &#8220;TheThink About Life show was a hugeparty. A really sweaty, visceral show.That band embodies what 59 Argyleis all about. They&#8217;re intelligent, fun,quirky, bizarre.&#8221;</p>

<p>Many of the shows are announcedand advertised simply by wordof mouth and on websites such asMySpace and punkott awa.com.&#8220;The communication network is sogood in Ott awa. The fi rst step to ahealthy scene is communication,&#8221;commented Rolf Klausener, voiceand principal songwriter of TheAcorn. &#8220;And the Ottawa scene is reallyhealthy, really strong.&#8221;</p>

<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not the venue, but the peoplewho live [at 59 Argyle]. The peoplehave a passion for music. [They are]so passionate. Those people are invaluable,&#8221;said Klausener, who isalso program director at CHUO,the University of Ott awa&#8217;s campusradio station. &#8220;It&#8217;s bett er to play to asmall, intimate crowd than a big indifferent crowd … I wish there weremore 59 Argyles.&#8221;</p>

<p>Aft er cozy venues like Bumpersand the UniverseCity Lounge(above the Agora bookstore) cavedin due to fi nancial reasons, it hasbeen harder for litt le bands to stagelitt le shows. Mavericks and ClubSAW have large overhead fees.</p>

<p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t charge bands at all. It&#8217;snice if the house gets $20, if it&#8217;s a bigshow, maybe $40. We rely on them tothank us. Shows are usually always$5. This is not a money-making venue.Bands play shows for the sake ofplaying shows or [to gain] some exposure,&#8221;explained Guthrie. &#8220;Usuallywhen we book shows, bands contactthe people who live here: ‘We want toplay a show in Ott awa, are you interestedin booking us?&#8217; I&#8217;ve started a 59Argyle MySpace so bands can contactus [easily]. Usually headliners arefrom out of town. We choose bandsfrom around Ott awa with commonthreads that tie together.&#8221;</p>

<p>Guthrie is happy to watch thescene as it blooms and understandsthe venue&#8217;s place in Ott awa culture.She knows what the venue can off erand realizes its limitations.&#8220;It&#8217;s still a house. It has blownup as much as it can. But we wantto expand our territory—movies,theatre … We&#8217;re looking to put togethera few [theatre productions],maybe fi lm festivals to screen fi lmsthat our friends have made. Performingarts are what we&#8217;re aft er.&#8221;A lot has happened since she hasmoved in. The space has becomevery dear to Guthrie.</p>

<p>&#8220;I graduated last year. If weweren&#8217;t doing shows here, my lifewould feel very static. The showsgive me a chance to feel like thereare important things in life [outsideof] school,&#8221; said Guthrie.</p>

<p>On Nov. 25, Guthrie and the houseare planning a theatre performance,and aft er that, a dash of folk music.You should go. See the kind of venuebands, fans, and communities dreamabout. Just like the basements acrossNorth America in the 80s, the basementshows at 59 Argyle illuminateOtt awa&#8217;s enduringly close musiccommunity and its remarkable, unyieldingculture.</p>

<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re going to keep doing whatwe&#8217;re doing. It brings a lot to all ofour lives,&#8221; smiled Guthrie.</p>

	
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