A metalhead walks into a bar looking for a drink and a gig, but instead runs into a theatre student.
As it turns out, booze isn’t available that night so they both settle on a spoken word set focusing on mental health issues facing a broad cross section of society.
That’s not the punch line from a tired joke, but rather the reality of one of Vancouver’s newest venues: a space that accommodates music, art shows and just about any other form of expression that can be imagined.
Studio Vostok opened its doors on Keefer Street in early June and is the brainchild of Mitch Ray and Taya Fraser, a pair that has run the Art Signified promotions team for more than three years.
Come Sept. 26, the venue will play host to a zine launch and author reading from a publication called Issues. The three-part series is headed up by Gargoyle Publications and author Becca Clarkson, who is chronicling mental health issues affecting three subsets of society: issue one examined musicians, while the upcoming edition features interviews with first responders.
“A lot of them told me that they simply don’t have time to have their own issues — there is no ‘me’ in their professions,” Clarkson said. “A lot of them joked about liking wine and I interviewed two severe alcoholics who interestingly enough, didn’t blame their alcoholism on their jobs. Their ability to focus on other people actually helped them get away from their demons.”
That decibels and dancing will take a backseat to a discussion around mental health is precisely the point behind Studio Vostok.
Fraser comes from a musical background, while Ray has focused solely on promotions for the last seven years. Their diverging interests lend themselves perfectly to an eclectic mix of offerings.
“The fact that we touch on so many different genres of music has become our signature,” said Ray, 27. “I think that instead of cozying up to an existing sub-scene in the music community, we just went ahead and did our own thing in our own way and somehow that caught on and over the years we have created our own community.”
The studio opened June 4, though the vision was hatched years before. The pair mused on opening the space for the duration of their partnership, though things got real within the last year. With the help of mutual friend and financial backer Alex Slavin, Fraser and Ray found the space, which was previously a dollar store, in March. And then it was go time: painting, permitting, renos, all-night prep parties and an outpouring of community support, freebies and donations.
Then there was the issue of making sure everything was above board: permitting, licensing and trying to make nice with the neighbours.
Ray has since quit his day job and both have invested “all of what little money we have into this venue.”
The end product is a dual-level facility encompassing two floors and about 2,500 square feet, which is named after the Russian aircraft responsible for the first human spaceflight. The performance area can accommodate about 100 people, and Vostok’s current permits only allow for three shows per month where alcohol can be served.
“The amount of work we and our friends put into opening Vostok was exhausting but so unbelievably rewarding,” said Fraser, 32. “The physical work is nothing in comparison to trying to figure out the red tape and bylaws and licensing that the city makes you go through. No one seems to know the exact rules for anything, that part was pretty frustrating and confusing.”
Vostok’s future is rooted in constant evolution. Where nighttime gigs are now the norm, the plan is to be open for business throughout the day to sell merch and provide a place for any and all creative types.
“Shows of all genres, comedy nights, film screenings, community events, live recordings, discussion groups, art exhibits and so on. The goal is for this place to become a hub of creativity,” Ray said.
Studio Vostok is located at 246 Keefer St. and the Sept. 26 zine launch gets going at 7 p.m. For info, see facebook.com/studiovostok.
[email protected]
@JohnKurucz
