New jam space aims to pick up where the Rock Garden left off
Erica Eades, Assistant Arts Editor
Nearly two months ago, the Halifax music scene was hit with a devastating blow. The Rock Garden, a staple for burgeoning local acts in the city, closed their doors for the last time.
Kris Osmond, guitarist and vocalist for local band, Parade Square was at a loss when he heard the news.
“In this city, it’s impossible to find somewhere else to play,” he says.
But on Jan. 4, after undergoing major renovations, acquiring all new equipment, and adopting a new name, the rehearsal space re-opened under new ownership.
Pete Green, owner of the newly named, Rockopolis was a frequent customer of the Rock Garden. He says he used to rehearse there two to three times a week with his rockabilly-punk band, the Blackrats.
“The day they closed down, I called to get rehearsal space,” he says. “We had nowhere to jam and we were just like, ‘What are we going to do?’”
Green says it was his partner, Sande Jordan, who first suggested they take over the Rock Garden. Though he was hesitant at first, they ultimately decided to make it happen.
“It’s what the city needs,” he says. “A lot of people really wanted this place open—we just happened to be the people who got lucky enough to do it.”
The Rock Garden first opened in April 2005. Founder, Rob MacArthur, had just graduated from Dalhousie and was in need of work.
“The only jobs I could get were like, five different call centres,” he says with a laugh. “I was basically faced with either moving away, or, if I wanted to stay here … I had to do my own thing.”
A musician himself, MacArthur was well aware that Halifax had a shortage of places to jam. Though his initial plan was to find some office space and open a design company, the discovery of the old hall on Hunter Street changed his mind.
“It was perfect,” he says. “It was right across the street from MusicStop (now Long & McQuade), it had a parking lot; it even had a conveyor belt for loading gear in.”
In a matter of months, the Rock Garden was up and running. And for local bands, the centre quickly became a necessity.
Tomas Sinclair, guitarist for Halifax-based group, The StillFrames, says his band frequented the establishment once or twice a month.
Up until its closure, the Rock Garden was an essential component of the group’s dynamic.
“We came up with a lot of our songs there,” he says. “It was just such a great, creative space.
When they shut down, the young Dal students struggled to find a new place to rehearse.
“We used to jam at my place,” says Sinclair. “But I live in a neighbourhood with a lot of kids, so we can’t really play past 7 p.m.”
Other local bands, including the now-defunct Superfantastics, Bad Vibrations, and even Wintersleep have played at the venue over the years.
But regardless of its steady following, the Rock Garden faced its share of challenges.
MacArthur leased the space from neighbouring St. Antonio’s Church. He says one condition of renting the basement unit was that they must close whenever the upstairs hall was rented out for an event.
In September of last year, a movie shoot (for Picnicface’s Roller Town) closed the space for two weeks. Though MacArthur says this had happened a few times before, it was the first closure since he discovered his wife was expecting a child.
“My wife wouldn’t be working, so I couldn’t be in a situation where I had no source of income for weeks at a time,” he says. “It really spooked me out.”
When the Rock Garden officially announced its closure, local musicians were quick to voice their concern. Message boards on sites such as Halifax Locals were flooded with comments expressing how greatly the centre would be missed.
“Everyone I was friends with on Facebook from different bands were all posting ‘Rest in Peace,’” recalls Sinclair. “And it wasn’t just for the Rock Garden. It was like, the Halifax music scene is going to be hurting for a little bit.”
With the opening of Rockopolis, it was necessary to make some changes if the incarnation was going to last—the most significant change being the cost. Whereas the Rock Garden charged $15 an hour, taxes included, Rockopolis will be charging $20 plus tax.
Some local musicians fear the price hike may make it difficult to rehearse there on a regular basis.
“The prices still aren’t outlandish,” says Sinclair. “From what we were used to though, it’s a pretty big increase.”
But as Green says, “With the raise in prices, it’s not the Rock Garden anymore.”
The increased rates are helping to pay for new renovations, which includes tearing apart the walls, putting in soundproofing insulation, refitting the doors so they seal shut, building sound baffles for the walls and bass traps for the corners, and renting all new gear.
Green has also changed the set-up of the rooms. While the Rock Garden had eight hourly rooms, Rockopolis now offers four hourly and four monthly rooms.
Although the big changes may be daunting to old customers, Green plans to keep the most integral aspect of the Rock Garden alive.
“People used to come down to the Rock Garden at 11 o’clock at night just for a guitar string,” he says. “We really want that service to be there. If somebody needs something, we’re going to try to do our best to fill that need.”
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