Below is an exerpt from an article about Bedside Studios in PROFESSIONAL SOUND
magazine, by Tony Altomare. Photos by James Forsman.Although Bedside operates in a realitvely small music market, there is no shortage of upper echelon talent that has come through the studio. Milne has been on the receiving end of five Western Canadian Music Awards and three JUNO nominations for his work with artists such as Romi Mayes, Sue Foley, Big Dave McLean, The Perpetrators, and Little Miss Higgins. He was nominated for a 2013 JUNO in the aboriginal category for his work with the band Burnt Project 1 and has also had a hand in recordings by prairie punks Propagandhi and local upstarts The Revival. Rock outfit Goddo also filmed part of their upcoming documentary at the studio.
Bedside has played host to its fair share of international artists passing through the city as well. Milne has done work for numerous American artists who seek out the studio because of its status in Winnipeg. Rowdy rockabilly outfit The Webber Brothers, the hip-hop duo Black Violin, and even actress Tea Leoni make up just a sample of the bigger names that have made their way to Bedside.
The studio's reputation as one of the province's premier spots for live-off-the-floor recording has helped attract numerous artists, as well as engineers and producers from accross Canada and the globe. Milne has said Bedside has received accolades for its sound quality, especially the live recordings, because of the room's acoustic character.
"We've had engineers and producers from all over come through here, including Richard Chycki, who works with Rush, that say they really like the sound of the room."
Milne says he meets the majority of his clientele by working live sound for larger venues in Winnipeg, but the local talent tends to flock to the studio because of its reputation. "Most people come just from word of mouth. I know a lot of travelling musicians based on the clubs that they go to, because I know a lot of the club owners. I'm usually the guy they phone to do live sound when they have bigger acts coming through Winnipeg," says Milne.
While the majority of his clients in the past have been local artists, Milne says he has noticed a shift recently with the amount of outside artists visting the studio. Artists from all over the country have come in lately and given Milne a chance to work in a variety of genres from blues to folk to hip-hop.
When asked about the current ststus of the music industry in Manitoba, Milne says the province is thriving with an abundance of Talent. "There is pretty much everything in Winnipeg. It's very diverse as far as the scenes go. There's a good pool of really good players here in Winnipeg, but a lot of them have to leave to become known.
(Click The Cover - page 27)
