Content warning: This story discusses substance use and sexual assault. Please read with care.
High-school students from across Nanaimo are holding a dry, all ages end-of-school punk and metal show at The Globe Live Studio on June 25 as a benefit for the venue, which is currently experiencing financial difficulties.
Jackson Cavan, guitarist for the band End of Thread, put the show together featuring bands whose members are all under 19 years of age as a way to both celebrate the end of the school year and showcase the talent of high-school aged musicians in Nanaimo.
“Coming to a dry show at a community venue to enjoy some music is probably the best thing that 200 teenagers could be doing on their last day in school,” Cavan said.
End of Thread is playing with SoundDrain, whose members are 13 and 14 years old, Hagathog, Scraped Blind and Zoe the Strange.
But when the band heard The Globe Live Studio is facing financial difficulties and is at risk of closing, the band decided to turn the end-of-school-year celebration into a benefit show to help keep the venue open.
“I want to protect that place as much as I can,” said Alexis Edgett, who sings for End of Thread. “Within the last year and a bit it has been a place where people can actually go, be themselves and listen to the music they like to listen to without being judged.”
The Globe Live Studio exploring hybrid model
In a series of posts on Facebook, The Globe Live Studio wrote that the venue was behind on rent, entire staff had been laid off and that the venue had to increase the rental fee for bands to a flat $500 instead of the previous ticket split between the venue and bands.
On Monday, a community meeting was held to discuss the future of the venue including an idea to create a non-profit society that could work on promoting concerts, hosting community events and running youth programs and workshops while The Globe Live Studio would remain a private company that is responsible for the venue, equipment, brand and artistic vision.
“The Globe exists to support artists, musicians, performers and creative people. It exists to give young artists opportunities,” the post says. “It exists to strengthen Nanaimo’s music scene and create a platform that helps Island artists reach audiences far beyond Vancouver Island.”
In a post on his personal Facebook in early June, The Globe’s owner Richard Scott wrote that he was considering selling the business but not the building to allow him to focus more on sound production as he is “not really into managing people and office jobs just aren’t for [him.]”
“If The Globe shut down, we would be struggling as a band all of a sudden,” Cavan said, noting that the next closest venue that does all ages shows is the Masonic Temple in Cumberland. “We’d go from doing great to not really having anywhere to perform.”
Expressing themselves through music
End of Thread got its start as a previous band in the John Barsby School of Rock program, with three of the members going to high school together.
The band has recorded a five-song EP called Gob Stopper, which is available on Bandcamp, and contains songs about serious subjects youth are dealing with, such as substance use, abusive relationships and sexual assault.
Edgett said she wrote the lyrics to the song “Secrets” because she has been sexually assaulted multiple times and wanted “people to know that they’re not alone, and there’s other people out there who went through the same thing.”
“When The Stars Align” is about Edgett’s experience with substance use.
“It’s good for people to know there’s other people who have gone through that and want help or recognition that there are other people trying to get clean,” they said.
Jacklynn Patterson, 16, plays drums in End of Thread and told The Discourse playing the drums allows her to express how she’s feeling.
“I’ve struggled a lot with my anger, and drums are one of the only things that can help, because you’re hitting things, but you’re also making sounds and music out of it,” she said. “It’s beautiful, it’s art, it’s a workout, it’s my favorite thing ever.”
For Patterson, being able to play music in front of a crowd moshing in a circle pit is something special.
“End of Thread is my dream, it’s what I’ve always wanted,” Patterson said. “Chase after your dreams, because you won’t actually pursue it if you don’t try, and there’s a chance that it will happen if you do.”
Tickets for the show are $15 and can be purchased on The Globe Live Studio’s website.
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