Beautiful Spaces: Chai and The Beaumont Studios

This is a tribute to Vancouver’s local flourishing music scene

Every now and then in Vancouver I unsuspectingly stumble into a welcoming beautiful space pulsating with creativity, talent, and phenomenal live music. This is what I found the first time I walked the steps up into Chai –right above East is East- where every Wednesday night they hold a fund raiser for a different charity.

Walking in there is like walking into a party in the most awesome, cozy, colourful, nicely decorated, giant treehouse you could ever imagine – with stools and benches made out of beautiful wood, and Indian cushions and wall hangings adorning the walls. For $30 you can help yourself to the fantastic buffet of exquisite Indian cuisine, while local musicians pump out fusion world music that quickly turns the place into what feels like a giant dance party in someone’s huge exotic living room. It is honestly like another world, and yet, somehow, so completely Westcoast/Vancouver. http://www.chaiateastiseast.com/

Yesterday, to my delight, I stumbled into another gem of a beautiful space that is “so Vancouver” but in a different way.

The Beaumont Studios are tucked away at the edge of a residential neighbourhood on the East. It's an old building that houses art studios, live music, theatre, and creative small businesses. The Beaumont is a welcoming place full to the brim with creative energy and stunning art, and while housing so much obvious artistic talent there is no shred of pretentiousness.

On Saturday they held a music festival that included a beer garden, food, jewelry and crafts for sale outside, and local bands playing non-stop music all day from 1pm-10pm. By non-stop music I mean as one band was finishing up on the stage outside, the next band was getting ready to perform in the intimate 60-seat theatre inside.

I didn’t get there until about 6pm, and I ended up seeing 7 bands, and by the end of the night I came home with blood shot eyes looking like a I had smoked too many fattys when in reality no weed was involved and I think I was just literally high on music. The energy of the place was very relaxed, the crowd was very chill, the musicians very approachable and extremely talented. I want to tell you about some of my favourites, whose EPs, while all very good, do not do justice to their presence and jamming ability on stage.

Téa has a sultry voice reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, and she can jam the kind of jazz out of a piano that makes you want to groove. Her band had everybody dancing.

Warless sounded like a more upbeat, musically complex version of Jack Johnson. Every member of this band is clearly a talented musician, with a great bass guitarist and lead guitarist and a female drummer. Their sound just makes you feel like you should be dancing outside on a beach at sunset.

Adaline was on her own on the piano, and this girl has the voice of an angel – powerful, full of passion, beautiful enough to bring you to tears. In certain instances her voice reminded me of the singer from Evanescence, but her style is more bluesy.

Adrian Glynn was my favourite solo artist of the night. In the middle of his first song I told myself I was going to buy his CD. When I fall, I fall right away. He’s got a powerful bluesy voice that changes from smooth and beautiful to husky and low - low like Tom Waits low - like the kind that makes a girl giggle.

The best moment of the evening for me occurred in the intimate theatre when Adrian played a great bluesy song "Leaving Alone" while the crowd clapped along and Adaline, from within the crowd, burst into perfect harmonization with Adrian. The combination of these two voices is sublime.

The Beaumont Studios is a complete gem housing and offering so much inspiration. Every Monday night at the Beaumont Studios, The Evolving Arts Collective presents Vancouver City Limits – a $6 event where you can see 3 three distinctly original performers or bands. Check it out! http://www.thebeaumontstudios.com/