LMS Mini All-Inclusive Studio Packages

LMS To Offer Mini Studio Packages

For a new songwriter, few things come close to matching the first time you hear other musicians playing one of your songs. It’s just a magical and never forgotten moment. For a semi-pro or pro musician, recording with seasoned studio musicians is both rewarding and fulfilling. Having your ideas take shape and take on a life of their own has a sweetness about it that provokes smiles along with a deep sense of accomplishment.

The recent Facebook posts headlined with "Want to record with some of the top Okanagan studio musicians?" will certainly catch your eye if you are a local player or songwriter who doesn’t have any other opportunities for self-expression or career growth right now. Covid, and the many restrictions that have surfaced to try to deal with it, have had a staggering impact on local musicians; both those that had been gigging regularly as well as those who were just on the verge of getting out there with their new band or their new songs for the very first time. One Kelowna company has come up with a new way of providing opportunities for people to stay creative while we wait this pandemic out.

LMS Entertainment has been creating a buzz with their teaser announcements on social media of some new packages that will include studio time, arranging, production, session musicians, mixing and mastering on projects from as small as a single song up to full EPs or albums. Company co-owner Mike Schell has sensed the very real longing to play again that he and the many local musicians he plays with are experiencing. He is also well aware of how far the industry has moved toward recording by passing tracks around the country digitally and then collecting them to create fine finished music products. We’ll come back to that.

Even the cafes and wineries and other micro-venues that kept things going through the summer of last year are prohibited from having many patrons inside their venues, let alone host any live music of even the solo artist variety, right now. As much as that has been a financial hardship, it has also shut off virtually every possible outlet for creative expression for musicians throughout the area. Add to that the fact that for many music fans, the thrill of watching your local favs banging out some tunes from their living rooms has faded, and for the musicians themselves, not even being able to get together to jam or rehearse let alone perform has been anxiety producing and calm disturbing.

Schell has chosen to find a way to restore some of that lost energy and vibe and excitement by coming up with a series of options to make available to anyone, from beginners to seasoned pros, to get into the studio to record new songs and flesh out new music ideas. These packages offer an opportunity to participate, to dive fully into the process of making music, while employing and enjoying the talents of some of the area’s best studio and gigging musicians.

Some of the players that Schell has announced so far are multi-Juno award winner Julie Masi on background vocals, studio and live performance veteran Dennis Marcenko on bass, the talented and diverse skills of Jimmy LeGuilloux on guitars, masterful drummer Scott Gamble, and others, each of whom may be available to play on your recording. More announcements are coming, and it's already an impressive list.

LMS’s new offering can’t solve all the problems and relieve all the pain of a largely shuttered music scene, but it does offer a potential glimmer of hope through the joy of musical creation to those so inclined. Hit them up on their Facebook page or call them at 250.864.6350

How popular are these packages going to be? Schell tells us they have already recieved 3 bookings of packages and they haven't even started advertising yet.