WHAT IS PULSE?
Pulse Music Journal is Saskatchewan’s hub for music indulgers. We ‘eat/sleep/breathe’ the music and entertainment industry – plug into our outlet while we highlight new music, recap live performances, interview the biggest names, connect with local legends, and the newest initiatives surrounding our local music scene. We are honoured to be a leading cultural staple in the Saskatchewan music and entertainment scene.
WE SUPPORT SASKATCHEWAN’S ENTERTAINMENT & MUSIC SCENE
Whether it’s reaching out to a newly released project, musician or creating a spotlight for local talent to be heard on any of our stages, as well as opportunities to be heard opening for larger acts on a full-venue stage. We look forward to assist and launch newest concepts that strongly support the local music in this province. The local music scene is super important to us – we are a small province, but we have big dreams. Let’s grow and support each other – putting Saskatchewan on the map for premium music and entertainment experience.
GARFIELD SOUND LABS MAKING SPACE FOR ARTISTS TO CREATE
Rehearse, Record and Release – that’s the process for most musicians that are looking to put their sound out to the world. Randy Farkas at Garfield Sound Labs has continually put that process to the test. If you are a musician, creative, or a fan of music then there is a large chance that you have crossed paths with Randy Farkas through the Saskatchewan music or arts scene. Randy Farkas is a very talented musician and has been running Garfield Sound Labs for many years. GSL is a combination of rehearsal, recording and performance facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Garfield Sound Labs encourage the process of creating sound and allow for artists to work closely with their in-house recording engineers and producers to determine the best launch strategy to fit vision, schedule and budget. Garfield Sound Labs is not your average recording studio.
Randy Farkas of Garfield Sound Labs met up with us to chat about his space, we learn how the spot got its name, and how it feels to be a major part of artistic growth for musicians. We learn how the process works while collaborating with Dex Riley, Maxwell Raeburn Warner and other producers. We talk the personal balance of running a space while creating music for yourself and others. Randy shares some tips for new songwriters, the versatility of Garfield Sound Labs, the future goals for the space, and so much more.
WHAT IS GARFIELD SOUND LABS?
RANDY FARKAS: We are a multi-studio recording and rehearsal facility in Saskatoon.
HOW DID THE STUDIO GET THE NAME, “GARFIELD SOUND LABS”?
RANDY FARKAS: It’s actually the street we are located on. Most people in Saskatoon have never heard of it so I felt it was a safe play to keep as part of our brand identity.
WHAT DOES GARFIELD SOUND LABS BRING TO THE TABLE THAT OTHER STUDIOS MAY OVERLOOK?
RANDY FARKAS: There are some great people behind some awesome studios in the province and every studio has its own vibe and specialty. Our studio’s vibe is a bit different because we have multiple jam spaces with a large community of musicians who use the space regularly for both creating and capturing their music.
Creating art takes as long as it takes so It can be expensive to hire a recording studio to just jam and get super experimental with your ideas. So we built our mixing studio and control room to be fully integrated into the rehearsal studios so we are closer to that creation process than most traditional recording studios.
Easier to catch lightning in the bottle if you put the storm inside it. Wow. Does that even make sense?
WHEN BOOKING AT GARFIELD
SOUND LABS CAN ARTISTS EXPECT INFINITE AMOUNTS OF LASAGNA?
RANDY FARKAS: Who told you about my noodle problem? Noodle bowls and spring rolls would be ideal. So yeah sure!
“REALLY SHINE A LIGHT ON THEIR TALENTS”
– RANDY FARKAS
Click image to listen to “Stay Young” by Billy Daniel
Artwork by: Brennan Elliott (Everything Creative Co.)
YOU HAVE WORKED WITH BILLY DANIEL
PRODUCING HIS DEBUT SINGLE FOR HIS EP ALONG WITH MANY OF HIS PROJECTS. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE SUCH A LARGE PART OF HIS MUSIC UPBRINGING – ALONG WITH SO MANY OTHER MUSICIANS AND CREATIVES?
RANDY FARKAS: I did work with Billy on “Stay Young” and our friend Maxwell Raeburn hit the other two tracks on that ep. That was a fun experience I think for both of us as it was pretty unplanned.
He had been a resident at GSL for many years so I’ve actually known Billy for quite a long time.
I feel super lucky to get to know and watch musicians and bands that flow through here over the last 15 years get better and grow. It’s crazy. One week you’re hearing an improvised jam and then a few weeks later their band has written a killer song and is ready to take it to the stage or get it recorded. Or both.
“Fake Fear” by Acronyms – inside the Garfield Sound Labs, circa October 2013
Filmed and Edited by: Alan Yuen & Tyson Goodyear // Music edited by: Randy Farkas (Garfield Sound Labs)
Band Members: Billy Tataryn, Tyson Goodyear, Brynn Krysa, and Adan Edinho Lemus
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WORKING ALONGSIDE OTHER MUSIC PRODUCERS SUCH AS DEX RILEY, HOW DOES THAT COLLABORATIVE PROCESS WORK?
RANDY FARKAS: We usually spend a lot of time talking about what we are listening to or what has been inspiring us lately. Like “have you heard the drums on so and so’s new album” etc. We spend a ton of time nerding out over gear and software etc.
It’s important to build a solid rapport and an appreciation for everyone’s experience and talents to allow for collaborative processes to come naturally.
We are both musicians, producers and engineers in various capacities so we’ll figure out which “hats” to wear for the project and try to stay in our lanes so things run smoothly for the artist. That’s more important than who thinks they have the better idea etc. It’s rad, I really enjoy collaborating with him.
Working with Dex Riley has been great. Both technically and artistically, the dude is pro from start to finish. And he is just getting rolling.
“SUPPORT THE ARTIST’S JOURNEY”
– RANDY FARKAS
BEING A MUSICIAN YOURSELF
DO YOU ENJOY STEPPING BACK WHILE BEING INVOLVED BEHIND THE SCENES OR DO YOU MISS CREATING YOUR OWN MUSIC?
RANDY FARKAS: I love both. Wouldn’t be able to choose one over the other. I still create my own music to keep me sharp and ready to contribute during the recording or production process. When you have a jam space full of musicians there’s always the chance to pick up an instrument and play for a couple hours!
I have always enjoyed everything behind the scenes. You get the chance to kind of glue things together for a band or artist and really shine a light on their talents.
RECORDING IS A RITE OF PASSAGE FOR SOME UP AND COMING MUSICIANS
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW ARTIST THAT IS LOOKING TO RECORD SOMETHING?
RANDY FARKAS: The music creation/recording process is so accessible to anyone these days. Ableton, GarageBand, FL Studio, phones, laptops etc. For example, someone recently sent me a song they wrote using Garageband on their iPhone which I was able to import and mix it into a super usable demo. This demo will be the core we work from to record the actual song that gets released on Spotify etc.
So my advice is to get your ideas down and refine them so you can get the arrangement figured out and your actual performance dialled. That’s pretty important. That way you’re set up to record in the studio. If you want to record and release it, don’t worry about perfecting it. We can do that in the studio.
The song, arrangement, and your ability to play the parts is key.
Not always the case, but I receive a lot of near-finished projects or fragments of ideas that end up being a core part of what gets released.
FOR A TOURING BAND
WHAT CAN GARFIELD SOUND LABS PROVIDE WHILE THEY ARE TRAVELING AND MAKING A STOP THROUGH SASKATOON?
RANDY FARKAS: With 2000sgft and a few different studios, we have a pretty versatile space that can host some pretty demanding bookings. We can accommodate just about anything from a short rehearsal to tidy up some new material during their tour, all the way to large production rehearsal to work out the kinks before starting a big tour.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR GARFIELD SOUND LABS?
RANDY FARKAS: We are kind of just coming out of our shell this year (2020) and it’s been quite a ride. despite our industry basically being postponed, the bookings we’ve had surrounding the Junos, Jazz Fest, and some other large projects have helped us get in shape to improve and grow.
We’re in an awesome position to support the artist’s journey—rehearsal studios to create music, the recording studio and experience to bring amazing ideas to their fullest potential, and then providing some guidance on the release side of things.
We have such a rad community of people and an amazing space to create, capture and release great art—we don’t plan to change that anytime soon.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GARFIELD SOUND LABS, VISIT WWW.SOUNDLABS.CA
UPCOMING EVENTS
WHAT EVENTS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO…
LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT’S TO COME…
