It’s party time, it’s excellent
Live @ The Roslyn brings live local music to your smartphone
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This article was published 17/01/2017 (3423 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Every Wednesday, two roommates welcome thousands of music fans into their living room for a house concert unlike any other.
For the past 10 weeks, Rylie Saunders, Kevin Repay, Morgan Coates, Joey Senft and Michael Osikoya (collectively dubbed The Village Idiots) have invited a new group of musicians to perform in one of Winnipeg’s most iconic buildings — Roslyn Square.
The red brick apartment in Osborne Village is home to Saunders and Repay who have turned part of their suite into a photo studio and stage where they host Live @ The Roslyn, an hour of performances from some of Winnipeg’s favourite acts, broadcast live on Facebook.
The two roommates, who are self-described mega-fans of Winnipeg’s music scene, said the idea for Live @ The Roslyn came after attending hundreds of local shows and seeing the same people in the crowd each time.
“We would say to ourselves all the time: how is it only 50 to 70 people want to see this band?” Repay said. “Then we came to realize that some people just don’t like crowds; some people can’t afford to go to shows; it’s too late and some people have to tuck their kids into bed or go to work in the morning.”
“Life gets in the way. We all have reasons why we can’t go to a live show,” Saunders agreed. “The main point of view here is that on Wednesday at eight o’clock you just press play on your phone. You’re looking at your phone anyway, so why not watch live, local music?”
With a strong network of talent to draw from, the two called on friends to help create a platform where people can tune in and watch live music without leaving the comfort of home and also give local musicians the exposure they deserve.
Coates handles the audio engineering and tech setup for each performance, Senft, of jsenftphotography, handles photography during the show, and Osikoya of Visual Soul Studios takes portraits of the performers after the show. He is also leading the charge for a film about the collective.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Osikoya said. “Every Wednesday this becomes life. It’s been absolutely mind-blowing and so much fun.
“It’s great to see everyone come together to create this hour long show. There’s so much love and positive energy. It’s refreshing to come here after a long week.”
The Honeysliders, Greg Arcade, Micah Erenberg, White Rhino, and Bright Righteous are a few of the outfits to have graced the floorboards of Live @ The Roslyn. Since it launched, the live streaming program has tapped into an engaged audience, with over a 1,000 page likes, hundreds of comments, and over 40,000 views.
Saunders and Repay also make appearances in the program, introducing the acts, doing skits and telling jokes, not unlike another well known public-access television duo.
“I can’t believe the comparison — we ripped off Wayne’s World,” Saunders joked.
“We’re doing skits and we’re just having fun with it,” Repay added. “Most people think they’re stupid skits, I like to say stupid-funny.”
Check out The Village Idiots on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WeAreTheVillageIdiots for a schedule of upcoming performances.