By the bands, for the bands: new all ages music venue opens in St. John's

Ryan Thornhill — better known as "Slappasaurus" in the St. John's punk scene because of his bass playing — has met many young musicians during his days as a bouncer at shows. 

So he knows how difficult it is for them to get a foot in the door: That's why he opened Second Stage, a dry venue open to musicians of all ages to get together for a jam or to organize shows.

"I discovered the massive need for practice spaces as well as a stable and safe spot to have all ages shows," Thornhill told CBC News.

Underage performers must have written permission from a parent or guardian in order to play at a venue that serves alcohol, according to NLC guidelines.They also have to leave the venue as soon as their performance is over.

That takes away from the collective experience of music that's so important to musicians like Etta Cessac-Sinclair.

A member of several bands herself, Cessac-Sinclair says it was always a strange experience when she performed under the age of 19.

"Getting notes signed from your parents to play bar shows is always funny," she said. "It can be hard to find places. They'll take you, but maybe not after 10 P.M… and then you're getting kicked out and you can't see bands you like."

Thornhill hopes the new spot can fill a genre gap he notices in the N.L. music industry. He says most venues in the province lean toward booking artists who play traditional music and other softer genres, so he wanted to create a dedicated space for the alternative rock and punk community. 

All ages shows are a pillar of that community, as difficult as it typically is to organize one. 

"[They're] always fun because people are really packed together," said Cessac-Sinclair. 'Everyone is talking to one another because that's all you can do. That's all you're around, and there's a lot of different varieties of music."

 WATCH | No drinking? No problem. These musicians just want to play:

A place for people under 19 to play and practice music hits all the right notes

2 months ago

Duration 2:54

There’s no shortage of places to play music in the vibrant St. John’s music scene — if you’re 19 and older. But Ryan Thornhill knew there was a gap to fill for a younger and growing demographic. The CBC’s Maddie Ryan checked out a new space.

Elise O'Keefe is another artist familiar with the struggle.

"It's always been so hard to get an all ages show on the go," she said. "You're just trying to fund any venue at all that's going to take you and you're messaging and emailing churches, e-mailing community centres … to get a response is impossible."

"This is what we've been waiting for," said O'Keefe.

'Well-needed for the city'

Second Stage has almost all the equipment needed to play in a rock band, including an in-house drum kit that won't wake any neighbours. Thornhill's mission was to create a space that's accessible for musicians at all levels, and he says the response has been overwhelming so far.

"Everybody seems to think that it's well-needed for the city. And I mean, it is," said Thornhill. "People can go hang out and catch a show and not have to worry about all the stuff that comes with going to the nightlife here."

He serves potato chips and soda instead of alcohol, and Thornhill says everyone is checked at the door to keep substances from getting inside.

That model is perfectly OK with Cessac-Sinclair.

"None of us want to drink," she said. "We just want to party and listen to music."

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