Toy Car Studios

In 2016, we saw some incredible music pour out from our tried and true venues and the Chippewa Valley’s music festival slate is quickly becoming one of our strongest assets, bringing a cavalcade of remarkable musical talent to perform in our cities every year. But elsewhere in the Valley, away from the huge stages and immense sound systems, a new push is slowly building to have new kinds of musical performances.

Pine Hollow Studio just outside of Eau Claire hosted bands like The Staves, S. Carey, Kalispell, and Michael Perry and the Long Beds in their live room which can only hold up to 50 attendees for an intimate performance space.

Meanwhile, a brand new Eau Claire recording studio called Toy Car Studios is toying around with ideas of in-studio shows, outdoor shows, and live sessions.

Look for more events like these to take off in 2017, but get tickets early because they go fast! In September, Visit Eau Claire hosted a Music City Summit at the Oxbow Hotel where city officials, local musicians, music scene experts, and more all gathered to talk about the ways the city can invest in its music scene. A main takeaway from that event was the need for an all-ages, do-it-yourself venue where the younger generation of musicians and music fans can get in on the scene.

“When you have a dedicated space that’s all ages like that, it gives you that continuity. You’re also helping to train kids to be in bands, to be sound engineers, to work door, to promote,” said music scene expert Michael Seman at the summit.

“And we all know that time between when you’re 16 and 21 is when you are most into being a musician, being in a scene, and pushing things forward.” There should be some action on this front in 2017, especially with help from The Conflux Collective, a new nonprofit from the minds of school board commissioner Joe Luginbill and local musician Kyle Culver, which will seek to create “incubators” for young musicians where they can network, create, perform, and collaborate together.

Music is one of our great strengths, and 2017 will keep the ball rolling and try to make it go farther than ever.

Next: Hunger Games: Valley Food Scene Looks to Prove Itself