The CBC has a story today about the changing times…. maaaaaan. The Hive Creative Labs are shutting down. Its not all bad… One of the Principles, Colin Stewart is moving part of the operation to Victoria!
Many a quality record was recorded at The Hive including the Japandroids most excellent Post Nothing and Celebration Rock. And for that, my heart will always be fond of Hive.
I never knew the guys. My band never got too far into the recording realm before we called it quits… and my days at CiTR ended in 2003…right around the time that Hive had settled on a mailing address in Burquitlam.
My first memories of The Hive is when I found out that P:ano were recording out in Burquitlam…. and like, nothing interesting ever happens in Burquitlam. That was neat to this suburban snot nosed kid from Coquitlam (get it… Burnaby + Coquitlam = Burquitlam). Their earliest stuff was out on Hive-Fi Records (which I think is Hive). As the story goes, back then, Hive wasn’t a physical place, Colin Stewart recorded wherever, like his basement… The later stuff, like Brigadoon (Mint Records), I think was recorded in the lawless border region between Coquitlam and Burnaby, but I don’t have the liner notes in front of me.
Here’s a P:ano cut from 2002’s The Den (Hive-Fi & Zum Records).
and the notes to this 2004 cut credit Colin Stewart and Hive Studios.
The studio is closing after a long list of BC’s notable and less so artists have passed through. Colin Stewart is moving his production to Saanich and Jesse Gander is off to Rain City Records in Vancouver.
Go with yourself.
The Morning After 
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