Venue Info

THIS VENUE CLOSED PERMANENTLY ON DECEMBER 5, 2019.

“Artword Artbar is a cosy little licensed listening room on Colbourne at James St. N., that always features interesting live music.” Graham Rockingham, Hamilton Spectator 03/29/12

Cootes Paradise band on stage at Artword Artbar, June 2017.

INFO for Audience:

Capacity? 60 at cafe tables and bar stools.   Children welcome? Yes.
Beverages? Licensed by the AGCO. Micro-brew on tap. Wines, highball cocktails, bottled beer, coolers. Also espresso, tea, juices, and light meals.
Parking? Street parking at meters, and anywhere not signed “By Permit Only”. The parking lot across the street is NOT GOOD — you get a parking ticket, starting at 8 pm. There are 2 municipal lots, one off Hughson and one off Mulberry.
Accessible? No. Unfortunately, we are not an accessible venue. The building’s main floor is half a story above street level. Washrooms are a full flight of stairs down to the lower level.


INFO for Musicians and Performers:

WPBE (Worst Pop Band Ever) at Artword Artbar, March 3, 2018 Chris Gale (sax), Drew Birston (bass), Tim Shia (drums), Dafydd Hughes (piano)

Want to perform at Artword Artbar?
We are a concert venue, with a cafe-bar listening-room atmosphere. If you have a high-quality show in mind, and know who your audience for it will be, please send us an email with your show proposal, plus links: Artword Theatre <artword@artword.net>
We like a concert-style format, usually an 8 pm start, an intermission, winding down by 11 pm.

Load-in, Parking?
* Load-in: Usually about 6:30 pm, for an 8 pm show. Rear load-in door beside our private parking lot.
* Parking: For musicians only, behind our building off Severn St., room for six small cars if jockeyed.

What support does Artword Artbar provide?
We promote all our events equally, with a good website, email newsletters, media listings, FB group, etc. We also provide on-line ticketing, taking reservations, a door person, and assistance with sound set-up.

What does Artword Artbar expect?
We expect performers to deliver the excellent show they proposed. We also expect performers to be able to bring out a good audience (20-30 at least) who are paying the cover set by the performers.

What sound system and gear does Artword Artbar have?
* PA sound system: 12-channel mixer-amp with xlr & guitar-cable inputs, 2 speakers, 2 monitors (Yorkville), and a sub-woofer.
* DI box: 2
* Vocal mics: 7 (4 SM38s, 2 Sennheisers, and 1 Audix)
* Instrument mic: 1 (SM37),
* Cables: various mic cables and guitar cables. Please bring some of yours as well.
* Mic Stands: 6 boom (3 weighted base, 3 tripod base), 3 gooseneck and 2 straight weighted base.
* Guitar stands: 4
* Music stands: 3

The Young Chang piano being loaded in to Artword Artbar on Sat Feb 3, 2018

Piano:
* Piano: As of Feb 3, 2018, a newly-acquired 4-foot baby grand (Young Chang). We keep it tuned. See photos left on delivery day.
Please email us in advance if you would like to play it during a show. We move it closer to the stage. It does not go up on the stage.

 

Other resources:
We have a short-throw projector (image ratio 16:9 ). Its image fills our upstage white wall, which is usually covered by a black scrim curtain. Please email us a special request in advance to find out if you can use it: artword@artword.net

Mar 6, 2015, archive photo of our previous piano. Bass player Mike DeiCont, with Mike Rajna drums, Chris Platt guitar, Josh Smiley piano, Bradley Eaton trumpet, at Artword Artbar

Image to the left is an archival view of our previous piano, the Wurlitzer baby grand.