Mathew Tourand has had a busy career as an advanced care paramedic with Canora Ambulance Care since moving to Canora in 2012, but he has started a home-based project which is likely to keep him just as busy on many of his off days.
In the basement of his house in Canora, Tourand recently opened New Pulse Studios. It’s a studio where he plans to record the music of performers from around the area.
Tourand said he was born and raised in Weyburn, and has been interested in music almost ever since he can remember.
“I learned the electric guitar when I was 11 or 12 years old,” he recalled. “I switched to bass at around 15 when a band at our school was looking for a bass player.”
Since then, Tourand has played in a number of different bands. He was in a Regina-based band for a while after moving to Canora, but said the travelling got to be too much.
Approximately two years ago he made the decision to build his own studio.
“I gutted the basement of my house and put in sound-proof insulation in the walls and ceiling,” Tourand said. “The studio construction and layout is all from my own ideas.”
The facility is equipped to record vocals and instruments separately and then bring them all together in the finished recording.
“I’m looking for new artists, to produce a recording they can be proud of,” he said. “I’m not looking to make a lot of money from this. It’s more of a hobby, to get my mind of my day job and focus on something else.”
“I don’t have any formal musical training. I’m a completely self-taught as a recording and mixing engineer.”
Tourand recently recorded a song for a young band from Langenburg known as The Firm. He hopes to do more of the same for other up-and-coming acts, and teach them about the recording process at the same time.
“From my experience, one of the things young artists need to learn about is the importance of timing,” he explained. “Even though the instruments and vocals are all recorded separately, the timing has to be exactly the same to produce the best possible final recording.”
But Tourand said a successful experience in a recording studio requires more than technical expertise.
“I have been involved as a musician in recording at other studios where the atmosphere was far too business-like. The engineer criticized the performers for every little mistake and made us feel like screw-ups,” he said. “In this studio I want to make people feel comfortable and help them enjoy the experience.”
Even with the studio project, Tourand has continued to be busy as a performer. He recently became involved in a local punk rock band named Prairie Revolt.
Tourand plays bass, with a lineup that also features Jeremy Negraeff (lead guitar), Colin Knight (vocals), Evan Kushneruk (vocals, guitar) and Eric Kushneruk (drums).
“The idea for band’s name came out of us being from Saskatchewan, and we were all into the old punk music and wanted to stay away from the soft, easy rock,” said Tourand.
He said the group got started when the Kushneruk brothers gave him a call and they ended up jamming together a few times.
“About a year ago we did an open-mic gig at Canora Hotel,” he recalled. “That was really well received. We got some good feedback and it motivated us to do more. Then in July we performed at the Canora in Bloom Festival in the Park.”
Prairie Revolt has done some preliminary recording at New Pulse Studios, which they listen to and try to correct their mistakes. Tourand said the group has played mostly covers so far, but want to get into writing their own music and recording it at some point.
“If other young bands can see what we’re doing and somehow learn from it, that would be great,” he said.
Within the last few weeks, Tourand purchased a live PA (public address) system. He said he plans to use it to produce live shows, such as Canora in Bloom, and possibly record live off the stage.
“Eventually I would like to buy more equipment and start doing DJ services,” he said.
Tourand normally is on call for five consecutive days at Canora Ambulance Care. He then has five days off, and plans to make full use of that time working at New Pulse Studios.
