There is a new rehearsal space in Toronto and anyone who is seriously into practicing should read this
article. Musicians who love to meet other musicians, you need to read this as well.

Blast- Let’s start with the obvious. How did Volume 11 begin?

Siddiq- Thank You, JoJo! Starting a Rehearsal Studio has been a dream of mine for many years. I finally
had an opportunity to open Volume 11 Studios mid of last year. I began playing guitar at the age of 14
and have played with many bands over the years. Some of my fondest memories are playing music in
the studio or on stage.
Music is my big passion, and I always dreamed of creating a fulfilling livelihood related to this passion.
Important people in my life told me to have a fallback plan, so I studied and worked in finance for many
years. I graduated from York and worked in BMO initially, then moved to Dubai in 2006. I worked in
banking and finance for 20 years, working with many different businesses. I moved back to Toronto with
my wife in 2018 and got back into the grind of finance to create a stable future here.
Covid came to town and the finance industry (and everything else) was hit hard. Work became very
stressful with layoff’s, a toxic work environment, being overworked and underpaid. I was burnt out and
decided that I had enough. I wanted to do something for myself, something fulfilling and meaningful. I
had the experience with working with businesses and with business plans, and decided to take a plunge
as an entrepreneur.
I knew I wanted to startup a Rehearsal Studio business and then a Recording studio. I worked on the
business plan for more than year, starting from scratch and doing all the work, solo.

Blast- How did you actually come to get this physical space which is really nice by the way?

Siddiq- I was looking at many different commercial spaces suitable for a rehearsal studio, as well as the
infrastructure costs for soundproofing and acoustic treatment. I came across listing for a space that I
recognized. In the 2000s I was in a local band called “Falak”. We were a Prog Rock/South Asian fusion
band with a good following and active in the local scene. We used this same space to rehearse, and
recorded our EP and demos here. This was Cherry Beach Sound.
Interesting fact…the producer we worked was Inaam Haq, who later on won a Grammy for his work on
Bruno Mars/Mark Ronsons “Uptown Funk You Up”!
This was a great opportunity to get started! The space had been a reputed rehearsal space for a few
decades, known to many local musicians, and affiliated with a top recording studio, Cherry Beach Sound.
The studio was also equipped with high quality sound proofing, saving on significant start-up costs.
I met with the owner, and we hit it off right away and had the same goal in mind, to revitalize rehearsal
spaces in Toronto and bring new energy to the city’s music scene. I took a plunge and went for it! I
worked solidly for 6 weeks to set up the place. My attitude was that If I was a musician renting this
space, what kind of gear would I like to use. I can proudly say that we have a premium backline that our
clients enjoy and appreciate, most of my clients are repeat customers. We have highly rated Marshall,
Orange and Fender Amps, an Ampeg bass amp, Ludwig drum kit, Soundcraft mixer, concert grade
Mackie monitors.

Blast- Did you go out and check out other rehearsal studios and see what they are doing?
Siddiq- I used to jam at Lynx Music and Main Stage Music and had a good idea of their setup as well as
the Rehearsal Factory which dominated this business pre covid. Since Covid, they shut down and
Toronto lost 50% of its rehearsal spaces. I felt this was just wrong, and saw a real need and demand for
space for musicians. I have started with a single studio room with the hopes of opening up more in the
near future.
My place is open to musicians of all genres and skill levels who need a space to play. I keep it clean and
say its “your musical home away from home”. It is a large 500sq facility, with a comfortable seating area
for guests. Coffee and cold water are on the house, there is a cooler for beverages. I have kept it
minimalist: there are no HDTV screens or posters to clutter the place up. It’s about the music you create
here.

Blast- I think you should take pictures of everyone who rehearses here and when some of them become
bigger you can blow up those photos and put them on your wall.

Siddiq- That’s a great idea! Cherry Beach Recording studio is in this building, and they have been a great
partner, referring bands to use this space to rehearse. We have had many diverse bands, from Rock,
Metal, Punk, Indie, Pop, Jazz, Country, Singer Songwriters, solo drummers, Gospel, South Asian
Rock/Pop/classical, Bollywood, Blues, RnB, Reggae, Theatre groups, a touring band from Japan,
European Roma/Gypsy Jazz, that have enjoyed this space!

Blast- I understand you really want to show off all your hard work to as many musicians as possible. You
will be organizing an open jam session here so people can actually play in this room.

Siddiq- The idea is we are going to have an open jam here on March 15th tentatively. We have an in-
facility bar and some nearby restaurants and pubs. The idea is when the musicians come by, they have a
place to mingle and network with each other. We will schedule a time for them to come into the room
and jam with each other.

Blast- Now is this open to any musician with a professional level status.

Siddiq- This is open to all musicians. We will organize the jam according to your skill level. If a
professional wants to help mentor a less experienced musician, we welcome that, because it just helps
create a stronger musical community.
When you first sign up to the session, we will create smaller groups so everyone can have a great
experience. Your skill level will help group you with the right musicians. The room can hold about 10-12
musicians at a time to play, and hopefully we can have a small audience to enjoy this as well.
In fact, we are thinking of recording and streaming the event for the jammers as a gift from us. We want
people to feel that this is a place where they belong.

Blast- Who knows, you could get a souvenir of you jamming with the next Jimmy Page.
Siddiq – Ha ha, yes! This could be a great way of meeting musicians, and you never know; you might start
a new band with someone you meet at this session. The key is simply to get out to one of these sessions
and see where it will lead you.

Blast- Even if you don’t get a chance to play, you still get to see who else is out there and learn more
about what Volume 11 Studios is all about. Just check out the room and see if it is somewhere, you can
find yourself practicing in.

Siddiq- While you are here, you can network down the hall at a cool Axe Throwing venue and bar called
Battle Axe. If you need food, there is a pub across the street called the Keating Channel and Cherry Beach
BBQ (one of the best!) is up the road.
What I love about this location is the fact that it is tucked away and has a great level of privacy. It has
free parking which you don’t find at Downtown locations. It also has TTC access, so it is easy to get here
from Union/other major stops.
So, to wrap up, here are a few reasons to look into Volume 11 for your music needs.
·         Hourly and Monthly Rehearsal Space
·         3 places nearby to grab food and drinks
·         Easy access by TTC and free parking
·         Future open jam sessions to meet other musicians
·         A possible place for karaoke
·         A place to do a video shoot for your band
·         Use Blast Toronto’s directory for future deals
The final word goes out to Saniya Bhutta who is Siddiq’s business partner and more importantly his wife.
Without the strong support of his partner, entrepreneurs like Siddiq would find it very difficult to make
his dreams come true.
Here is his information so you can go over and see this amazing place for yourself.
Volume 11
33 Villiers Street, Room 4, Toronto On.
647-720-3632
info@volume11studios.ca
www.volume11studios.ca

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