Frist Impressions: The Rockpile

Well, it only took me eight years of living in Toronto to finally visit a hot spot for concert goers in the west end.  The Rockpile has been a staple of the hip-hop, rock, and metal community for the past five years, and seen many great artists over that time.  Giving a little bit of a history lesson, the place was named after the legendary Masonic Temple, which was formerly named Rock Pile before that.  Former owner of The Big Bop, Dominic Tassielli, decided to keep an all ages venue going long after The Big Bop closed it's doors [at Bathurst and Queen].  So Tassielli decided to move all operations to Etobicoke, including staff, and The Rockpile was born.

"I definitely did not want to bring the name the Big Bop from Queen and Bathurst over here because I really believe the name the Big Bop stays at Queen and Bathurst." -Tassielli

So the venue looks like a prison; and rightfully so.  That's the theme this place gives when you walk in.  Dark lighting (to an extent, even though new fixtures seemed to be installed), prison bars, a mugshot station, and all around, the feeling like you're in a cell.  It was quite the cool experience for a first timer such as myself.  While the concert we attended was not at full capacity (funny enough, this was a 19+ show), the place can easily fit 350+ people in the venue, along with plenty of free parking, close to transit, and a large patio.  I think the only reason I wasn't here sooner was due to proximity of my work and home (I live and work on Yonge Street).  Other than that, I would highly recommend this place for an intimate concert.

(Photo courtesy of The Rockpile)

The place seems to be constantly improving it's lighting and sound capabilities, as outlined on their website:

"We are always moving forwards, adding new lighting recently, making audio upgrades, to keep improving your show experience, as a band, or audience member.  With that has also meant getting a ton of great bands in, and always trying to land bigger and better gigs too!"

Here is a list of the gear they are currently offering bands for shows:

Mixer:
FOH Mixer Soundcraft LX-7 32x4x2
ASHLY GQX 310231 band 1/3 Octave

Effects:
2 Yamaha Rev. 500
1 Yamaha SPX 990
1 Digitech RDS 3.6 Delay

Processor:
1 Drawmer DL 441 Quad Compressor
2 DBX 1046 Quad Compressor
1 DBX 274 Quad Gate

Monitor Gear 4 mixes from FOH
2 DBX 1231 Equalizers
2 DBX 266 XL Compressor

Amplifiers:
4 Myer MSL-3 Tops
8 Eerwin Vega JE 36 Subs
6 Elite E-15 Monitors
2 E-2204 Drum Fills
5 Yorkvile Ap 4040
2 Yorkvile Ap 5040
1 Bryston 4. B

Additional P.A.:
Set up upon request
Tri-amped side folls
2 x 18", 1 x 15", 2 x horn
Bod's are made by Myer

Lighting:
Operating at FOH by DMX Lighting computer

Front Lights:
8 par 56's
6 par 64 LED can RGBW

Rear Lights:
3 par 56's 12 par 64's
9 LED bar RGB

While I did not read most of this on my first experience, I was pretty fascinated with the layout of the venue, the positioning of the stage, the location of bars, and basically anything that had to do with the operations of the venue.  Because we were there to see a  band with numerous members (Cleveland's Mushroomhead has a roster of nine members), I was curious how they would be able to fit that many instruments and members on stage.  Needless to say the band pulled it off spectacularly.

The bar staff were friendly, the security guards were firm but also had a sense of humour, and the kitchen is actually decent.  I saw a few people walking around with some edibles, even making me a little hungry.  One of the better perks of the place is the lack of outrageous beer prices.  It was not like other concert venue that charge   Being that I had many great experiences at The Big Bop, it only made sense that I would have the same kind of feeling towards this venue.  While the area is rather abandoned around The Rockpile, I feel this venue will only increase with interest as condos and other major business developments are soon to be occupying the nearby areas.

So if you haven't had the chance to check out the venue, I suggest you do.  Check out their upcoming events page and hopefully something perks your interest.