Six Nations of the Grand River recording studio attracts world-class talent
Posted November 15, 2022 12:13 pm.
Jukasa Media Group is a recording studio in the Indigenous community of Six Nations of the Grand River, just outside of Hamilton Ontario. According to guitar legend Stevie Salas, who’s toured in the past with Rod Stewart and Mick Jagger, this world class studio is a hidden gem.
“It could easily be in London, New York City, Los Angeles this is that kind of studio,” says Salas.
The multi-million dollar facility which has been around for more than a decade is the brain child of the late Kenny Hill. A resident of Six Nations and well known entrepreneur, Hill was the one who asked Salas to be a part of the team.
Since then many artists have recorded here like Snoop Dogg, July Talk, and City in Colour.
“We have days in here, when Snoop Dogg is here doing a rap and Hulk Hogan is hanging out watching him.”
The building itself is broken into four parts — the recording studio, a post production studio, a radio station and a school called Jukasa school of recording arts.
“Kenny Hill who built the studio, his dream was to build a place on the reservation that kids could come here and record and have an equal playing field with kids who had more opportunities around the world,” adds Salas.
Right now the school offers two terms, which are 12 weeks each.
Among other things, students can learn pro tools, mixing, and post production audio for film and video.
Pupils have ranged in age from 18 years old to in their 50s. They’ve also hosted workshops for children.
Woven into the studio is some of Salas’s own musical history, like a mixing board from Abbey Road Studio, which Salas says he found while producing an album for a band named Gandhi in Costa Rica.
Salas adds that sketched on the bottom of the board is John Lennon’s initials.
“One day I walk into this back closet in this unfinished giant studio and there are seven cases from England that were in these airtight road cases covered in dust and I asked what it was and the guy goes ‘oh that’s that Abbey Road Studios three famous SSL mixing board.’ ”
