Hopeful Tragedy Records is a 2007-formed, Quebec-based record label founded by Alex Henry Foster & Jeff Beaulieu.
The label was founded for promoting their band Your Favorite Enemies’ first EP, titled “And If I Was To Die In The Morning… Would I Still Be Sleeping With You”, which was released on June 1st, 2007. The second EP, “Love Is A Promise Whispering Goodbye” followed one year later. Nowadays, the label is also home to Alex Henry Foster & The Long Shadows, Sef Lemelin, as well as many artists from the underground EDM scene of Montreal.
In 2010, they moved to the outskirts of Montreal, where they turned a former catholic church into a professional recording studio. Wanting to act of their own accord, on their own terms, and wanting to be independent, as their DIY values dictate them, they have also established their own band merch factory & warehouse, a small lathe-cut vinyl plant, as well as video & podcast recording facilities and live streams installations inside the walls. Thus was born The Upper Room Studio.
Since its inception, the studio has been used to record the Juno-nominated album Between Illness and Migration by Your Favorite Enemies, the top-charting Windows in the Sky by Alex Henry Foster, Conrad Keely’s Original Machines, was also host to the Canadian Music Week in 2021 and to several live-broadcast.
The church, then devoid of congregants, suddenly became a place of a communion once again, lifted up by the music resonating between its walls.
Want to use our facilities to record an album, create a podcast, film a music video, or craft unique band merch? Contact us.
Our Services
- Album Recording, Mixing & Mastering
- Podcast Recording
- Video Recording Facilities
- Band Merch
- Lathe-Cut LP Pressing
We call it The Upper Room Studio, but we should in fact use the plural form, as we offer 4 different recording studios.
The first one, the bigger one, the original one is located in the nave, at the very center of this church that has been born again. Flooded with stained-glass-filtered natural light at day, it becomes an intimate spot at night, with the church, its windows, and the pews as backdrop.
The other 3 are located on the stage of the church, offering a more formal live venue setting by its height. All 3 are fitted with black curtains on 3 sides, giving endless possibilities as to the background. We also have a projector that can be used against the dark backdrop.
In what used to be the offices of the priest, we have established our studio and its control room. Some kind of a room inside a room, it is totally soundproof.
With top-of-the-line equipment, some new, some that have made their proofs through times, you can rest assured that whatever sound it is you are after, we are able to achieve it. There is nothing “too much” or “not enough”. Our studio is a place where you can be you, and express yourself fully through your sound.
Our engineers are experts at what they do, and completely master what we have. To quote one of Montrealer’s favorite music spots, “if we don’t have it, you don’t need it”.
A complete list of our gear and equipment is available here.
With a direct access to the stage, our green room is a haven of peace. The perfect place to get ready before starting a big project, to take a break between two takes, or to relax after a big day in our studios.
A fully-equipped kitchen is also at disposition, as well as bathrooms and showers. Our facilities are non-smoking, but a large outdoor space is directly accessible from the green room.
The church also houses a mini vinyl plant, allowing us to create our own LPs with the lathe-cut technique. Immediately after a live stream or recording session, you have the opportunity to have your music directly on a vinyl. The lathe-cut technique allows us to monitor the sound on every LP to perfection, making sure every copy sounds just the way it should.
Made one by one in real time, we offer you the opportunity to create small batches of LPs.
Colored, black, or with a unique print (that we make in our own merch factory, located in the basement of our church), the choice is yours. One thing for sure is that you are going to have a unique piece of art between your hands.
Fed up of having band t-shirts of less than average quality with a design that becomes unrecognizable after 2 washes, we took things in our hands, and decided to do our own. Quality t-shirts with a designs that lasts, that’s what you get.
Doing things our own in pure DIY fashion also allows us to do smaller productions, if you are only getting started or want to offer something more exclusive.
Besides t-shirts or the usual band apparel, we also print on LPs and their jackets & inner sleeves, print posters as large as 24″ x 36″ and offer embroidery services. We even go as far as doing our very own candles. Simply share your ideas with us, and we will help you bring them to life!
