Why Greig Nori is so excited about the Sault

It might sound crazy for a successful entrepreneur to shutter an established Southern Ontario recording studio with a steady clientele.

And it may seem even crazier to close up shop in order to move said studio from Toronto to Sault Ste. Marie.

But that's exactly what Sault-born musician, producer and manager Greig Nori is doing.

Known primarily as the front man of Treble Charger and the management behind launching the career of Canadian pop punk band Sum 41, Nori told SooToday.com that for the past few years he's been busy establishing an incubator that would develop bands to the point where they could be shopped to major or large indie labels.

In addition to managing and producing five albums with Sum 41, Nori has worked with Autopilot Off, No Warning, Hedley, Marianas Trench and many others.

"Thankfully, I had been told by a mentor of mine (Michael McCarty, president of EMI publishing) who told me to hang on to the management of that company and don't give it away," he told us. "It was the best advice I've ever been given in my life."

After meeting with the creatives behind the Mill Square development, Nori made the decision to return home and open shop in the newly restored Machine Shop facility.

The new recording studio will be aligned with Algoma University's music department to introduce a commercial aspect to the program.

"I saw all kinds of potential," he said of the development project. "For the first time, I realized that there are some players involved on the creative side of things and I thought it's time to move back to the Sault. I want to be a part of this, I really believe in it and I think that it's going to be a tremendously successful initiative."

Unable to mask his excitement about the new venture, Nori said that what's happening at Mill Square is unprecedented and has already piqued the interest of industry representatives in major Canadian markets.

"This Mill Square initiative is going to be cutting edge and probably something that people are going to use as a template to bring to their own cities," he said. "We're creating something that definitely doesn't exist anywhere, and is definitely addressing the future of where music is going. The Sault, believe it or not, is going to become the template for other cities to learn from."

While the new Machine Shop Studio will be fully operational for the beginning of Algoma University's September 2015 semester, Nori hopes to have it launched and available to local bands, producers and engineers by late spring of this year.

In anticipation of this new enterprise, Nori and Mill Square have partnered with Bon Soo for the 2015 winter carnival and the launch of the Machine Shop performance venue.

On Friday, February 6, join Treble Charger and opening acts The Pixo Control and Frank Deresti and the Lake Effect at the Machine Shop for an all-ages evening of live entertainment.

Tickets are on sale now online or in person at Lifeforia Wellness Club (681 Pine Street) and the Mill Market (35 Canal Drive).

For more information about this year's Bon Soo Winter Carnival, please click here.

To keep up with everything happening at Mill Square, please click here.

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