A sign that read "St. Joseph's Catholic School Gymnasium" used to hang above the front door of a brick building in Spokane's West Central neighborhood, but it's since been replaced by a simple metal sign bearing the surname "Hamilton."
You've probably heard the name before: Don Hamilton. He's been based out of Spokane since the early 1980s and has firmly integrated himself into the city's culture over the years. A self-proclaimed renaissance man, he's a veteran photographer and cinematographer and even appeared in the 1993 Spokane-shot feature film Benny & Joon. But his latest artistic endeavor isn't camera-focused at all — it's a live music venue. More specifically, a listening room.
Simply put, a listening room is a space dedicated to acoustics. It's a place for listeners to intently focus on the music without superfluous distractions like a bustling restaurant or crowded bar.
"A listening room is truly intimate," Hamilton says. "As someone who works in TV and film, I'm here to tell you that sound is more than half the show."
That old St. Joseph's Catholic School Gymnasium sign now hangs from a balcony in the main Listening Room area, an ode to the history of the 1928 building which also houses Hamilton's photography and film business.
"We live in the house next door," Hamilton says of himself and his partner Lorna St. John, executive producer at Hamilton Studio. "The house was built when Queen Victoria sat on the throne of Great Britain. It was built by a Protestant man, but in 1928 the Catholics came along and literally sawed off his eaves and built this gymnasium between him and the sunset. So I like to say we ended up stealing the house from the Protestants and this from the Catholics."
When Hamilton bought the gymnasium, he installed a cyclorama (a curved white wall suggesting an unlimited background often used in photography) and coated the space with sound insulation spray called K13.
It was by accident that he realized he had created a room with near-perfect acoustics due to the configuration of hard and soft surfaces in the room.
As artists perform in front of the cyclorama, sound is pushed out toward the audience and then bounces back off of the red curtains adorning the stage at the back of the room — a recipe for sonic perfection.
Hamilton realized what he had when he offered to hold a double-booked Northwest Bach Fest gig in the space last June.
"It was stunning," Hamilton says. "I had concerts here in the past, but that was when I knew we had to expand."
Suddenly he had requests to use the room as a rehearsal space for musicians prepping to go on tour. With the closure of Lucky You Lounge in August 2023, he felt there was an even bigger need for a venue of this size with varying capabilities.
The Hamilton Studio Listening Room officially opened for business on New Year's Day 2024 with an inaugural performance by country singer-songwriter Brennen Leigh.
"Since then I've been calling this a grand experiment," Hamilton says. "We've proven the music portion of the experiment works. Now, the question is, what is the actual business model to sustain the thing?"
The space can accommodate up to 199 people if no alcohol is served at the show, but only 99 when alcohol is available. And it provides an intimate listening experience no matter the capacity.
The space hosts concerts every month with regional, local and international touring musicians. All comment on the great sound in the venue, according to Hamiton. The Listening Room now has recurring First Sunday Jazz concerts (both matinee and evening performances) featuring the Hot Club of Spokane, the Zonky Jazz Band and the Red Hot Kitten Stompers alongside varying guest artists.
"I feel this strange obligation to make it work because so many people love it," Hamilton says. "So many people want to play here, people want to come here for concerts. I've been involved with the arts here for so long, so now I'm making this up as I go along because it fell into my lap."
Not only does the Listening Room offer a unique sonic experience, but the Hamilton Studio crew also records each performance, mixes the sound and creates a video showcasing the venue's acoustics and stunning visuals. After all, it's a video production company by day.
The whole crew wants to see the space thrive and bridge a gap in the music venue sphere in Spokane. Hamilton has big dreams for the Listening Room but for now, he's focused on the present.
"So many people come in here and tell me they had no idea this exists," Hamilton says. "I want to keep this going, so the trick is to get people in here, aware and supporting it so we can continue to put on these shows." ♦
