Photo: Victoria J. Polsoni
Laura Bates is a brilliant violinist, peerless musician, and a vital part of the Canadian doom metal band Völur. Her musical bona fides, however, extend far beyond the metal genre. Bates makes a good living in Toronto as a musician for hire, a violin teacher, and with studio gigs. Some of her work includes a string collective and for-hire gigs in every genre of music imaginable.
Despite her talent and work ethic, Bates has experienced something familiar to musicians of all stripes: housing instability. Bates is working steadily, has a stable of students and a waitlist, and has no issues paying the rent. However, her landlord is trying to evict her.
Bates’s struggles are shared by many musicians in an age more interested in capital than connection. In their Hall of Fame-inducted album The Tenant, Ludicra touched on gentrification forcing artists out of their Bay Area homes. Almost 15 years later, it’s even harder for working musicians. Bates talked to Decibel about fighting to keep her home and why artists need stability to thrive.
Can you give me an overview of your current situation?
My landlord said he was a by-the-book landlord. I moved in in 2020, and it looked like a standard lease. This is an income property; the landlord has made money off the house for three decades. I work very hard to afford to live here. In March 2023, my landlord said his daughter had to move into the apartment.
(Later) my landlord filed an N13 (a notice to end tenancy) saying he was doing demolition for only my unit. It’s become a full-time job. I am fighting to keep paying rent and be a great tenant. I suspect this is a power situation and not a money situation. When you’ve been raised to be kind, it’s hard to fathom why people would do things to people’s living situations.
You are a full-time musician working in the studio, doing gigs, and more. To make this work, you need to hustle. Is this affecting your ability to hustle?
There is emotional stress and privacy issues involved with this fight. I recently had a corporate gig with my string quartet. In the third set, it was so hard to focus on reading the music. I had to be at a sound check at 10 a.m. this morning and just woke up at 6. I don’t know how to get this landlord situation out of my head.
Völur’s new album is mixed and mastered. Usually, that feels sacred and exciting—to see an album manifest physically. I didn’t even text Lucas (Gadke, bassist) back to talk about images for the album. I also practice super hard. But I just had to trust my abilities for a few gigs last week because I couldn’t practice. I was thinking of keeping a roof over my head.
So these struggles bleed into everything in your life.
I got into music by jamming in a basement as a kid. When I was playing music, I felt one hundred percent present. It made me feel in the moment. Now, I am singing backups on a show and thinking about uploading documents about my landlord. I don’t know how to have mental boundaries, and it’s taken away the presence I want to have while playing music.
The people who are the best at music can always be present.
Exactly. But in the last few weeks, I have unraveled a bit.
Housing instability isn’t just about a place to sleep. There are other facets, like conflict and negative energy. I imagine it’s easy to get preoccupied with those things.
A musician needs a place to practice and record. I also teach students at home, and the schedule is very tight. I moved here in part because the location is suitable for many students.
Have you experienced housing uncertainty before this?
I have moved nine times in two decades. This is the longest time I’ve lived somewhere since I moved out of my parent’s home to study jazz. I told my parents I might have to move back in if I lost this place. I’ve had rat infestations, cockroaches, and a dramatic fire in one place, and the landlord didn’t fix it. Then the landlord rerented the place, and I had two weeks to move. I stayed in a Chinatown place that didn’t have hot water on Saturdays. So before my Saturday gig, I would wash my hair in a bar. Then, another landlord came after me with a canoe paddle. I’ve had my share of bad experiences (laughs). I’ve always sought a sense of permanence.
Being a touring metal musician is different than what you do much of the time. You make a solid living as a professional musician. Do you have other friends who’ve had similar experiences?
My business partner in a string quartet is a fantastic vocalist. She lost a case to her landlord and was forced to move. She needs a place to teach, which costs her $700 more monthly. This is so common. I’d say two out of ten friends have had a problem. It’s the same story with metal musicians.
What are the next steps, and what are you doing to save your home?
I must retain a paralegal (a specialist in tenant law in Canada). They specialize in things like evictions. They said today they are considering a bylaw that if a landlord claims they need a demolition, the landlord needs an engineer to sign off. As much as I don’t want to admit defeat, I am keeping my eyes open for places to live. Other than that, I am trying to maintain my sanity and fulfill my professional responsibilities.
So many of my friends in cities have been pushed out. There are fewer and fewer rehearsal spaces. A big rehearsal space in Toronto was torn down for condos. The real estate landscape affects creativity. Now, more than ever, it’s important to make art, but it is becoming harder and harder to do so.
Have you been able to channel any of these experiences into music?
I recorded a series of string quartets, mainly for film score purposes. They’re incredibly bleak-sounding, but I like them. I haven’t written much lately because I haven’t had the energy.
Outside of the paralegal, are you doing anything else to prepare?
I’m just going to roll with it. I do need to look at alternate living situations. Before this place, I lived in a house with five guys. But at this point in my life, I’d feel defeated. But maybe that is me thinking about social norms in my late 30s (laughs).
Is owning a place a possibility?
I don’t even think I could afford something in the province of Ontario.
What do you wish people knew about housing instability?
You can’t have a creative part of you flourish without some stability. We’ve all read On The Road by Jack Kerouac. Sal Paradise goes across America, but where does he go when he goes home? He has an aunt. Despite all this, he has a place to regroup. My European friends have an easier relationship with landlords. Here, landlords have too much power.
In the United States and Canada, we need a law that requires landlords to have a license. Landlords should have to take a course and take a test about their responsibility, which is providing a human need. It should be far more regulated than just buying a house to make money.
I think many landlords are disconnected from the human component. They see it as an investment.
Yes, we need regulation. I think Alberta is considering a licensing system. I must provide my credit score, bank information, employment information, and referrals to rent. We should have background checks and character references from landlords. I want to know from previous tenants why they left.