Local musos Michael Paver and Saira Spencer open music rehearsal and recording space Moose Rooms in Albany

A local musical couple have opened a music rehearsal and recording space that aims to increase the standard of music in Albany by getting local bands out of practising in sheds and into the studio. Michael Paver and Saira Spencer are the brains behind Moose Rooms, a custom-built space with soundproof rooms available to rent online for anyone who wants to jam, rehearse, record or provide music lessons. Paver is a musician with 20 years experience whose resume includes being a member of the rock band The Scotch Of Saint James. He said he hoped Moose Rooms would help “increase the standard of art” in the region. “The premise of it is to give everyone somewhere to rehearse that isn’t a bloody shed,” he said. “A lot of people down here rehearse in sheds — I’ve had trouble finding spots to rehearse. “It’s really hard to hear what it is that you’re doing and therefore improve your craft if you’re not doing the right things.” Moose Rooms offers three rooms available to book online for six-hour sessions, including two rehearsal rooms kitted out with microphones, foldback speakers and mixing desks, and a third room suited to studio sessions. Paver himself also offers recording and production service bookings, which is part of his ambition to establish Moose Rooms as a music hub that will allow local bands and musicians to go from rehearsing to recording their songs without leaving Albany. He also hopes the space will create an environment where bands can share knowledge and learn from each other. This idea of community is reflected in the project’s name, which also honours the memory of one of Paver’s late friends. “Back in the day, our little gang all used to call each other ‘moose’,” he said. “And I thought it was nice, because it’s not particularly Australian, it’s not particularly anything, but you know that when someone yells out ‘Hey moose’, you know it’s part of your gang. “It’s a way of remembering all of our past and hopefully people take that same ethos moving on into the future. “You know that someone’s got your back if you hear a ‘moose’ being yelled out in the crowd.”