If These Walls Could Talk
a feature documentary about the horseshoe tavern
Written & Directed by Kate yorga
If the walls of the Horseshoe Tavern could talk, they'd have some wild stories to tell.
This live music venue has been squatting inconspicuously in downtown Toronto, Canada since 1947. It's a pilgrimage site for musicians and music-lovers alike.
For musicians it's one of those "you gotta play here" spots and for music lovers it's where they can meet the next big thing.
For more than 70+ years the Horseshoe Tavern has been a live music temple, for country and rock to punk and alt-country. It's right up there with the 130-year-old Luckenbach Dancehall in Texas and The Viper Room in Hollywood.
It seems everyone has a story about The 'Shoe, a down-home joint perfumed with decades of spilled beer and stale cigarettes, and infused with the ghosts of foot-stompin' good times and booze-fuelled shenanigans.
In November 1978, The Police played their first Canadian gig at the Horseshoe Tavern and only a handful of people (about 30) were actually present for the show, although thousands claim to have been there. Their single "Roxanne" was released in early 1979 and their next time through Toronto they played a much larger venue.
Fast-forward to March 2019 when lead singer Sting knocks on The 'Shoe's front door before they've opened for the day. After realizing it wasn't just some a**hole at the door, the bartender let Sting stroll through the tavern and down memory lane. Why did Sting want to revisit this historic bar 40 years later? What are his memories of that gig? Would he play there again?
The Horseshoe began as a space for country music artists and many renowned musicians have graced its stage, including Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, The Mavericks, The Good Brothers, Shooter Jennings, Melissa Etheridge and more.
Other notables who've played The 'Shoe and could be tapped for interviews include Wilco, Tom Waits, Hank 3 (grandson of Hank Williams), actor Kevin Bacon, Wanda Jackson, Dan Aykroyd & Jim Belushi as the Blues Brothers, Daniel Lanois and many others.
Family History
The building that's home to the Horseshoe was erected in 1861 and housed a blacksmith shop. The Starr Family has owned the building since 1947 when patriarch Jack Starr turned it into a music venue for country, roots and rockabilly music. The family shares stories about Jack, why they still own the building and how music is in their blood. Some of the owners and staff have worked and partied at the tavern for decades, and also have stories to tell about why it's such a great place to hang and hear music, and about the various hijinks they've witnessed. Interviews could include current owner Jeff Cohen, current talent booker Craig Laskey, previous bookers Xray MacRae and Yvonne Matsell, and others.
Kate Yorga
Writer | Director | Filmmaker
Kate is a former HVB (High Volume B*tch) server and bartender at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. She's stumbled upon patrons having sex in the washrooms, tossed out a drunken man when she couldn't find the bouncer and danced one foot away from Mick Jagger the night the Rolling Stones played at The 'Shoe.
As a filmmaker, she won the Corus | National Screen Institute Fearless Female Director Award and was a finalist for the K.M. Hunter Artist Award in Media Arts.
Kate has extensive experience in documentary and scripted film as a producer, production manager, actor, First A.D. and director. She worked as an associate producer at Bell Media's Bravo arts channel.
She has a Journalism diploma and has written for various consumer and trade magazines.
Ingrid Hamilton, owner/operator of GAT PR, is well known in the Toronto and Canadian entertainment communities as a champion of screen-work large and small. Hamilton has shepherded what amounts to entire libraries of feature films, television series, documentaries and short films to Canadian audiences for more than 25 years.
Combining Hamilton’s talents, connections, vast experience and fearless attitude, she now adds Producer to her list of credits. Upcoming: A Group of One’s Own, a short documentary film on Toronto’s Women’s Art Association of Canada (around since 1887); a feature documentary - Lunatic: The Luna Vachon Story about one of the most intriguing female wrestlers of our time; and, If These Walls Could Talk, a feature documentary on the Horseshoe Tavern.
Ingrid Hamilton
Producer
