THE HIDEOUT A CANADIAN EX-PAT ’ S HIT-MAKING HIDEAWAY IN VEGAS
By Brent Loehr
Las Vegas typically isn ’ t the destination of choice for those looking for sanctum , but for artists seeking to record and produce music in seclusion while benefitting from world-class equipment and talented audio professionals , The Hideout is the place .
Located about 20 minutes off the Vegas Strip in Henderson , NV , The Hideout is a full-service recording and production facility owned and operated by acclaimed Canadian ex-pat Kevin Churko and aims to be a bastion of quality and innovation in professional audio production , now and into the future .
Churko grew up in Saskatchewan and was raised in a musical family . His father was a music teacher , and Kevin was the drummer in the family band ( simply called Churko ) along with his brother , sister , and parents .
“ I always wanted to record , so when I was 14 , I convinced my brother Cory to go half-and-half with me on a Tascam 244 cassette four-track ,” he recalls . “ Eventually , I realized I loved the behindthe-scenes recording process much more than being on stage .”
Cory , a multi-instrumentalist , propelled himself into an eventual gig primarily as a fiddler with Shania Twain . His contributions later expanded to mandolin , guitar , keyboards , and even percussion . He is also now a guitar player and back-up vocalist with Kelly Clarkson and performs with one-of-a-kind cover band Toque , comprised of fellow Canadian ex-pats Todd Kerns , Brent Fitz , and Shane Gaalaas , all of whom boast impressive industry resumes .
Kevin had auditioned to be Shania ’ s drummer but did not get the job . “ While one may look at that as a failure , which I did at the time , it also refocused me on committing to the studio world ,” he says , looking back . “ Later , while on the road , Cory was having lunch with Shania and she mentioned that Mutt [ Lange ] might be looking for a new guy . Cory gave them my info and then emailed me that there was a slim chance that Mutt Lange may be calling me .”
Lange , a renowned record producer for the likes of AC / DC and Def Leppard , who was actually married to Twain at the time , eventually called Kevin back one morning at 4 a . m .
“ We talked for about an hour and then I didn ’ t hear from him for a couple of weeks . He touched base again and asked me to come to Switzerland and hang out with him and do a little bit of work . First day I showed up , I solved a technical problem in 15 minutes that they had been struggling with . I think that is what actually got me the job ,” Churko recalls . Shortly thereafter , he was hired as Lange ’ s engineer and programmer .
After four years apprenticing under Lange , Churko set out to create his own unique space in the hyper-competitive and often brutal music industry . He began recording out of his Vegas home in an add-on room from the kitchen . In 2011 , a small 1,500-sq . ft . private studio was constructed on Las Vegas Boulevard and dubbed The Hideout .
After about five years , Churko had his eye on building a larger space for his fledging operation ; however , while planning was underway , an existing studio in the area with which he was rather familiar came up for sale . He purchased that property and transformed it into its current iteration : a 13,000-sq . ft . facility housing four distinct studios , each tailored to a specific set of applications and all featuring state-ofthe-art technology . The Hideout name remained . If the tutelage of Mutt Lange was a pivotal moment on Churko ’ s career path , perhaps equally as significant was the opportunity to collaborate with Ozzy Osbourne . What started as a request to mic up drums at Ozzy ’ s L . A . - based home studio , The Bunker , evolved into a relationship later culminating in co-production and co-writing credits . In 2007 , their work garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance and the first of four Recording Engineer of the Year Juno Awards for Kevin for the song , “ I Don ’ t Wanna Stop .” He was nominated for another Grammy a few years later for Ozzy ’ s 11 th studio album , Scream , and currently has eight total Juno nominations to his credit .
A Swiss Army knife of talents with a host of impressive engineering , producing , songwriting , and mixing credits , Churko can not only drum , but also plays piano , bass , and more recently has started playing guitar . “ I pretty much play everything bad ,” he says with a laugh . “ I am a little better at piano and drumming since I studied that when I was younger . I took Royal Conservatory piano and since my dad was a music teacher , he gave me an exceptional amount of theory and guidance . But really … I play Pro Tools the best .”
Humble , considering his musicianship has graced many successful albums , including some bass parts on Five Finger Death Punch ’ s platinum-selling American Capitalist , among others . One of the keys to Churko ’ s success at The
26 • PROFESSIONAL SOUND