For the Love Of Studio gives local musicians a creative outlet

NEWS

Interior (stage) and exterior of For The Love Of Studio located inside the Newgate Mall. Megan Swann

For fans of live, local music, a return to the Newgate Mall might be in order. Nowadays, mall walkers may hear hip hop, rap, alternative, punk, death metal, and more coming from For the Love Of Studio, located on the south end of the mall. 

For the Love Of is run by Janika Byington, an enthusiast of all things local and creative. Byington initially started out by selling books from Utah authors, but in the two and a half years since its opening, For the Love Of has slowly shifted to become an all-ages concert venue specifically focused on helping local bands break out. 

“It doesn’t matter what your art is, whether it’s literary or performing,” Byington said. “I’m here to support it and help you find ways to make it profitable.” 

The space has two sections: a shop where Byington continues to sell local authors’ books and fandom merchandise, and the performing space, which includes a stage, dance floor, and several seats to enjoy the performance. It started with one local band composed of kids Byington’s daughters knew, but word of mouth brings more and more artists to the space each week.

It’s a labor of love for Byington, who runs the space seven days a week all by herself. On top of the shop and event space, she also offers voice lessons and used to offer dance lessons in the studio before having to stop due to limited bandwidth. She has had ups and downs since its creation, almost terminating her lease at one point. However, after getting accepted into the First Friday Art Stroll, she realized the work is getting somewhere.

“It didn’t produce any money for me, but it created the sense of hope that I’m doing this for a reason,” Byington said. 

One of those reasons is simply to bring more traffic to the mall.

“Being Gen X, I know that the malls are a feature of our generation that I don’t want to lose. So I’m here in this mall specifically trying to revive the mall as a third space,” Byington said. “I’m just Gen X trying to teach Gen Z how to get off their phones and loiter at the mall.”

This year, For the Love Of hosted the first Ogden Epic Music Fest, a free festival that allowed 15 local bands to take the stage and perform. Byington said the bill for the festival filled very fast, with more bands waiting to take the space of others who dropped out. Due to its success, Byington would like to host a second music festival early next year.

“There’s just too much talent in the world for it to be funneled into mega-corporations that don’t even pay the artists,” Byington said. “I’m trying to make a little pond for big fish.” 

For the Love Of’s upcoming concert schedule can be viewed at 4theloveofgood.com.