CANTON – A homegrown music zine that started as an eight-page passion project in 2006 is celebrating two decades under the Fourth Coast Entertainment banner.
Founded by North Country musician, drummer, and promoter Mike “Scruffy” Scriminger, Fourth Coast Entertainment has evolved into Up North Magazine – The North Country’s Entertainment Magazine, a staple of the region’s arts and nightlife coverage from Malone to Watertown, New York.
What began in a Canton as a basement studio called “Basement Productions” in the 1990s then 1996 Fourth Coast Entertainment Studios, a recording studio, recording and producing regional artists, including early sessions with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, and numerous college and local bands.
Scriminger wanted to help market the bands and realized then there was no centralized way to see what was happening across the North Country, before social media.
In 2006 the first print issue hit the streets.
The paper became that hub!
The original goal was simple: support local bands and give audiences one place to find out who was playing where.
From its early eight-page issues, the publication quickly grew to 52–64 pages, with extensive event calendars, features, and photography.
At its peak, Scriminger was putting more than 22,000 free copies on the street, reaching clubs and venues from Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Plattsburgh, Burlington, and Syracuse to Watertown and the Thousand Islands. Today, Up North prints about 5,000 copies monthly, with expanded printed copies for summer distribution in the 1000 Islands, where racks routinely empty within days.
In 2008 Fourth Coast Entertainment Magazine was recognized by the Syracuse Press Club with a Professional Recognition Award and in 2015 Fourth Coast Entertainment was recognized by the New York State Assembly, United States Congress for the SLC Business of the year award for outstanding service, commitment and contribution to the community.
While the branding has shifted to Up North to reflect broader regional coverage, the company still operates under the Fourth Coast Entertainment name and the original mission remains: to document and promote the North Country’s music and arts scene.
Scriminger AKA Scruffy his stage name brings a lifetime of stage and studio experience to the magazine.
A native of Watertown and graduate of Canton High School, SUNY Canton and SUNY Empire State University where he also attended SLU and Crane has: Co-founded and performed, managed and recorded in bands such as Voyager, Lunatics, Head First, Sabbatical, and the Waydown Wailers, sharing stages with acts including Spin Doctors, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Charlie Daniels, Collective Soul, ZZ Top, and others, he has also recorded with Christian Parker and performs with The Black Lakers and The Tas Cru Band.
He worked for years as an IATSE stage technician, helping set up major concerts and events across the state also bringing his skills to organize concerts to support local bands in the region.
He has taught music business and recording production as an adjunct at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music and worked at SUNY Canton at Campus Activities and the IT Department, he volunteers at SLC Arts Council, as an art review panelists and has sat on an entertainment committee at DPAO Watertown, NY “It’s always been a labor of love,” Scriminger said.
From hauling drums into bars to hauling papers across the North Country, the goal has been the same — to keep live music alive and give artists a place to be seen. As it marks its 20-year milestone, Up North will continue to highlight regional music, arts, and culture with feature stories, photography, and coverage of venues and festivals across the North Country.
The magazine is distributed monthly at venues, cafes, and businesses throughout the North Country.
It maintains an online presence on its new website, upnorthmagazine.com, which features stories, calendars, and regional arts coverage.
Scriminger committed that he could not have done this without the support of local businesses that advertise with us and the number of local great writers the paper supports and the musicians.
For more information, advertising inquiries, or story ideas, phone 315-854-3119 or [email protected] .
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