Jeremy Swisher, owner and operator of Ojata Records now located on the corner of University Avenue and North Washington Street, is a crusader for keeping live music alive in Grand Forks.

Swisher gives musicians ranging in genera’s and ages a chance to play in front of a live audience at his store.

Swisher is aware that young musicians struggle with finding venues that will allow them to play their music. Live music venues typically have age restrictions, making it difficult for youth to get people listening to what they created in an intimate environment.

When starting Ojata Records, Swisher wanted people to feel like his venue was a place where everyone should feel welcome to perform their own unique style.

“There is a lot of teenagers and young people that do come to the shows,” Swisher said. “But we also get a lot of older people too that are there for the music. It’s not about drinking and partying, it’s that they really enjoy the bands. We get a lot of touring acts naturally and they are always happy to play places where people aren’t concerned about getting their next beer.”

Swisher, an experienced musician and music junkie in his own right, has been playing in bands since he was 16.  He also found himself working in the food business around this time which prompted his idea for creating a live music venue that also serves good food.

“What makes me want to do it, I don’t know,” Swisher said. “My thought at first was wanting to have a record store, then I had been working in food service since I was 17, so that kind of made me want to get into my own little restaurant so that is what I thought about when starting up.”

Swisher’s store has found itself drifting away from trying to make revenue by selling vinyl records. Creating an exciting venue for the musicians to play at while also developing the stores unique hotdog menu have been Jeremy Swisher’s focus as of late.

“I’ve been to other cities with hot dog shops, there is kind of a weird culture that surrounds it, something I enjoy,” Swisher said. “We have daily dogs that people kept asking for, so we decided to make a menu out of it.  It’s always changing up.”

Swisher’s hot dogs are nothing like something you would pick up at your local gas station.

“The Mr. Roper is up there with the top selling dogs,” Jeremy said. “It’s a quarter pound frank with BBQ brisket, provolone cheese, grilled onions, bacon, mayo and horse radish mustard. people really like that one.

“We love making hotdogs and the live music, the merchandise is kind of just there for extra.”

Swisher, who says he tries to host live shows as much as possible, says there are still aspects of Ojata Records he wants improved for the different rock, hip-hop, folk and punk rock musicians that come to play at his store.

“There’s work we want to still do for the venue part of it,” Swisher said. “We want to build a stage, and there are some lights we’re looking at getting, just to really make it cool looking for the bands.”

Ben Novak is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].