Wheels of Life - First Friday May

First Friday, May 6 Artist Reception: 6-8 p.m.

“Wheels of Life” includes the work of two artists: June Glenn and Brescia Rose. They will be showcasing contemporary street photography centered on the current cultures of skateboarding and vintage cars in Santa Cruz County.

First Friday, March 4

Enmesh

Artist Reception: Friday, March 4 – 6-8 p.m.

Monica Calsbeek and Summer Stiegman both grew up in San Diego, California without acquaintance. Serendipitously, they both attended the university in Santa Cruz in the fall of 2012. Since then, they developed an artistic, feminine, and personal relationship in which they influence one another both materially and ideally.  Enmesh is a photographic series where the human form and inanimate materials create a dialogue. The subject matter of the photographs are female bodies interacting with textiles. Ranging from natural landscapes to studio lighting, Enmesh explores photographic techniques by means of experimental digital alterations. The layering process suggests that relationships with the self and objects are bound to be multifaceted and tangled.

KZSC Local Brew

Attention bands:

If you are not already tuned one of the best local music show in Santa Cruz, check out Local Brew on KZSC (88.1 FM) on Saturdays from 9 a.m. - Noon.  If you have new music or upcoming shows to share, contact the show via their  Facebook page or by emailing localbrew@kzsc.org.

In the meantime, tune in this Saturday and spread the local music gospel.

First Friday: Emerson Murray: Shadows on the Wall

We are kicking off 2016 with an amazing new First Friday artist.

Emerson Murray: Shadows on the Wall

Artist Statement: Painting is an emotional endeavor for me. Each piece is a distillation of a story, a theme, or a myth, boiled down to an emotional experience. Whether or not the viewer understands my meaning is irrelevant, as long as the viewer feels something, anything. I paint figures, abstracted into form and color set in abstract landscapes. The figures do not occupy the space volumetrically and light and shadow are generally not part of my tool set. I work in both acrylic and oil paint, the oil paint I mix from raw pigment in order to create my own colors. I generally work with a palette knife and my hands. I oftentimes throw and drip paint onto the canvas. The colors are selected on demand, I do not work from a predetermined palette of colors, but mix the colors as I paint, sometimes mixing colors right on the canvas. I am a disciplined painter and show up for work every day. I may stare at a work in progress for nights on end, but I am in the studio working.

emersonmurray.com

You're So Vain - How to Create a Vanity Facebook URL

Now that ALL bands are on Facebook I want to share a little tip that some excellent pages have overlooked - the vanity URL. Just like you can have your www.myspace.com slash band name, so too can you have your www.facebook.com / band name.

For example, SCRS has www.facebook.com/santacruzrehearsalstudios - this way it makes it super easy for us to promote our FB page / put it on a flyer/ ad, etc.

To get this nifty vanity URL just visit - www.facebook.com/username/ 

If you make one, send me a link, comment, email or written letter so I can post it on our site.

Good People + Good Music + Good Beer = Grand Opening

A big thank you to everyone who came out for our grand opening celebration this weekend. The music of the Western Skylarks was the perfect complement to the beer provided by Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. We felt the love.

I Saw The Sign

We are feeling very offical now that our sign is up. Big thanks to our Harvey West neighbor RCR Fabrication for cutting the letters (and answering coutless questions about how we should attach them), and to Craig at Koala Tree Care for providing his 70ft bucket truck ( 2man ) to get it hung. Just in time for our Grand Opening party this Saturday from 1- 3 PM.

Top 10 Things I Learned at the "Making a Record" Workshop

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the "Making a Record" workshop at Gadgetbox Recording Studios (the event was co-sponsored by SCRS). In addition to getting to meet some amazing musicians, I learned a lot about the reality of the recording process. I thought I would share some of my favorite gems with you.

1. Make sure the band is ready and well rehearsed before you book time in the studio.
2. Having guest artists on your records is a great way to not only enhance an album, but give you other avenues to market the record in once it is released. For example, your guest artist(s) might already have a large fan base that will be interested in your CD because of their involvement.
3. Not all of your songs need to be on the album. There are so many opportunities to use songs not on the album for digital download, digital bonus tracks, giveaway, etc.
4. It might be better to do a 3 song record, 3 times a year, rather than a full length record once every 2 years. It can be the same time and $$ in the studio, but the first option gives you a lot more fresh content to market to your fans.
5. Listen to your final mix for at least 2 weeks before mastering.
6. Master your CD outside of the studio it was recorded in (this will allow a last set of fresh ears on the project before it is complete).
7. Most new artists press 1,000 discs in their first run. Popular duplication companies include Disc Makers and Oasis.
8. At least 3 months (but the farther out the better) before your CD is ready to be mastered, you should be thinking about what you are going to do when you get it.
9. Prepare your digital release well in advance of your CD release (it can take 6-8 weeks for digital tracks to be uploaded to iTunes, Amazon, etc.).
10. Having the final CD is only the very first step, doing it justice in the world is another major journey, and another workshop.

The building of Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios

We built our studios from the ground up. When we rented the space it was a big concrete box. Before SCRS the space was  Java Bob's coffee roasting and before that I heard it was a killer deli. If anyone has old pictures I would love to post them. In no particular order, here are some construction photos. We learned a tremendous amount about soundproofing during the construction phase (tons from Butch Rider with West Construction). If you are working on similar projects, we'd be happy to share what we now know. Just stop by or drop us a line.

Acoustic Panels all in

 

After much delay we finally received our full shipment of acoustic panels. Life is good.

Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios Opens January 16th

Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios is a brand new, freshly painted, hourly rehearsal space for practicing musicians. Our four rooms can be rented by the hour and are fully equipped with the gear necessary for a productive rehearsal. The rates range from $13.00 to $17.00 per hour, with a three hour minimum (a free 1/2 hr. for load in/out is included). We are centrally located in Harvey West and open from 10 AM - Midnight, 7 days a week. Our doors will be open on Saturday, January 16th - feel free to contact us for a tour anytime. Once we have been up and running for a few months, we will schedule our "Grand Opening" party. Join our mailing list to receive future updates. In the meantime, please forward our information to any bands in town you know that need a place to play loud and late.

We are proud to support and serve the amazing music scene in Santa Cruz. We hope you will come check us out soon.

Visit our website to learn more about the space, reserve a room online, or find great local resources for local musicians.