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We have just closed the retail store for the day, and now the fun begins…the best part of my job….listening and talking to musicians.
I can hear a “crunch” guitar player in studio 6 accompanied by a thunderous bass line and drums….the drummer is hitting hard and enjoying every beat. They won’t make the big time any time soon, but they are all smiling and that’s what really counts and when you are 15 years old….you can dream…
Better still, when you are 15 you can believe your dreams and if you work hard enough…well maybe you have a shot. I don’t interfere….I don’t complain about the volume….I was there once and I can remember what it was like. Their parents will be here soon to pick them up with their guitars and amps. Drums and PA system came with the Rehearsal Studio. Total cost was about $7 each for almost 3 hours of fun. They paid using toonies, loonies and quarters, but that is exactly why we keep out rates low….they need a place to go.
Music is a gift, even if you are not extremely gifted as a musician, reaching your potential can be satisfying beyond words. It kept me out of trouble in my youth and perhaps the most negative thing I can say is that it can be an obsession. Like most musicians, the priorities and responsibilities of family and career slowed my musical aspirations to almost a standstill at times, but the craving was always there….so I guess I can relate to many of the good folks that pass thru our doors. After all this is “MusiPlex” a place for music and for musicians as well as those who just want to listen ….and maybe dream a little.
As I walk thru the building, I can hear a lone trumpet player and one of the most dedicated musicians that I know, practicing scales in Lesson Studio 2. Like me, and 99 out of 100 musicians, excellence does not come without a great deal of work, but he never gives up. He has a spirit that demands progress and he is finding it. The change in his playing has been exceptional, but practicing trumpet in his apartment doesn’t always thrill everyone….so he comes here, where he can do what he wants and mingle among the like minded.
In Lesson Studio 4, Allison is teaching a young drum student with the help of an instructional video playing on one of the lesson studio monitors. Allison is very patient, being careful not to intimidate the student….feeding him just the amount of information that he can absorb at this stage.
I’m moving a new Electronic keyboard into the Keyboard lesson studio tonight to compliment the electric baby grand, the synthesizer and a real Leslie speaker that was once used by the Great Ray Charles.
The music coming from studio 1 is definitely more polished….it is a band comprised of seasoned musicians working up a tribute act, and they are almost there. Soon, fans of the band that they are portraying will see them onstage…listen to the great classic tunes from days past and….forget that they are a clone of the originals. These guys will thrill their patrons for a fraction of the price and a good time will be had by all.
Some of the High School students are taking a break from their choice of music…a little more raw, and less refined….and they are listening outside of studio 1. Even though they choose to play more modern tunes…they still have an appreciation for music recorded decades before they were born. They appreciate the complexity, the dynamics and they will learn from listening. It seems that every generation scoffs at the music of the next, but in my five decades I have been continuously surprised at the innovation and evolution of music written by young musicians and I love it all…or at least “some” of it all. The young musicians of today will surprise and thrill us in years to come.
This has been a typical night at MusiPlex…..some nights are slower and some are busier, but we are open 7 days a week until about 11:00 p.m.
I think that MusiPlex is about providing an opportunity for young and not so young to feed their passion, and to mingle with others who are doing the same. If they don’t have an instrument or amp, they can rent one for a small fee (usually about $5.00). We try to keep the costs low because in general, musicians are not “money people”. Their artistic nature places other things above the quest for power and wealth.
MusiPlex is what I would describe as a “work in progress”….we are not there yet, but slowly are changing this 12,000 square foot building into a unique facility that will be a resource to the Arts community.
Mid December 2003 saw the opening of our “Music Store”, which features many fine name brand products as well as all the small items that musicians need from time to time. Again, our goal was to offer quality, but affordable products and rental equipment. We will be able to offer aspiring guitar players a good quality new electric guitar package complete with amplifier, case, cord, picks etc for as little as $199.00
Our “Sound Reinforcement & Lighting” department provides services & rentals to many of the bands that rehearse here, but are available for other functions such as conferences, meetings etc. This department will also offer services to touring “big acts” as well as location services to the motion picture industry.
Our current plans include a Recording Studio that is now in the process of being constructed and an Event Center. The Recording Studio will feature a state of the art 48-track digital system with 5.1 surround capabilities. We will be focused on providing a means for new acts to obtain an affordable demo CD but will also undertake major recording projects.
Our Event Center is now accepting Bookings and will host concerts, clinics, workshops, private, corporate and community events. The Event Center will be a licensed facility and will boast perhaps one of the best stages, sound and lighting reinforcement in the region. It will be linked to the rest of the facility and be simply a “cool” place to go. We hope to accommodate approximately 300 to 400 persons and viewing of performances from the mezzanine will be spectacular.
Progress has been a little slow, because we do what we can ourselves, as inexpensively as possible. Sometimes “slow” can be “good” as it provides us with time to clearly think thru a project and hopefully get it right the first time. I will be forever grateful to the people who have given me a hand over the past few months and donated their time and ideas helping me to pull things together.
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