When you’re a young, upcoming performer, trying to get your career going, it’s essential to record some songs as a calling card to potential venues and booking agents, but going into a recording studio is typically expensive, and younger bands don’t always have the experience to make the most efficient use of their studio time. That’s where The Rec Hub comes in. It’s a nonprofit recording studio catering to younger performers with an hourly rate of just $20.
“The idea is to give the people opportunity to get a good recording,” said studio founder Ivan Ditscheiner. “I had bands showing me their demos, and they were just the worst thing. I thought, there’s got to be a way for these kids to get a good recording without having to pay a lot.”
Hence, he started The Rec Hub about a year and a half ago, creating a 501c3 nonprofit, recording bands in his Morro Bay home studio. Now he’s in the process of moving the studio to a permanent location in Atascadero, refurbishing a 20-by-24-foot garage off Santa Rosa Road.
“It’s got a high ceiling, about 12 1/2 feet,” Ditscheiner noted. “It was formerly a welding shop, and it was fully insulated, so we’ve needed to do little sound proofing.”
The new location should be up and running in the next few weeks. So, how did he learn about sound engineering?
“I’ve been a musician for a long time and have done a number of recording projects at home,” Ditscheiner said. “Recording has always been a hobby and something I’m passionate about. I’d heard about the recording arts classes at Cuesta College and how amazing the studio there is, so I enrolled in the program.”
The four-semester course culminates in recording a band, and Ditscheiner tapped local indie and surf rock quartet The Sandspits.
“In the process, I also learned more about the young, college music scene and how many good bands are out there,” Ditscheiner added. “Then I thought there was no way I could stop recording after such a positive experience and decided to open a nonprofit to help more youth like The Sandspits get their music out.”
So far, the studio functions solely on the nominal rates it charges bands, but Ditscheiner is hoping his nonprofit will apply for grants. More funding would also mean upgrading equipment. He’s currently working with Spokes, a SLO County nonprofit organization that provides other nonprofits assistance. There’s also a donation button on his website, therechub.org, where people can leave a tax-deductible donation to help subsidize the operation.
“We typically cater to late teens to mid-20s,” Ditscheiner explained, “and we’re incredibly generous with our time. We always want to make sure finances will not get in the way of bands releasing their music. For example, a band called Donde will be releasing their six-song EP this Thursday. We recorded their music over two days, then a few overdub sessions, and their bill was barely over $300. This includes mixing and mastering.”
Ditscheiner is also looking for volunteers and interns interested in working with young bands.
“Most importantly is for our youth to know that they can have a very unique opportunity,” Ditscheiner concluded. “We really put a lot of focus on creating a friendly and welcoming environment for the musicians. There’s no time pressure. And we don’t rest until the mixes are fully approved by the bands.”
Contact Ivan Ditscheiner at (805) 242-1084 or rechubslo@gmail.com.
NTMA winners!
The New Times Music Awards showcase at Rod & Hammer Rock was a rousing success on Nov. 22, but in case you missed it, this year’s results are listed below.
Best Album
Sadie Jasper, Her Kingdom Come
Ynana Rose, Under a Cathedral Sky
Azere Wilson, The Rock the Roots the Lean on Me
Best Songwriter
Cate Armstrong, “Maybe This Time”
Azere Wilson, “Bittersweet Addiction”
Little Tyme, “Sailing Around Nassau”
Hip-Hop/Rap
Gehrig Kniffen, “What A Year”
Shawna Mox, “Booty Church”
Gehrig Kniffen, “The Coast”
Open
Scott Martin, “OG Funk”
Walk the Whale, “Overboard”
Elysian Moon, “Infinite Surrender”
R&B/Blues
Hot 45, “Can’t Stop”
IMVA, “Feel My Love”
The Loving Mosh, “After Sunset”
Rock/Alternative
Carbon City Lights, “Sky Blue”
Big Sierra, “I Don’t Know Why”
Jovian Queen, “Sirens Over Gravesend”
Country/Americana/Folk
Azere Wilson, “Wish For You”
Noach Tangeras, “Put Me On A Train”
Ynana Rose, “One Eyed Ghost”
Local Legend
Ed Frawley
Readers’ Choice
Big Sierra
Best Live Performance
Carbon City Lights
The Siren
Thanks to the holiday, a lot of venues are dark this week, but The Siren is still burning bright. Club DV8 will play covers of ’80s dance music on Friday, Nov. 29 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). Hear songs by David Bowie, The Cars, INXS, The Cure, Michael Jackson, and many more.
Americana duo The Taproots play on Saturday, Nov. 30 (2 to 5 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). You can also pick up rock, jazz, and folk influences in their sound.
Formed as a college garage band in Santa Cruz in 2018, Hijinx has grown into a polished reggae act that blends ska, punk, and metal into their sound. Check them out on Saturday, Nov. 30 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free).
The Siren’s big, ticketed show this week is Marty O’Reilly on Thursday, Dec. 5 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com). According to his bio, explaining his “music is like describing a dream. It feels familiar, but at the same time unchartered. His songs sound bluesy but not blues, folk but not folk, soulful but not soul. Marty’s voice is beautiful and unique, his lyrics stark yet lush over gritty electrified guitar, melding beautifully into genre-defying music within the vast definitions of Americana.”
The Clark Center
Get into the disco holiday spirit when ABBA Holly Jolly Christmas plays on Friday, Nov. 29 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $49.50 to $70.50 at clarkcenter.org). The cast of ABBA tribute band ABBAFAB will bring you a night of your favorite Christmas songs, with some of ABBA’s greatest hits sprinkled on top.
Cal Poly Arts
More holiday fare awaits when Mark O’Connor’s An Appalachian Christmas featuring his wife, Maggie O’Connor, comes to Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center on Thursday, Dec. 5 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $38 to $58 at pacslo.org). Three-time Grammy-winning composer and fiddler delivers down-home bluegrass and folk music, and his Christmas show includes fresh arrangements of Christmas classics.
Rod & Hammer Rock
Ultimate mash-up band Brass Mash plays on Friday, Nov. 29 (7 p.m.; all ages; $20 at my805tix.com and brassmash.com), bringing their horn-driven rearranged covers of hit songs.
“The band has had its best shows in its existence in 2024,” bandleader Colin Dean said. “This year we played Live Oak, Whale Rock, and Concerts in the Plaza, and the group sounds better than ever! We’re kinda hoping there are a lot of bored people the day after Thanksgiving because we’re putting on a Black Friday show out at Rod & Hammer Rock. We’ll be playing the best of our regular mayhem while throwing in a few holiday tunes to get everyone the warm fuzzies.” Δ
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Nov 28 – Dec 8, 2024.