Gravity Studios was packed yet again with a talented house of musicians. On Friday February 21st, the studio hosted its monthly social and open mic event. The venue opened from six to ten pm, offering a space for a small crowd and equipment to feature diverse artists.
Experienced songwriters took the stage with solo acts as well as debut bands. The crowd of people grew to a peak of around sixty people varying in age, but was predominantly a young crowd of college students.
The venue is also a niche for newly formed bands to develop their stage presence and performance skills. Artists scout the venue for future open mics and talent for their bands. A large number of performers from Harold Washington College have become a regular crowd. This outside network was formed through word of mouth between students.
Early arrivals were greeted by staff and given a tour of the space and told to enjoy themselves. Nearest to the door was the main office, followed by a room for post-production.
Staff kept track of the performers by having a signup sheet, needing no previous scheduling. The audio levels were checked with a rotation of staff and interns. The studios were gracious enough to offer the use of equipment such as bass, keyboards, drums, guitar, among other instruments. The live recording room was turned into a stage.
Overlooking the stage sits the control room that is worked by the sound engineers. During the performances, a team from gravity studios watched through the glass and listened through isolated speakers. The bands were given the instruction to keep their setlist to a minimum of below three songs. Nearing the end of the event, this suggestion was changed to two songs since many names remained on the list.
The equipment usually employed in the recording process was utilized to amplify the sound of instruments into a p.a system. The gear offered to performers was high-end, but some of the microphone stands began shifting position due to loose bearings. Many of the acts were acoustic guitar players that needed amplification. To accommodate this, staff positioned a Sennheiser 441 mic in the traditional Nashville position, aimed where the body and neck of the guitar meet. Members of acts jam and practice the dynamics of crescendos they will play later in the evening.
Books and abstract art hung on the walls. Ornate carpets were displayed hanging from the ceiling and on the floor. Patch cords and headphones were neatly wrapped and organized on the wall. Smaller acts looked to members of the audience to be recruited as a session musician for support during their performance.
Only a handful of chairs were available to watch the performances. Many people filled the hallways and filtered through the space.
Along a narrow hallway came a small space that began the assortment of free beverages. In the small living space, there was a TV with video games set up for people to play.
The next room had an assortment of snacks such as chips and dip, crackers and cheese, and a variety of different cookies lined up buffet style. With another sofa flushed to the wall, they set up a cozy, homely space. Many people would arrive knowing that this event will keep them on their feet all night.
Gravity Studios has been in Chicago for over 25 years. They provide services such as audio engineering and producing Indi, Rock, Hip-Hop, Alt-Country, Neo Soul, Punk and other genres. With such a variety of music genres, they have been able to find legendary clientele.
Young musicians were walking the same legendary hallways that helped produce musicians like Fall Out Boy, Swae Lee, Smashing Pumpkins, Veruca Salt, Rise Against, YBN Cordae, Jon Bellion, Frenship, Phillip Phillips, Alabama Shakes, Plain White T’s, Goo Goo Dolls, and Bon Jovi just to name a few.
After speaking with people from the venue, it was apparent that Gravity Studios worked with musicians of different levels of experience. They often allow interns to learn the nuances of studio production.
Omar Yanez began interning at the studio about a year ago and has since then developed a band called 2:AM Escape. Collaboration among the young musicians began with searching for people with similar musical inspirations. They planned to debut themselves as a band that evening with two original songs.
Omar explains in an interview the origins of the band. He recalls meeting the first member of the band at a concert, “We met in the moshpit and literally bumped into each other”. After some time they met the other band members at school and began jamming together to see if they were a good fit for the project.
They all contribute to the music that they create, drawing inspiration from artists like Greenday, My Chemical Romance, American Football, and others. They describe their band as Alt Rock and Midwest Emo. Interested in continuing to follow the music scene, they have developed a five-person band featuring three guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer.
Guitarist Pablo Rojas explained that despite having diverse influences, their songs are a reflection of themselves, “I think our lyrics are being very honest and straightforward about our experiences growing up living in the city and being honest about the things that are sometimes hard to talk about ‘’.
Attending an open mic is inspiring because you see a vulnerable version of performers through live music. It’s common to listen to music in a fashion that has been made for consumption, but there are nuances that are exclusive to a live venue. Seeing talented people showing nervousness is an added layer of relatability. In contrast, streaming songs eliminates the opportunity to experience the personality of those involved in the music-making process.This provides a raw representation of musical artists that is difficult to experience after post production.
People interested in music or other industries have an immediate opportunity to network at events like this. Networking can be as simple as starting a conversation with someone new. Interactions like this are invaluable to students even if the results are not immediate. When attending a social event, conversation is welcomed. Most people are at the event out of interest and expect to make conversation.
Every industry has a people with unique talents to offer for future projects. Starting a conversation at a social event like this can lead to finding people with similar interests and opportunities that can significantly improve personal projects. Social events beneficial opportunities and the free music was an added bonus.
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