When my family and I relocated to Bozeman a few years ago, the plan was to rebuild my project studio. I extracted much of the equipment and acoustic treatment from my Redwood City studio, fully intending to build a comparable facility here in Bozeman. Then, with some help from my friends in Bozeman, I realized that wasn't what I wanted. Rebuilding the home studio would just create a space where I'd retreat from my family and friends, a place where it would be difficult to meet and collaborate with other musicians. And, thus, the plan changed and the "Music Tech Center" dream began.
I realized that the space I really wanted to create needed to satisfy a broader, more communal set of goals. The vision grew to encompass live performance, audio and video recording, seminars and workshops. I envision a space that encourages people to play together in the same room, on the same stage. Instead of manufacturing a performance one track at a time, I want to capture the magic of human interaction, the magic of a single take when everyone is "on".
I've also come to believe that you can't concoct a music scene by simply inviting outside bands to play in your town. A healthy music scene requires regular contributions from local performers. It requires each generation of kids starting to play music and some of them growing into polished musicians and performers. It requires that magical balance between competition and collaboration that leads all of those involved to improve dramatically, almost by osmosis.
Although we don't know for sure yet what it will be called, for now we use "Music Tech Center" or more often "MTC" to describe this vision. We went through a few iterations before finding and eventually purchasing a former millwork building on the north side of Bozeman. 11,000 square feet now, we plan to open up the ceiling in the live performance area to create nearly 24 foot height and reduce the overall square footage to around 9,000. The performance space will be acoustically engineered and treated, with state of the art audio, video and lighting equipment. It will be adaptable, via a removable stage and mix platform, making it a natural for everything from live performances to conferences and to banquets. The performance space can also be used as a tracking room for the studio, which has it's own more intimate tracking room in close proximity. To round things out, we'll have a green room that serves as both a backstage lounge and as a break room for recording sessions. And we'll have the obligatory restrooms and public lobby areas.
Today, we are still nailing down a few of the details and getting our ducks in a row to fund the construction. We are optimistic that the project will come together soon and we'll generate the necessary additional funds to give us the green light for phase 1 construction. We look forward to the day when we can welcome all of you to join us at the MTC, or whatever we decide to call it.