For the record
A hush-hush live-recording series in Humboldt Park makes tracks.
Just off Division Street, you enter a three-level factory-style building, get your name checked off a short list at the door and throw a $10 bill (or whatever gratuity you choose) into the artists’ cup. You find a comfy spot among a herd of couches in a 30-by-40-foot room full of instruments, microphones and music-industry folk. Congratulations, you’ve managed to score an in to Strobe Sessions, a monthly series of private, BYOB events in which bands make live studio recordings in front of a select audience at Humboldt Park’s Strobe Recording.
“Strobe Sessions started as a marketing idea,” says owner Jamie Wagner, 41, a member of the local rock outfit For Pilots. “We don’t advertise much, and we’re way off the beaten path. So the plan was to get local musicians in.” The cohost of the series is his buddy Charles Rumback, 30, who drums in several local groups (Leaf Bird, Via Tania, L’altra). Rumback curates the lineup of acts, which have included Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, Mike Reed’s Loose Assembly and blues harp-guitar duo Eric Noden and Joe Filisko. Sam Prekop of the Sea and Cake performs at the studio Friday 29 at 8pm. The artists get a free audio and video recording out of the deal, and Wagner gets to show off his six-year-old studio to prospective clients.
The audience, meanwhile, gets a different type of concert experience, something closer to the MTV Unplugged series than the usual raucous rock club night out. “It’s interesting to watch people when they first look around at all of our equipment—their eyes light up, like, Wow, this is pretty unique,” Wagner says. After sending out an e-mail announcing an event, Wagner restricts the first-reply-first-served guest list to about 30 or 40. (To receive said e-mail, try becoming a fan of Strobe Sessions on Facebook.) “We don’t want it to be packed,” he explains. “We have to limit our numbers so things are still quiet.”
“It reminded me of a little sanctuary,” says drummer Brian Blade, who’s worked with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and recently played a Strobe Session with his band Mama Rosa. The intimacy of the space along with the audience’s relaxed vibe, Blade says, gave the music a special energy that night. Janet Bean of folk group Freakwater likens her Strobe set to playing a show in the living room of a good friend, “a friend who has a lot of couches and a clubworthy sound system.”
When the show’s over, Wagner, who lives upstairs, encourages the crowd to stick around, have another drink and hang out with the artists. There are just a couple of rules: Bring your own six-pack, and when you twist off a cap or crack open a can during the recording, shhh!
