A multi-use building in the Bega Valley region now houses a music school, a recording studio and a livestreaming station under one roof. Its founder, Ricky Bloomfield, says the project aims to give local musicians a place to learn, record and perform, and to reconnect the town with its pub rock heritage.
One building, three creative hubs
The hub combines the Tathra School of Music, a purpose-built recording space run by Next Line Studios, and the Switch FM streaming studio. Mr Bloomfield told ACM's Bega District News that construction did not go to plan, but the team now feels the project has arrived. He said the recording studio will open in summer, and the music school will begin teaching in Term 4.
What students will learn
Mr Bloomfield, a multi-instrumentalist, will teach drums, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, piano and singing. The initial focus is on rock instruments, with wind and brass to be added depending on student interest. He said the school is designed to take musicians from an unfinished song through to a produced demo, drawing on his own experience as a singer-songwriter.
Studio equipment and first projects
The studio has a compact, full-analog, in-line recording and mixing console, the same type used by Pete Townshend of The Who, and it was the first of its kind installed in a commercial Australian studio. The first booking is a one-day session to record the winner of Edge FM's Battle of the Bands at the Bega Streetlight Festival. The winning band, Room 15, first formed in the school music room that gives the group its name. Vocalist Lani Child said the members are still deciding what to record, possibly covers they played in the competition or original songs and riffs written by band members.
Shared rooms and public performance
The building includes a live room, vocal booth, amplifier room, control room and the Switch FM studio. Mr Bloomfield said the four teaching rooms will be used for lessons in the afternoons and for recording during the day and on weekends. The school also plans variety nights, end-of-term concerts and pop-up shows to give students performance experience. The town has a strong pub rock history, having hosted acts including Midnight Oil, INXS, Men at Work, Cold Chisel, Dragon and Icehouse.