For the past few years, my basement has served as a pseudo recording studio for the musician in my house, namely my son Spencer.  We have a drum kit, guitars, amplifiers, microphones, and harmonicas set up in the basement. When the music is playing, he is not only entertaining those in the house, but most likely the neighbors surrounding me.  This past fall, one of my neighbors recognized a song my son was playing on the drums. And he lives 3 houses down the lane.  Needless to say, it gets pretty loud.  Bonus is my son is a very good musician.

 

I first heard about a music and recording studio in Pawtucket called Jam Stage from a former employee of mine.  He was a drummer himself and used Jam Stage with his band to rehearse and warm up for gigs.  I decided to find out more information about Jam Stage and I brought Spencer with me.  Jam Stage is located in Pawtucket at 25 Esten Ave, just off Route 95 North about 25 minutes from North Kingstown.

Spencer and I arrived at Jam Stage on a Saturday night and met operations manager, Chip Crowley.  Chip gave us a tour of the facility which included the lobby area, several of the studios, and the back area where there was a performance stage.  Chip gave us the run down on the different types of studios as well as the equipment available in the various studios.  For example, the room Spencer booked was a smaller studio but still guitar amps, a full drum kit, PA system, keyboards, and recording system.  Chip showed us some of the larger studios which were geared more towards professional musicians with upgraded equipment such as half stack amplifiers and other more professional musical instrumentation.

A one time $25 yearly membership fee was required to get the room booked for the hour.  The studio rates vary depending on the number of hours needed, the space or studio you need, and the day of the week.  We paid $20 for an hour of studio time, which allowed Spencer to record about 60 minutes worth of music he is working on.  The room is designed with recording devices so you can pop in a CD and record with incredible clarity.  At the end of his session, he had a CD to listen to, critique, and play to back in our home studio, the basement.

While waiting for Spencer in the lobby, I noticed a gigantic “Gig Board” on the wall.  This bulletin board had business cards for guitar shops, lessons, musicians seeking musicians, and much more.  There were some photos from a few of the Jam Stage gigs and birthday parties that were held on the performance stage.  It was really cool checking out the local music scene via this Gig Board.

The performance stage was incredible.  The natural look of the worn wooden floor gave it the appearance of a night club.  The stage included a professional drum kit, PA system, amplifiers, keyboard, and just about anything a band would need to perform.  This performance area is available to rent out for birthday parties and other special events.  Chip mentioned that the area was open for parties and if guests wanted to bring in food, that was ok.  If you are interested in using this area for a party, just call the front desk and speak to a representative about rates and the company’s policies on parties.  They can be reached at 401-305-3776.

Spencer had a blast at Jam Stage.  There was another group of musicians practicing in one of the professional rooms, and they sounded awesome.  I could faintly hear Spencer playing in his studio down the hall, and of course that sounded amazing as well.  Jam Stage was a great experience for my son.  If you have a musician in your family, have a basement studio, and are looking for an alternative place for your musician to jam out, you should check out Jam Stage in Pawtucket.  The management was really helpful and they have a strong background in music and production work.  I know for a fact that Spencer and I will be back to Jam Stage for many, many visits.

Jam Stage

25 Esten Ave.

Pawtucket, RI

www.jamstage.net

401-305-3776

 

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