INCOMING TRANSMISSIONS: Whitestone Studios

The Control Room at Whitestone Studios

It’s not every day that a producer with gold records under his belt hits me up via email, but one such Noel Golden did just that.  He told me that he loves WATU, and he wanted me to come by Whitestone Studios to take a tour and talk about philosophy and community and all of the other great things that we love to talk about here at WATU.   I figured that I would oblige and go check it out.

At first, I have to admit that I was a little intimidated by all of the gold records on the walls (there were a lot of them) and all of the super-high end equipment, but within five minutes, Noel was able to make me feel comfortable.  We spoke first about his career in the music business and what brought him here to the Upstate.  For the full story, you can check out their website, but the story basically goes like this: Noel worked in LA during the 80’s and 90’s with some serious heavy hitters (Guns ‘n’ Roses, Matchbox 20, and so on) until he ended up working with Edwin McCain.  Edwin brought Noel to the Upstate, and he immediately fell in love with the area.  The rest is kinda history.

I had known about Whitestone since its inception in 2004, but I heard stories of astronomical day rates, something an independent musician like me couldn’t afford, so I never really gave any thought to recording there.  Believe me, this was something I wanted to grill Noel on, and he assured me that they are “throwing the rate book out the window.”  (His words – not mine.)  Apparently, Whitestone is free from its previous label ties, and now, they can focus on more independent projects.  Basically, they will work with your budget to help you get the recording you want.  Obviously, they’re not going to let just anyone with a couple dollars in the door, but they are willing to cut their rates to work with serious musicians doing some exciting new stuff.  It’s almost like getting the studio for free, and all you’re paying for is the opportunity to work with a producer with gold records under his belt.  That’s a pretty sweet deal, if I say so myself.

The Tracking Room at Whitestone Studios

Noel played some stuff from his current venture; he is producing an album for Spartanburg hard rockers, The Consumers.  He also showed me around the studio.  There was a ton of world class equipment, but the thing that really interested me was very old and very original Wurlitzer Electric Piano.  He played a few chords and they sounded like a million bucks (it probably cost that much, too.)

All in all, it was great to know that Noel and the rest of the staff at Whitestone want to actively contribute to our scene the only way they know how – by recording and producing great recordings.  We’re very lucky to have a world class studio here in the Upstate, and now it’s affordable to record there.  Play a few more shows, save up that money, and make the album you’ve always wanted to make.  It’s that easy.