Behind the Scenes at Seattle's London Bridge Studio

Owners Jonathan Plum and Geoff Ott Prove High-end Studio Relevant in D.I.Y. Age

London Bridge Studio, a 5,000 square foot facility located just north of Seattle, was a pillar of the 1990s grunge scene - seminal bands like Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Blind Melon and Candlebox all holed up there for weeks or months on end to record their influential releases using the studio's vintage Neve 8048. Jonathan Plum and Geoff Ott were there, working their way up from interns to head engineers. With the rise of new technology becoming more affordable and home studios popping up everywhere, the studio went through a dark period in the new millennium, sitting dormant for a few years. When its previous owner put London Bridge up for sale, Plum and Ott purchased it immediately, rescuing the historically significant studio from extinction and in turn, opening it up to the local music community.

Q: Tell us about your experience adapting a big-budget studio to compete in a D.I.Y. landscape.

Plum: Before I owned LBS, I personally was part of the D.I.Y. revolution. I would rent a big studio one or two days to track the basics (live drums and band), and then complete the rest of the production, one track at a time, at my home studio where I didn't need an acoustic space and piles of microphones. I encourage bands, even with a very small budget, to at least track their basic live tracks at LBS. This is really the new norm and it's very effective. Though home-recording technology gets better and better, it's simply not feasible to properly record a live performance in a home situation. With this understanding, I believe that LBS and similar studios will always be relevant in the recording world.

Q: How has London Bridge's relationship with the Seattle music community changed?

Plum: Since the studio was private for so long, LBS was virtually off the map to the local community. There is still a local stigma that LBS is too expensive and always booked. We've been working very hard to reach out to local producers and bands to give them a chance to use LBS. We are not the cheapest studio in town but we are also not inaccessible to most serious local bands.

Q: What is unique about the layout and acoustics of London Bridge?

Plum: LBS is acoustically designed from the ground up. Hardwood floors and brick walls help give it its unique live sound. LBS is built with multiple isolation rooms, featuring large windows in every room for clear eyesight throughout the entire space. The vocal booth sits dead center of the studio with windows into every room so bands can see each other while playing live, yet be in total acoustic isolation.

Q: Describe your approach to recording and how it's developed from your experience at London Bridge.

Plum: LBS has reminded me of how much magic there is in capturing a live performance. These days it's way too easy to process everything in the computer to be perfect. Lately, I've been working very hard on not using these crutches and finding it wonderfully refreshing and successful. I used to think that if a band rushed or sped up though a song, that it was incorrect. Now I see it as raw and exciting energy and will allow it and even encourage it.

Ott: Jonathan and I both had the ability to work on bigger projects with some of the most popular producers of the time, and it helped us learn what made 'records' different from 'recordings' or demos. One thing that I really appreciated was learning how to get a good performance out of an artist and learning what was considered good. I remember working with Rick Parashar [LBS founder and former owner], and he would keep something that I thought was totally wrong. Then I'd listen back a couple months later and realize that what he kept was a part of musical history - what gives the song more life and a more human feel. Thus, we spend a lot of time getting things to feel good right out of the player and trying not to count on the digital editor.

www.londonbridgestudio.com

IN THE NEWS

The annual Capitol Hill Block Party will return to the Pike corridor July 25-26, bringing over 50 incredible independent bands to its four stages. Vampire Weekend and Les Savy Fav will headline Friday night, and DeVotchka and The Hold Steady will close out the festival Saturday night. Among the West Coast artists scheduled to perform are Grand Ole Party, Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground, Kimya Dawson, The Dodos, Menomena, USE, Thee Emergency, The Builders and the Butchers, Akimbo, The Hands and last year's Block Star winner, PWRFL Power.

www.thestranger.com/

blockparty

On July 8, Sarathan Records will release the debut album from Seattle's Feral Children. Titled Second to the Last Frontier, the 12-track album was self-released locally last year and produced by Scott Colburn (Arcade Fire, Animal Collective). The band is scheduled to perform at the Block Party on July 26.

www.myspace.com/

feralchildrenseattle

On July 22, Barsuk Records will release the new album from Lackthereof, the project of Menomena's Danny Seim, titled Your Anchor. In other label news, Barsuk has signed Syracuse, N.Y.'s Ra Ra Riot with plans to release their full-length debut, The Rhumb Life, on August 19.

www.barsuk.com

Hypatia Lake will release its much-anticipated new album on July 15 through Reverb Records. Titled Angels and Demons, Space and Time, the album was recorded with Scott Colburn and marks the Seattle band's third release. After a CD release show on July 18 at King Cobra in Seattle, Hypatia Lake will embark on a West Coast tour at the end of the month.

www.myspace.com/

hypatialake

Hardly Art will release the new album from The Dutchess and the Duke on July 8. Titled She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke, the 10-track album marks the duo's first foray into this more upfront style of Americana/folk-pop.

www.hardlyart.com

Blue Scholars will team up with the legendary Hieroglyphics this month for their "Freshly Dipped Tour." A three-month, 45-date stint that celebrates Hiero Imperium's 10 year anniversary, the tour kicks off on July 11 at The Glass House in Pomona, Calif. and will take the West Coast hip-hop leaders across North American before wrapping in October. Limited-edition Freshly Dipped Tour 7-inchs will be available at the shows, featuring a Blue Scholars remix of a Hiero track and a Hiero remix of a Blue Scholars track.

www.bluescholars.com

Recent Suicide Squeeze signees, These Arms Are Snakes have been busy working at Red Room Recordings in Seattle on their as-of-yet untitled label debut, due out in October. Drummer Chris Common has been doubling as producer.

www.thesearmsare

snakes.org