DIY Nation: WonderRoot
We’ve focused on a bunch of house parties in this segment thus far, but DIY and its ethos extends far beyond shows in living rooms. I’ve recently been lucky enough to get involved with a truly awesome organization, WonderRoot. They are a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the local arts community, and they are bringing a lot to the table:
WonderRoot is an Atlanta-based non-profit arts organization committed to uniting artists and community to inspire positive social change. The objectives are to provide production facilities to Atlanta-based artists, to facilitate arts-based community service programs in the Atlanta area, and to encourage artists to be proactive in engaging their communities through community service work.
The WonderRoot Community Arts Center houses a digital media lab, darkroom, recording studio, ceramics studio, classroom space, and a performance space. WonderRoot members are granted unlimited access to these facilities on a first come first serve basis. The Community Center will also be host to regular arts-based workshops for youth ranging from poetry workshops to music production.
Specifically on the music side of things, a very affordable membership gets you access to a full professional recording studio. The studio itself is really swank. They have just started getting touring musicians who come through town to stop by and cut a track to release on their blog (sort of Atlanta’s answer to Daytrotter). I have been helping out interviewing bands and writing blog posts for them, and you can take a look at that, as well as get exclusive tracks from Jukebox The Ghost, The XYZ Affair, and Brownbird here:
Tomorrow night at The Earl, they are having a WonderRoot benefit featuring Delta Co, Trail By Fire, and Your Uncle Billy Who Went Crazy. Then this Saturday, they are having the official grand opening party of the facility featuring a live performance from Nana Grizol (featuring members of Neutral Milk Hotel) and the Atlanta Sedition Orchestra. I’ll be there covering the event, and I highly recommend you come down and check it out. Also, we are about to start throwing shows at the facility’s basement, which is a fully functional music venue, starting next month, so stay tuned for that (and of course if you are a band we mention here on Ohmpark, hit us up to schedule a show or a studio session).
- Posted by Davy Minor on May 28, 2008 at 4:38 pm
