Local bands jam for free at studio

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The band is set. The guitars are tuned, and the songs are written. All that’s left is flipping the switch to record. But for many bands, the chance to record their tracks in a professional space is far-fetched. That is, until now.

During the two weeks of South By Southwest, several bands from in and around Austin will have the chance to record their songs for free, thanks to a New York-based recording studio and a pair of sneakers.

Converse, the shoe maker, owns Converse Rubber Tracks , a state-of-the-art recording space in Brooklyn. Up-and-coming artists from across the country can record in the studio for free. The bands own all of the rights to the music and can use the tracks however they wish.

• Photos: Bands recording at Converse studio

“It's really important for bands to be aware to what it's like to record in a real studio,” said studio staff engineer Aaron Bastinelli. “The quality is so much greater than any home studio can provide.”

The professional studios also give the artists a chance to perform together, rather than have each member play one layer and put the song together electronically.

For SXSW, Converse Rubber Tracks is set up at Big Orange and Shine Studios in East Austin. The company picked 11 local bands giving each of them a complete recording session.

“There are a lot of amazing musicians here and it's not super easy for someone in Austin to get to Brooklyn,” said Bastinelli.

One of the bands that got the chance to work with the studio is Starlings, TN . The group formed in Nashville back in 2001. While they’ve put out about 6 albums, Thursday’s session was a first.

“This is the first time in 20 years where I've been in a studio where I haven't also been the engineer,” said Steven Stubblefield. “I get to relax and have a fun day today.”

Stubblefield often wears different hats with the band. He writes many of the group’s songs, plays guitar, sings, produces, and often handles all of the technical work.

Starlings, TN, plays a “psychedelic bluegrass” style of music according to guitarist Bryan Robison.

“We take these kinds of traditional songs, a lot of our own songs, and use some traditional instrumentation: acoustic guitar, mandolin, mountain dulcimer,” said Robison. “Then we tweak it a little bit. We add electric guitar. We add electrified mountain dulcimer that tin plates with the bow.”

“One of the songs we are going to record today is called Forbidden Fruit Makes a Sticky Jam,” said Stubblefield. “I actually saw that on a church marquee driving through the Ozark Mountains one day.”

Stubblefield says recording for free at Rubber Tracks helps create a different sound. They often record at home.

“It means everything to us. We are a studio band. We were conceived in a studio,” said Stubblefield.

But studio time can be too expensive. A professional space like Shine Studios rents out for $400 per day.

Another band recording Thursday, Megabig , said one day of recording work is often not enough to prepare a full album.

Guitarist Danny Bravo said by preparing ahead of time and being fully rehearsed, they might be able to do 7 tracks in a full 8-hour day.

“Something like this where we have a day in the studio the way that we work, we can get stuff done pretty quickly,” said Bravo.

“We definitely try to hone in on what they want to accomplish and make sure that it is a reasonable goal,” said Bastinelli.

This is the second year that Rubber Tracks has set up at SXSW. In 2012, they helped about five bands over the course of a week. This year, however, they will operate for two weeks helping 11 bands. The bands all applied back in January for the sessions.

Converse Rubber Tracks has also set up similar “pop-up” studios in Los Angeles, Montreal, and Toronto.