BRATTLEBORO — The Boys and Girls Club of Brattleboro has been undergoing renovations this year, and on Friday, Sept. 1, the club will open their space again with a show featuring three bands using its new, high-quality sound system.
One local teen band (TBA; playing at 7:30); The Pilgrims (a four-piece indie rock band from Windsor, Vt.; 9 p.m.); and Faux in Love (a four-piece surf-crash/doo-wop group from Vermont; 10 p.m.) will all perform. The event is free, but the BGCB welcomes donations.
The show is sponsored by Guilford Sound, which has an energy-efficient, state-of-the-art music studio tucked away in the woods in Guilford. Dave Snyder, owner of the studio, donated his time and energy to provide the Boys and Girls Club with a new stage, sound, and lighting system for the renovation.
“It was something that he did out of the goodness of his heart, and his desire to let kids experience music,” BGCB Executive Director Ricky Davidson said.
Snyder explained how his dream to repair the sound system of the club came to fruition.
“My son loves skateboarding at the club, and I would go there to pick him up or drop him off. I wandered around there one day [and realized] they offered so much more than just skating.
“There was an old stage with a broken sound system, and I was told that before it fell into disrepair, there would be impromptu poetry slams, jam sessions, and plays. I thought it would be great to resurrect the space into something more useable and more durable to the rigors of the sound system's exposure to its multi-use home.”
Planning for the renovation started about one year ago, and by January of this year, Snyder and BGCB began to make its physical changes.
“Robin Sweetapple, an active member of our community, put the word out to the local Rotary Club and they were kind enough to lend helping hands,” Snyder said. “There were also many club kids ages 10-18 who put in a fair amount of time,” and parents participated as well.
“Construction continued in little windows of time around my schedule and the club's from the beginning of March until now, and we are finally hooking up the main sound system and tuning it to the room next week - just in time for Sept. 1!”
Many more individuals contributed to the project, including carpenters Eric Carpenter and Brian Johnson.
John Klett of Nonlinear Audio specified the audio components for the sound system and designed the speaker boxes, while Al Tyler installed the new electrical supply and the heating and cooling sysem. Lighting designer Jerry Stockman volunteered his expertise to create a new lighting system with added intricate accessories.
“We moved some walls and beefed up the insulation so people could use the space without annoying everyone in the rest of the club with their loud music,” Snyder said. “I was able to salvage one good drum set and a friend donated a beautiful second set as well. We also outfitted the room with a PA and some guitar amps, so now bands can come in and actually practice in a working practice room.
“A stage needs a proper sound and lighting system, so we also outfitted the stage with a pretty substantial PA system for shows, as well as a full lighting rig. The audience space has also been acoustically treated to control the amount of reverb in the space in order to make the sound from the stage clear and punchy.”
Davidson said the project “really ties into our mission at the BGCB of helping youth come to realize their full potential, and to become productive, responsible, and caring citizens. And that's [at our] core - whether it's a music program, an arts program, sports, leadership, or homework help ... everything we do is directed towards that, and this [renovation] just dovetails so nicely into our mission.”
Club kids were involved in the renovation, Davidson said, explaining that many of the same kids will also be trained to run the lights and sound system, “so teens are going to be getting some real practical skills that they can take with them to college or somewhere else ... All of the things we do are really to help our kids get a leg up in the world, and this is one of the ways to do that.”
Snyder also expressed his hope that the kids will, in turn, pass those skills along.
“There will be lots of opportunities for kids to learn from us - through workshops and master classes - and then to pass on their knowledge to future generations of aspiring musicians and sound engineers. I can't wait to see what they bring to it!”