Drive-In Studio Explained

Drive-In Studio
Type:Recording studio
Industry:Music
Founded:July 1980
Founder:Mitch Easter
Defunct:1994
Fate:Closed due to relocation
Hq Location:Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.

Drive-In Studio was a recording studio in rural Winston-Salem, North Carolina,[1] founded by Mitch Easter in July 1980, shortly after the break-up of his band The dB's.[2] R.E.M.'s debut single, "Radio Free Europe" (1981),[3] and their first extended play, Chronic Town (1982), were recorded at the studio six months apart in 1981.[4] The studio was established in what was initially Easter's parents' garage,[5] [6] at 4527 Old Belews Creek Road,[7] and became an important part of the early indie rock scene of North Carolina.[8]

At the time of R.E.M.'s stint at the studio, "the set-up was really simple," Easter said in 1994. "I had almost nothing in the studio back then, except a tape machine and a console and two compressors and one delay device. We couldn't do any fancy stuff."[9]

Easter explained the studio's layout in 2021:

Due to the confined space of the interior, studio sessions often also took place in the home's driveway,[10] under the carport.[11]

Equipment

An early advertisement, which listed Shady Boulevard as a mailing address for the studio, itemized its recording technology:[12]

Artists

Other artists who recorded at Drive-In include Pylon ("Beep"), Suzanne Vega ("Gypsy"), Game Theory (The Big Shot Chronicles) and The Connells (Boylan Heights).

Easter closed Drive-In in 1994, and moved to Kernersville, North Carolina, where he opened his current recording studio, Fidelitorium Recordings.[13] [14]

References

36.1368°N -80.1742°W

Notes and References

  1. Book: Option . 1988 . Sonic Options Network . 60 . en.
  2. Web site: Mitch Easter: Producing R.E.M. and building his studio . 2023-03-22 . tapeop.com . en.
  3. Web site: Douglas . James . 2021-10-20 . Mitch Easter's 40 Year Odyssey of Sound . 2023-03-22 . Triad City Beat . en.
  4. Book: Barker, David . 33 1/3 Greatest Hits, Volume 2 . 2007-10-15 . Bloomsbury Publishing USA . 978-1-4411-3003-7 . en.
  5. Amar . Erin . March 2011 . Mitch Easter – Beyond and Back . live . Rocker Magazine . https://web.archive.org/web/20131013040525/http://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2011/03/mitch-easter-beyond-and-back-interview-by-erin-amar/ . 2013-10-13.
  6. News: Palmer . Robert . 2 March 1983 . The Pop Life: Studio Flourishes in a Carolina Garage . . 17 May 2019.
  7. Web site: Douglas . James . 2021-10-20 . Mitch Easter's 40 Year Odyssey of Sound . 2023-03-26 . Triad City Beat . en.
  8. Web site: CLTure . 2022-02-10 . Fidelitorium is a studio dreamed up and executed very much in the vision of its owner, Mitch Easter . 2023-03-22 . CLTure . en-US.
  9. Book: Hogan, Peter . The Complete Guide to the Music of R.E.M. . . 1995 . 0-7119-4901-8 . 40.
  10. Book: Menconi, David . Step It Up and Go: The Story of North Carolina Popular Music, from Blind Boy Fuller and Doc Watson to Nina Simone and Superchunk . 2020-09-22 . UNC Press Books . 978-1-4696-5936-7 . 155 . en.
  11. Book: Stamey, Chris . A Spy in the House of Loud: New York Songs and Stories . 2018-04-15 . University of Texas Press . 978-1-4773-1624-5 . en.
  12. Web site: Drive-In Studio . 2023-03-22 . Discogs . en.
  13. Mills . Fred . June 14, 2007 . Mitch Easter: Perfect Sound Forever . Magnet . https://web.archive.org/web/20131022000536/http://www.magnetmagazine.com/2007/06/14/mitch-easter-perfect-sound-forever/ . 2013-10-22.
  14. Web site: April 22, 2016 . Sense Of Place North Carolina: Mitch Easter . March 21, 2023 . NPR.

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