Why Sound? Why not?
Past the unassuming black brick exterior of 30 Federal Ave. and through the giant front window plastered with band posters, lies an oasis for music-lovers in Logan.
Why Sound, the newest music venue and recording studio, opened in April and has since been gaining popularity as the “it” spot for both local artists and bands stopping though Logan. Although it is functioning solely as a venue right now, owner Tim Moes said he hopes to have the full recording studio ready in the next few months.
“Right now we are about three-fourths of the way done,” Moes said. “It’s gone a little bit slower than we would have liked, but it will eventually be a full service facility that has six potential rooms with the highest quality of recording available.”
Moes, who recently moved to Logan from New York, said he originally began searching for a building to use as a recording studio. It was by accident, he said, that Why Sound evolved into a venue.
“When I came here I looked at all these places,” Moes said. “I must have looked at like 20-30 buildings, but none of them would work. I had searched for about a year and given up.”
That’s when Moes said he heard from a friend about the building on Federal Ave. that was available.
“I got the key, looked at it and decided it was perfect,” said Moes, who had previously worked at a recording company in Queens, New York for six years. “I had never done anything like this, but I thought ‘I’m just going to do it.'”
After he checked the place out, Moes said he decided he wanted to use the upstairs for a recording studio and the venue part of Why Sound just fell into place.
The location has proved to be perfect, Moes said, thanks to places like Citrus and Sage and Caffe Ibis that are making Federal Ave. the hip area in Logan.
Inside, Why Sound is doing it’s part to keep the artsy downtown vibe alive. The dark walls are punctuated with bright, abstract art from local artist Dallas Ford, who Moes said they hung to “make the place look better.” True to form, booking manager Robert Linton said by hanging art from local artists, they are hoping to give the community even more chances to share their work and create an comfortable setting.
“There have been a lot bands that say they like to play here because it’s intimate,” Moes said.
Moes said Why Sound will be different from any other venues that have previously tried to set up shop in Logan because they are catering to the musicians who play and record at Why Sound. Moes said they deal with all the set up so bands can focus on just playing music. Why Sound also offers a live recording for bands after they have played a show.
“What sets us apart is that we are a music venue, ” Moes said. “We try and make the bands sound as good as possible. We’re not selling coffee, we’re promoting music.”
Both Moes and Linton have a background in music, which they say has helped them make Why Sound the best possible local venue for musicians.
“I’ve been a musician for a long time,” Moes said. “I’ve been in bands, went to music schools and been around the musician mentality. We know what it is to do a show and run a show. We are not here solely to make money, we’re here to do music.”
Moes said that, when it comes down to it, the driving factor behind Why Sound is passion for music.
“I could be sitting at a desk, but here I am listening to music as a job,” Moes said.
“If you do it for the wrong reasons, you’re not going to be successful.”
Linton, who is also a musician and working on his fourth CD, agrees.
“Passion comes first,” he said. “We’re just doing the best we can to spread the love.”
Right now, Linton said their main focus is staying open and exposing everyone to what Why Sound has to offer.
“We know there have been a lot of venues that have come and gone,” Linton said. “We want to keep pulling in bands to make this cutting edge.”
As far as booking artists, Linton said he has worked hard to bring bands to Logan while still showcasing local musicians.
“We’re pretty similar to Kilby Court in general and with the types of bands we pull in,” Linton said. “The environment is really casual and people like to just hang out.”
Linton said he finds bands to play from all kinds of sources and tries to give all genres equal opportunity.
“A lot of local bands ask if they can play a show with a certain band they like from Salt Lake,” Linton said, “so I call them up and see what we can arrange. We just communicate a lot with local bands. See what they want and who they want to play with.”
Linton said he also does a lot of research online to see what bands might be touring through Salt Lake City or Boise and calling them to see if they might be interested on playing a show at Why Sound along the way. Linton said it’s important to get bands to Logan and show them hospitality and good crowd.
“Once you get a band here,” Linton said, “the word spreads quickly.”
Moes said one goal of Why Sound is to become a legitimate stop for bands on tour and place they try to hit on their way through.
“In a way,” Moes said, “we have become a corridor for bands traveling through from Idaho to Salt Lake City or from places like Denver on their way to Seattle.”
However, while they are excited about artists traveling from other places to play at Why Sound, Linton and Moes said they are still focusing on keeping it local. Moes said in the past few months he has become very familiar with the local music scene and the pool of talent Logan offers.
“The talent was already here.” Moes said. “Why Sound has just given locals a venue and a chance to play.”
So far, Moes said the crowds have reacted positively to Why Sound.
“The turnout has been getting better,” Moes said. “At the end of September we had 13 shows and only a couple duds. I think people are starting to find out about us.”
When asked about his favorite shows so far at Why Sound, Moes reels of an impressive list of local and national talent including Erratic Erotica, Chase Pagan and The Mollies.
“We’ve done so many great shows, it’s hard to choose,” Linton said. “I feel like I’ve accomplished something major at the end of the night after everyone has seen a great show and the band has sold a lot of merch.”
With Why Sound’s ongoing success and many shows coming up, it seems like Logan might finally have it’s very own music venue.
For more information and a list of upcoming shows visit www.myspace.com/whysound.
–amanda.m@aggiemail.usu.ed
The interior of Why Sound during a recent jazz concert. (Tyler Larson)