The music scene in Easton may be growing as a result of Sweetfoot Studios, locally owned by Shea Springer.
Since the studio opened a year ago, Springer, 27, has seen the number and quality of musicians increase.
There were a lot of musicians who played together in high school, and when people started growing up and moving away no one replaced them, Springer said. At the time he was part of the band Red Eyed Five.
Springer took some time away from Easton to attend the University of Cincinnati and to design furniture in Los Angeles and he noticed a lull in the music scene when he was back in town on breaks.
However, since he returned to Talbot County and opened Sweetfoot Studios, there has been a reemergence of musicians.
“The studio brought a lot of people back into the fold and started playing again and recording,” said Cody Finkner, 28, a local musician who’s been in bands ranging from the Bitter Creek Bluegrass Band to Press Black, and is currently in The Lunar Era.
Through the studio, Finkner met many older musicians, as well.
There were a lot of musicians in the area, Springer said. “I didn’t even realize they were here.”
The musicians, however, hadn’t previously collectivized in a single location. “They met at natural studio events,” Springer said.
These events include his grand opening, among other parties, as well as regular recordings and jam sessions.
“It’s the mob mentality. You see a bunch of people playing baseball and you want to play baseball. You see a bunch of people playing music, and you want to play music,” Springer said.
Mark Mangold, 36, was previously a booking agent for the Avalon Theatre and Night Cat, and is currently a senior talent buyer at Live Nation. While he couldn’t comment specifically on the past year, he was positive about the growth of Easton’s music scene over the past five.
More bands have come up, Mangold said. “There’s an increase in quality, and a bigger diversity among the bands.”
Springer also pointed out that musicians from the Baltimore and D.C. area have trekked to his studio as both clients and participants in jam sessions he holds. He observed these musicians exchange contact information with Easton locals.
This exchange has resulted in new bands, collaborations formed, shows played, and songs recorded, Springer said.
Additionally, there has been a rise in the number of younger musicians.
“I grew up around music. We were the next generation, and now I’m seeing the real next generation,” Finkner said.
Finkner attributes that partly to a recording class Springer holds with Mike Elzey, a local guitar teacher.
The class teaches youth from nine to 15 how to play as an ensemble.
“They can apply their skills in the field,” Springer said.
Springer also commented that several bands, such as Radio Edit, have formed from the classes, where the musicians otherwise may have never met, due to barriers such as attending different schools.
In addition to a greater population of active musicians in Easton, the studio has also increased the quality of local music.
“Cross-pollination” is the term Springer used to describe the musical exchange he has seen as a direct result from Sweetfoot Studios.
“There is an exchange of ideas between musicians,” Springer said. He continued that talented musicians inspire one another, and that it creates a level of excitement and enthusiasm.
“I always want to learn about another musician’s art,” Finkner said. “You can hear new music and get input from other people. Who better than another artist?”
“Every music community is defined by the critics and support system,” Mangold said. “That’s usually other musicians.”
Springer also attributes the improved quality of local musicians to the accessibility of being able to record music.
“The recording process puts your performance under the microscope,” he said. “It’s like going through a song with a fine tooth comb.”
Finkner reflected on watching the growth of another Easton band, The Aughts.
“I saw them in the studio, and they became much tighter,” he said, referring to their musical synchronization.
“It gives bands something to strive for,” Mangold said, in reference to music recordings.
The results have already started to affect Easton.
“Businesses downtown are already being geared towards music,” Finkner said. “The Avalon has been really cool to us.”
Good quality records get gigs, Springer said.
Springer can’t say exactly how much the scene has grown since Sweetfoot Studio’s opened, but is certain that it “planted a seed.”
“Shea is a lynchpin in this community,” Mangold said. “He mixes creativity, his profession, and his talent.”
Finkner recognized one pivotal piece to the growth of musicians in the area, regardless of the studio.
“Everyone around here does it because they love it,” Finkner said.
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