According to a report by Palm Springs Desert Sun, former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum's music education non-profit organization, Adopt The Arts, will be funding the Palm Springs district's elementary schools during the 2024-25 school year with plans to expand the program in the future.
Unified School District superintendent Tony Signoret comments: " "There's enough funding now that ensures the arts are not cut from budgets, even as we're coming into tighter fiscal times over the next couple of years. There's a lot of state support for that, and we're blessed our school board has always prioritized the visual and performing arts. That's been a big priority for us over many years. It's not just about donating and bringing in instruments, it's providing mentorship from professional musicians."
Sorum: "It's grown from Los Angeles to the desert because I moved here. I feel like Palm Springs has been a place I've been able to move my ideas in. It's a small town community vibe here. Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley has always gravitated towards music, artists and entertainers. Why not be one of those communities that sets the standard? People could look at us like Paris was in the '50s when Miles Davis and John Coltrane moved there because no one in America cared at the time."
Read the complete report here.
Sorum, along with his partner Jason Mendelson, a former venture capitalist who spends his time as a musician, producer, (under the name Jace Allen), author, and criminal justice reform participant, founded GoodNoise Studio in Palm Springs, reports Eric Gray for Palm Springs Tribune.
Designed as a haven for artists and a hub of creative energy, the studio spans over 4,000 square feet, offering musicians a space filled with meticulously chosen top-tier equipment designed to ignite creativity. Picture yourself surrounded by a selection of 35 iconic guitars, a dozen vintage amplifiers, and a Yamaha baby grand piano, all awaiting your touch. Then, picture yourself recording your masterpiece on the revered 1981 Trident 80c console, a prized possession transported from Nashville’s renowned Treasure Isle Studios. This very console has been utilized by famous country music icons Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, as well as rock luminaries Billy Idol and Billy F Gibbons.
Eric Gray recently interviewed Matt Sorum and Jason Mendelson, both who are bonafide Palm Springs residents about their business venture GoodNoise Studio. An excerpt follows...
Q: What inspired you both to establish GoodNoise Studio in Palm Springs?
Matt Sorum: "We love to record music, we love making songs. I had all of this equipment in Los Angeles that was in storage. Jason and I knew each other for about 5 years and we decided to do a music studio together."
Jason Mendelson: "There was no other downtown recording studio and we noticed how many musicians were coming out to the desert that didn’t have a place to record. We also use the space for charity events."
Q: Can you share some of the key challenges you encountered while building GoodNoise Studio?
Jason Mendelson: "Well the biggest challenge was actually finding the right building in the right location. It wasn’t easy, there’s lots of airplanes flying above. We looked at a lot of buildings before we found ours."
Matt Sorum: "I remember we looked at one building and there were a bunch of airplanes going overhead. Since we use tube microphones from Germany that are very sensitive and pick up sounds like airplane noise, we had to find the right location and that was tough. We finally found the spot in a great area."
Q: How do you see GoodNoise Studio contributing to the music industry landscape, particularly in Palm Springs?
Matt Sorum: "Like Jason said, we have a lot of musicians gravitating towards the desert. It’s always been that way. The desert has been an allure for artist and writers. It’s a place to go, to get away to have quiet and to get in touch with what you are feeling and what you want to do. We are drawing people out to GoodNoise Studio from Hollywood and LA. We had a session last night with two young guys who got a deal with Warner Brothers. Usually, people come to the studio by word of mouth. Jason and I are growing and curating that. More people are going to let other people know. Also, the community that we are building around philanthropy is going to be great. We had a massive drum circle recently with Rick Állen of Def Leppard and The Chief of Police Andy Mills came out along with members of the Fire Department and the Mayor. I love Andy Mills and we want to help the community anyway we can. That being said, the studio is organically building. Palm Springs has always been a mecca from the big city. Built it and they will come."
Jason Mendelson: "It’s not enough to have a computer in the bedroom. Matt was adamant about having a massive engineering room. We built a huge engineering room over 1000 square feet and that’s where the creativity happens, where someone can say, 'what if we did this and what if we did that?' We are providing a musical space for creativity that did not exist in the Coachella Valley before."
Read the complete interview at Palm Springs Tribune.
(Photo - Jonas Akerlund)
