chh@heraldsun.com; 918-1035
CHAPEL HILL -- Pipes run along the ceiling of the small, gray basement room. Thin muting insulation covers the cold, cinderblock walls.
"The studio is about three weeks old," said Andrew Hamlet, a junior psychology major and artistic director at Vinyl Records, a nonprofit, student-run record label for student bands at UNC. "It took a couple of weeks into school to get things going; everyone was just so busy readjusting."
Hamlet appreciates the free space in Room 25 of Hill Hall but found the room less than desirable as a studio at first.
"There was this weird watery sound in the ceiling when we recorded," he said. "It took us forever to get things as good as they could be."
The UNC music department donated the room for Vinyl's headquarters. The space used to be the percussion practice room, Vinyl co-founder Tripp Gobble said.
David Harper, a senior advertising major, is Vinyl's audio production director. Harper brings a hip-hop background and technical savvy to the studio, plus some of his own equipment.
"Most of our equipment we purchased with grant money, but we also bring in our own personal collections," Harper said.
Colby Ramsay of My Boy Rascal, a Vinyl artist, is recording with help from Harper and Hamlet.
"Andrew provides me with so many ideas," Ramsay said. Hamlet "is helping me figure out how to present the music in a more aesthetically pleasing way." Ramsay writes soulful acoustic ballads and is backed by two more singers in My Boy Rascal, creating melodic harmonies.
Co-founder Allen Mask's vision of evolving together is in My Boy Rascal's recording sessions. Everyone works together to create the best product possible.
"David set me up with other musicians to help me record, and people in the staff assist me with artwork for the cover," Ramsay said.
Despite Vinyl's success, its future is uncertain. All the bands and most volunteers in managerial positions will graduate in May.
Hamlet, the only junior in a managerial position, admits he is apprehensive about the coming year:
"Our group has really good chemistry. I will hate to see them go. I feel like I learned a lot and hopefully will be able to apply what I've learned to the new situation," Hamlet said.
Gobble also worries about the future: "I'm trying to firm up the foundations of the program this semester and hand it off next semester -- act in more of a consulting role."
Gobble and Mask say the future of Vinyl depends on students. If students like what Vinyl is doing, the label will remain.
