There’s a new hub of musical creativity in Port Chester, where two key elements have come together for a sonic success.

 

By Jim Byrne

 

There’s a new hub of musical creativity in Port Chester, where two key elements have come together for a sonic success.

According to its co-owners, Kevin Andreas and Nicole Laurenzi, Redlight Studios isn’t just a music school that records the occasional client, nor is it a recording studio that gives music lessons here and there. The 211 Irving Avenue business, which opened in September, places a strong emphasis on both sides of its operation.

 

Andreas and Laurenzi are professional musicians and teachers who decided to create a space where people can feed their passion for music. Both a professional recording studio and production house, as well as a music school for all ages and levels, Redlight is a creative and affordable space where musicians and up-and-comers can record, produce, and learn on their own terms.

 

“I hope it becomes a place where our students feel at home with us and our instructors, where they not only come to learn their instrument, but to jam and hang out with other musicians and students and learn from them as well,” said Laurenzi. “Recording clients should feel comfortable they are in a place where their music is safe and respected with top-notch tools and people behind it making it sound as amazing as possible.”

 

Andreas began playing guitar when he was 13 and quickly fell in love with the instrument as well as the songwriting process. Two years later, he formed the band Redlight Cinema with his brother and best friend, and the trio quickly gained popularity in their native Warwick, N.Y. Several major labels offered to sign Andreas’ band when he was 19, but the broken system and necessary artistic compromise led him down another path.

 

He didn’t stop writing or working with his band, but, over the next five years, he began building the tools and skills to become a professional recording engineer.

 

“We could have been signed by SONY, but I wanted to make a record the way I wanted it to sound,” he said. “So, I decided to create my own studio. It’s a little more humble, but it took a while and the learning process was long.”

 

Andreas met Laurenzi, graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, in 2009, and the two hit it off. Laurenzi had recently returned from the Broadway National Tour of “Mamma Mia!”, and was looking for a different outlet – teaching, specifically – to employ her talents.

 

The couple spent the new few years in Brooklyn, acquiring the equipment they needed for the recording studio while building industry contacts. They eventually moved to Port Chester because it was less expensive, and offered a community in need of a center for artistic education and enrichment. “And there’s a studio on every block in Brooklyn!” added Andreas.

 

The space is inviting, and the atmosphere relaxed. Much of that is thanks to the vibe of Andreas, who cites Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Muse, and Radiohead as heroes. But, don’t mistake the chilled-out feeling for a lack of know-how. Redlight Studios provides the big gun, a STUDER A820 2’’ tape machine for recording, as well as a whole host of top-notch equipment.

 

On the teaching side, Glee Club, Jam Club, and Little Rockstars are some of the options for all ages, with instructors who are graduates of premier art schools and professional musicians themselves. And, the philosophy is simple.

 

“We’re going to teach you whatever you want to play,” said Andreas. “If a kid wants to learn Britney Spears on the piano, then that’s what we’ll do while teaching the basics at the same time. We’re not of the school of working on something you find boring. I learned because I wanted to be Jimi Hendrix.”

 

For more information, go to redlightstudios.co, or call 205-3870.