I've spent the past 3 years in a north Williamsburg rehearsal room that could easily be mistaken for a closet. Moving from that location to Savaria Studios 2.0 has been life-changing, if you allow me to get just a little hyperbolic.
I'm a drummer. My kind needs space to practice. I had a 4.5" by 4.5" room in which to practice in my previous location. My drums - not even a full set - touched two of the walls and my seat touched the third. Now I have an 8" by 14" room I share with a friend. I can walk around my set, now with all my toms and cymbals mounted. That means I can also tune my drums.
I'm a little bummed (sorry, Jeff) that I have to split the time in the spot instead of just having it all to myself 24/7, but that's the nature and the business of rehearsal rooms in NYC. I accept this. What's important is that I have space - essentially double the space but half the time - for only about $70 more than I was paying for my closet.
Beyond the size and price, one of the draws to Savaria is the location in the old Pfizer building. It's hard not to feel like you're in on something. So many New Yorkers, so overwhelmed by each other and each other's access to every private space they claim, seek this uniqueness, this privacy, this frontier, in their quiet speakeasies and undisclosed location parties.
Years from now the Pfizer building will be a different place. The neighborhood will develop around it. For now it feels good to know I'll be able to gloat in 5 to 10 years about the way things were here and how I was there when it happened.
My only complaint about the space is sound leaking in through the walls and air vents. The bands on my left and right play so loud I can't even hear my own drums over them at times. This is partly because the space is constructed into an old office in the Finance Department of Pfizer Inc. It wasn't meant for anything louder than pencil pushing. The other reason is in the soundproofing, which seems to be merely carpet padding adhered to the walls. Tamas, the owner promised this would improved in time.
I try to remind myself that Savaria, even in incarnation 2.0, is a startup, like the other tenants in the building. After being wiped out in Gowanus by Sandy last year, Tamas started all over again here. I imagine the experience here has been a bit life-changing for him as well. I recognize getting everything like the soundproofing in order may take some time. I'll be patient. read more