…music history being made here

By Tom Dwyer

                                                                                                   

Rock, jazz, blues, hip-hop, country and everything in between has been recorded at Hoboken’s famed music recording studio (Water Music Recorders) over the past twenty-seven years. Music legends and international stars like Dave Mathews, the Allman Brothers, Joey Ramone, Spyro Gyra, U2, Sarah McLachlan and even Nancy Sinatra have recorded at this residential music studio.

The creator behind this worldwide-known recording studio is Rob Grenoble, a musician in his own right who back in the late 1970’s and 1980’s played with a group called Cries. He was signed as a recording artist with RCA Records in 1989. But it was in 1980 when he created Water Music studio solely for his band to record that things really got interesting. No sooner did the recording studio get up and running, that Steve Fallon, the owner and visionary behind Maxwell’s–the famed rock club in Hoboken—asked Rob to record a solo album for songwriter Chris Stamey (who still records at Water Music). The original studio was located at 201 Grand Street and before long, a line of extraordinary musicians like Yo La Tengo, Freedy Johnston, the Feelies, Chris Stamey, Marshall Crenshaw and dozens of other bands made Water Music their home.

In the summer of 1991, Rob was producing a band called Sweet Lizard Illtet for Warner Bros. It was then that he realized he was running out of space and had to expand. But he wanted to create a space where musicians could truly relax. Talking with some of the biggest recording studio designers of the time, including George Augspurger, the legendary studio designer, and visiting Bearsville studio in Woodstock NY, the new Water Music recording studio complex was created at 931 Madison Street. The project, a labor of love, consist of two new state of the art recording rooms and a residential space called the Loft–a sunny, open 1,000 sq. ft. loft with high ceilings, hardwood floors, exposed beams, giant windows, kitchen, large bath with shower and bathtub, and two bedrooms that sleeps six comfortably. There is also the Garden, a private outdoor oasis, where musicians can chill after a day of music takes. Over the years they have added a duplex apartment and even offer a yacht where musicians can stay while recording. Water Music is the only residential recording studio in the New York area.

Tom Dwyer
Everyone who is anyone has recorded at Water Music over the past twenty-seven years. But I really need to know how you got involved with Nancy Sinatra?
 

Rob Grenoble
Nancy Sinatra was here about two years ago. She was working on a solo album. She was recording a song written for her by Bono of U2. Nancy recorded part of the song here, and part of the song was recorded in Dublin.

TD
It’s obvious that you are extremely busy. Are you dealing with many international music groups?
RG
We have bands coming to Hoboken from all over the world to record here. One of the reasons they like us is our 48 input Neve 8088 master board. There are only eleven or so in the world, and the sound it creates can’t be duplicated. They come for our live room, and they come because it’s a residential recording studio which simplifies things. They don’t have to run back and forth to hotels everyday… and there is word of mouth with us. Madrugada, a multi-platinum Norwegian group is coming in soon to record a CD.
TD
How do these musicians react to Hoboken?
RG
They love it. They see it as a very cool place. The food is great, it’s easy to get around, and of course it’s next to New York.
TD
I’ve heard that you are involved with other people in Hoboken to create an art center with open space that will offer classes for adults and kids, and work as a performing arts center and a meeting place for artists?
RG
Yes. There will be a building on the corner of 10th and Madison. It will house parking, new studios for Water Music, and galleries and classrooms for the art center that will be created there. On the roof of the building will be an outdoor park, and there will also be condos and a full professional theater. We will be very involved with after school programs.

TD
And from what I understand this project is a labor of love of civic minded business people, artists, and organizations from Hoboken looking to create an art center. Where‘s the money coming from?

RG
We are hoping that the New Jersey Economic Development Authority will be part of it, and we are hoping that corporations will sponsor, and we are hoping that individual donors will help as well.

TD
So what’s the chance of this happening?

RG
It will happen. The timeline is twelve months of design, review and bidding of contracts and then eighteen months of construction. This project will be owned by a Non-Profit Trust.

TD
I can still remember coming into the Court Street restaurant back in the late 1970’s and hearing you play with your band Cries. Did you ever for one minute think back then that you would be this world respected music producer who has recorded the hippest musicians around?

RG
Well, there is the line by John Lennon who said, ‘Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.’ That’s pretty much it. I had my eye on trying to be someone like Neil Young. And so the short answer is no…I’m absolutely astonished where my life has gone.