One on One ~ Big River Recording
Summer 2010
Those of you on the Washington side of the river may
remember when Bingen had a movie theater on Oak Street. Mondays were dollar nights, and we saw many fine films there.
It was a sad time when the theater succumbed to a declining economy and went out of business. The place served as a church for a while, then that group moved on.
The space had been empty and derelict for a few years when we noticed signs of activity. Curiosity aroused, we checked into the
happenings. The old theater was coming back to life, being
reborn into a new existence as a recording studio for local
musical talent.
I recently talked with one of the current co-owners, Rod Krehbiel. Theresa North, who serves on the GLCC Steering
Committee, is the other.
by Bruce Bolme
Bruce Bolme: Rod, tell me what you’re doing with the old Bingen Theater.
Rod Krehbiel: Sure.
Theresa and I bought the Bingen theater in 2008.
It needed a lot of renovation and we started by replacing the roof. We also insulated it for temperature and sound. The rest of the remodeling is ongoing.
A few months after we bought the theater, I heard that Rick Hulett, another Gorge musician, was
looking for a place to move his studio. We got together and created Big River
Recording in 2009 to provide a place for local musicians to record their work, an outlet for local musical talent. There are so many great musicians in the Gorge! And Rick and I are interested in both studio and ‘live’ recording. We’d like to work out the logistics of
having shows which could
be recorded and/or
video-taped and then turned into DVD projects or put on the internet.
BB: That sounds great. What inspired you do this project?
RK: I’ve been involved with music all my life. Music is my passion. Theresa and I were looking for a real estate investment when we found the old theater. We decided to buy it because it provided us with an unusual
opportunity to do
something interesting and creative. It’s really funny how many people have told me, “Oh, I almost bought that building,” or “I thought about buying it.” Seems
like a lot of people were interested, but of course
it’s a big project.
BB: Do you see Big
River Recording as
having a mission?
What is your goal?
RK: Rick and I have started by doing professional
quality recording, and
I’d like to move into
collaborations with videographers to do both audio
and video projects.
There have been a lot of great ideas thrown around. We’ve talked about
collaborating with a local radio station (Radio Tierra), and also with a local cable television station. And I would like, someday, to be able to use this as a live music venue as well.
The list goes on and on. I’d really like to incorporate music education and get young people involved. And hopefully we’ll have time
to have some fun and just play music.
BB: Wow. That’s quite
ambitious. Tell me
something about yourself.
RK: I have a wife and two children. I work as an
emergency room physician. I like to read, ride my bike, and Theresa and I home school our children. That has been great because it
has given us the flexibility
to travel and do things
as a family.
BB: Do you have a
personal goal or passion for your music?
RK; I’ve been thinking a lot over the last few years about what ‘I want to do when I grow up.’ What it comes down to is trying to make each moment count and really being present. It has been quite a process to figure out; I’m still working on it.
The thing that I’ve
realized is that we have so few hours of life in this world that there is no time to do things that you don’t really want to do. And the real paradox is that it’s not that easy to know what you absolutely want to do.
Growing up we’re taught a lot about what we ‘should’ do or what we’re expected to do. And society, the media, and schools are constantly telling us how we can fit
in and feel that comfort
of being at the center of
the herd.
I think that music is
part of that journey to self-direction and freedom. Nobody else can evaluate whether you are ‘feeling the music’; it’s totally up to you, and the people you’re
playing with.
BB: I know you use
RiverHOURS. How do you get them and how do you spend them?
RK: I usually buy them from stores that seem to have a surplus. I spend them on food, massage, laundry, and gifts. Also, my friend Toby Ammon has been my carpenter on most of the work at the theater and takes a percentage in RH. I’m
really excited to be able to take some RiverHOURS for our services and help
create more flow loops within our community.
Summer 2010
Those of you on the Washington side of the river may
remember when Bingen had a movie theater on Oak Street. Mondays were dollar nights, and we saw many fine films there.
It was a sad time when the theater succumbed to a declining economy and went out of business. The place served as a church for a while, then that group moved on.
The space had been empty and derelict for a few years when we noticed signs of activity. Curiosity aroused, we checked into the
happenings. The old theater was coming back to life, being
reborn into a new existence as a recording studio for local
musical talent.
I recently talked with one of the current co-owners, Rod Krehbiel. Theresa North, who serves on the GLCC Steering
Committee, is the other.
by Bruce Bolme
Bruce Bolme: Rod, tell me what you’re doing with the old Bingen Theater.
Rod Krehbiel: Sure.
Theresa and I bought the Bingen theater in 2008.
It needed a lot of renovation and we started by replacing the roof. We also insulated it for temperature and sound. The rest of the remodeling is ongoing.
A few months after we bought the theater, I heard that Rick Hulett, another Gorge musician, was
looking for a place to move his studio. We got together and created Big River
Recording in 2009 to provide a place for local musicians to record their work, an outlet for local musical talent. There are so many great musicians in the Gorge! And Rick and I are interested in both studio and ‘live’ recording. We’d like to work out the logistics of
having shows which could
be recorded and/or
video-taped and then turned into DVD projects or put on the internet.
BB: That sounds great. What inspired you do this project?
RK: I’ve been involved with music all my life. Music is my passion. Theresa and I were looking for a real estate investment when we found the old theater. We decided to buy it because it provided us with an unusual
opportunity to do
something interesting and creative. It’s really funny how many people have told me, “Oh, I almost bought that building,” or “I thought about buying it.” Seems
like a lot of people were interested, but of course
it’s a big project.
BB: Do you see Big
River Recording as
having a mission?
What is your goal?
RK: Rick and I have started by doing professional
quality recording, and
I’d like to move into
collaborations with videographers to do both audio
and video projects.
There have been a lot of great ideas thrown around. We’ve talked about
collaborating with a local radio station (Radio Tierra), and also with a local cable television station. And I would like, someday, to be able to use this as a live music venue as well.
The list goes on and on. I’d really like to incorporate music education and get young people involved. And hopefully we’ll have time
to have some fun and just play music.
BB: Wow. That’s quite
ambitious. Tell me
something about yourself.
RK: I have a wife and two children. I work as an
emergency room physician. I like to read, ride my bike, and Theresa and I home school our children. That has been great because it
has given us the flexibility
to travel and do things
as a family.
BB: Do you have a
personal goal or passion for your music?
RK; I’ve been thinking a lot over the last few years about what ‘I want to do when I grow up.’ What it comes down to is trying to make each moment count and really being present. It has been quite a process to figure out; I’m still working on it.
The thing that I’ve
realized is that we have so few hours of life in this world that there is no time to do things that you don’t really want to do. And the real paradox is that it’s not that easy to know what you absolutely want to do.
Growing up we’re taught a lot about what we ‘should’ do or what we’re expected to do. And society, the media, and schools are constantly telling us how we can fit
in and feel that comfort
of being at the center of
the herd.
I think that music is
part of that journey to self-direction and freedom. Nobody else can evaluate whether you are ‘feeling the music’; it’s totally up to you, and the people you’re
playing with.
BB: I know you use
RiverHOURS. How do you get them and how do you spend them?
RK: I usually buy them from stores that seem to have a surplus. I spend them on food, massage, laundry, and gifts. Also, my friend Toby Ammon has been my carpenter on most of the work at the theater and takes a percentage in RH. I’m
really excited to be able to take some RiverHOURS for our services and help
create more flow loops within our community.