"...to be able to record those songs whenever the inspiration strikes. The answer was clear, I had a nice hammer, I would simply build my own studio".
A Songwriter's Workshop
After all of the bands had broken up I was looking for a new creative outlet. I had recently gotten married and I was determined to become a bit more grounded. My wife and I decided to move to a new city.. Once we settled there I made one more attempt to put a band together, but our new location made it complicated. At that point, I knew that I didn't particularly want to be subjected to the anguish of starting yet another band project. Being on a stage or on a TV show was no longer what I needed. Sensing I was unfulfilled my wife asked, “What do you want to do?” I replied, “I want to write songs - do the Tin Pan Alley thing - writing songs for development and other artists. And to be able to record those songs whenever the inspiration strikes. The answer was clear, I had a nice hammer, I would simply build my own studio.
As the first difficult step, in order to finance the studio, I sold all my vintage equipment, all my prized Vox stuff, and my cherished guitars. Then with my hammer in hand, work began, so that what was once an empty and cold rehearsal room would be turned into my warm and comfortable songwriting workshop. So over the next few months, along with good friend, Eric Zantop, a talented drummer/multi-instrumentalist who was keen to be a recording engineer, we began to measure, cut and carefully assemble the new studio.
When completed I had the songwriter’s workshop/project studio that I wanted. It was my own little version of the Beatle’s Apple Studios. The studio is basically analog based with some nice vintage gear. We have 24 tracks, so I’d say we can record pretty much anything we want to record. It wasn’t planned to be a business, but it was available to friends who wanted to come in and record. It is a place where they would not have to look at a clock or worry about paying $85 bucks or whatever an hour. In fact, there are no clocks in the studio. This is a place where we could make music and just have fun. No pressure. They could step outdoor into a nice garden. There’s even bar-b-que. My dogs often visit and walk around to keeping everybody calm.
It’s turned out to be a very nice studio. I am proud of it and I would put it up against almost any similar studio. It’s just a kickback – no pressure situation. It works. It’s really fun. Basque Studios has not been idle! We've been working on Greg Noga's songs with Erik Zantopp, Peter Yarborough and Chris Huebner.
In August of 2019 an offer was made and a deal was struck for the studio to be moved to a new location. Before long a large moving truck arrived and all the equipment was carefully packed and loaded for the nearly 3000 mile journey to its new home in the north east. Greg's friend Erik Zantopp now operates the studio in Berne, New York.
What with the name?
Where did the name come from Basque Studios you ask?
The name was inspired by a wonderful brand of meat tenderizer that I use for preparing ribs. It’s true. I love smoking ribs. When a trusted friend urged me to try this Basque tenderizer stuff I said, "Why not give it a try". So I did try it and it is very good. It comes in a very nice green bottle. I use it for a marinade. I just thought it would make a great name for the studio. And that’s the story, that's where it came from.
