No rules, just creation.
That’s what Jeff Zueger, owner/operator of Spectrum Films, Inc. in Sioux Falls, envisioned when he tossed around the idea of inviting local musicians into his studio to record music.
Dave Palmer, who is the engineer at Spectrum and is the technical director of the show, brought up the idea to musician Steve Zastrow.
“Steve kept hounding Dave about it, who in turn hounded me about it, so we decided to get Steve in for a pilot,” recalled Zueger.
The first recording happened May 14 with a simple setup – a white background with two microphones and two cameras recording a couple songs and capturing an interview. It was dubbed The White Wall Sessions.
“We had a ton of fun with it and really liked how the format worked and decided while we were set up to try to get some more artists in,” said Zueger, who describes the footage as a “moment in time,” documentary style.
Zastrow obviously enjoyed how the first session went as well.
“I was the first musician on The White Wall Sessions, and I never left,” laughed Zastrow, who now is in charge of artist interviews.
After starting a Facebook page to post songs from sessions and gain attention, it quickly picked up momentum from viewers and artists.
“Within a week and a half we had over 10 acts booked,” said Zueger, who mentioned they now use six cameras and multiple mics.
The online videos have had viewership statewide and nationally in major cities like Nashville, Austin, Los Angeles, and New York.
“Next thing we knew, we had 13 artists in the can and started thinking we could possibly do a TV show,” recalled Zueger.
The White Wall Sessions has recently been picked up for 26 episodes by KELO TV, which will air Saturdays from10:30 p.m. starting Sept. 7.
To read the rest of this article, pick up an issue of 605 today!
