The Mill Jack Beasley Columbia SC rehearsal facility Columbia SC practice space music rehearsal band practice Columbia SC Jack Beasley The Sheds Columbia SC Sumter Street Storage Columbia SC The Mill music Columbia SC The Mill The Mill
The Mill Jack Beasley Columbia SC rehearsal facility Columbia SC practice space music rehearsal band practice Columbia SC Jack Beasley The Sheds Columbia SC Sumter Street Storage Columbia SC The Mill music Columbia SC The Mill The Mill
Columbia Free Times - December 9, 2009 - Patrick Wall
The Mill Replaces The Sheds
Open Season: Slumping into the cushions of a burgundy couch, Jack Beasley looks a little beat.
“I may look tired,” Beasley says, “but I promise I’m really excited.”
Beasley has reason to be: In just more than three weeks, Beasley has transformed an unoccupied office space off of St. Andrews Road into a professional-looking rehearsal studio.
Ladies and gentlemen: The Mill is open for business.
Beasley found and leased the space, at 160 Commercial Dr. in the Seven Oaks Shopping Center, back at the beginning of November, at a time when Beasley, admittedly, was beginning to wonder if his dream would ever come to fruition.
“I was like, ‘Is this going to happen?’” he says.
But once he found the space — on Craigslist, Beasley says — everything “snowballed.” From then, it was a matter of conforming the building to meet the amenities Beasley promised. Indeed, just about everything in The Mill is brand new, from the paint on the walls to the P.A. equipment to the drum riser in the facility’s main studio.
Granted, The Mill is not 100 percent finished, as Beasley was still working on the locker room and finalizing some finishing touches when The Playlist visited The Mill last week. Still, the practice rooms are sound-proofed, stocked with equipment and ready for action. So is Beasley.
“I’m ready for the fun part,” he says. “I’m ready to start making music.”
Visit themillsc.com for more information.
Original Source: http://www.free-times.com/index.php?cat=1992912064160665&ShowArticle_ID=11010812092130878
The State - On The Scene - December 11, 2009 - Otis Taylor
A Place Where Practice Makes Perfect
OPEN FOR BUSINESS: Chris Thompson liked what he saw.
"This has far exceeded expectations," said Thompson, the drummer for carnival-rock band New York Disco Villains as he stood on a raised platform in one of the two rehearsal rooms at The Mill, a new practice space for local bands.
"We need a place to crash for a couple of months to get this thing off the ground."
Thompson is playing in a side project, the cover band Sucker Punch. Since the Sumter Street storage units known as The Sheds had to cease allowing bands to practice there in October, a lot of musicians have been looking for a new space.
Like Thompson, they should go see Jack Beasley, who recently opened The Mill.
The rehearsal space, off St. Andrews Road near Kmart, is in an office building. Inside, though, Beasley has created a comfortable area where musicians who are more keen on sounds than looks can work on their craft.
"I'm able to provide a higher level of quality than people were used to at The Sheds," Beasley said during a visit last week.
There's only two rooms equipped for bands at The Mill. They feature on the walls two-inch thick panels that tame the sound within the room, catching all the reflective noises. The panels are sheathed in garnet and black. The facility also has a PA system, heat and air conditioning and a bathroom. The latter sounds trivial, but if you've ever been to The Sheds when there were multiple bands practicing, you'd understand the importance.
Rehearsing at The Mill is by appointment only, and there are various monthly packages available. Bands can also rent storage space for their gear. Beasley, who has a desk set up in the lobby, will be there to open and close the doors for bands.
The paint on the walls smells fresh.
"Basically, I'll be here whenever the bands are here," Beasley, a USC graduate, said while sitting on one of the two couches - with pillows - near his desk. "I'll help people load in and stuff. I want people to feel like V.I.P.'s when they come here."
The Mill, a sort of co-op facility, is similar to efforts in larger cities. Before opening, Beasley went down to Charleston to check out The Hinge to see how it operated. Beasley, a guitar player who grew up playing music, has also worked in music production and concert booking. He has a feel for how the local music scene moves.
He opened the space to help musicians prosper, which is why leasing is on a month-to-month basis.
"I know people's situations change, people's needs change," he said. "It allows the scheduling to be more flexible."
Bands accustomed to driving a few minutes down the road to practice might balk at the idea of traveling to St. Andrews Road. But once you're inside - and if you're serious about making music - you'll see the ride will be worth it.
Just take a tour, like Thompson did.
"Did you want to go ahead and set up some time now?" Beasley asked.
"Oh yeah, Thompson," said. "This is a great thing you're doing for this town."
"Hopefully, I can make a living," Beasley said.
I hope people are listening.
For more information, visit http://www.themillsc.com or call Beasley at (803) 767-4068.
Original Source: http://www.thestate.com/living/story/1065100.html
WXRY 99.3FM - December 13, 2009 - WXRY Unsigned with Brent and Randy
Had a great time hanging out in the Main Street Restaurant in the basement of the Sheraton Hotel downtown Columbia. We talked all about the opening of The Mill, all the amenities, and got to hear some great local music.
The State - October 23, 2009 - Otis Taylor
NEW DIGS: The closing of The Sheds has left many bands with practice-space questions. Jack Beasley has an answer. He plans to open The Mill, a rehearsal space, in a few months.
Beasley, a USC graduate, had planned on opening the space in a year. But since The Sheds had the plug pulled earlier this month, he's had to speed things up.
"We gotta push this thing a lot faster," he told me.
On The Mill's Web site, http://www.themillsc.com, there's a concept of the floor plan and a list of what will be offered: air-conditioned rooms; sound dampening; a PA system in every room; flexible monthly rates; and storage lockers.
But Beasley hasn't signed a lease for his idea yet.
"We're pretty close to signing a lease," he said. "We're looking at a place close to downtown, but outside the city limits."
Beasley added that The Mill will be zoned heavy industry, which will alleviate the central complaint about The Sheds.
"We don't have the same problems as far as noise concerns," he continued.
Beasley, 26, was laid off from his job in Florida in February. His wife got a job in Columbia, and the couple moved here in June.
"If nobody else is going to hire me, I'm going to make it for myself," Beasley said.
The model, essentially a band timeshare, has been popular in cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. It's unproven here. The warehouse space Beasley is interested in is about 6,000 square feet. The Mill will open only using 1,000, with plans to build out, Beasley said. The Mill will initially have two rooms, which will "accommodate 18 bands scheduling wise."
On the Scene will follow this, so stay tuned.
Original source: http://www.thestate.com/entertain-index/story/994525.html
Columbia Free Times - October 28, 2009 - Patrick Wall
Moving In: The recent eviction of bands from the Sumter Street Storage facility has left a sizable chunk of Columbia’s musical populace without a place in which to practice its craft.
Enter The Mill. Or so Jack Beasley hopes.
The brainchild of the 26-year-old University of South Carolina graduate, Beasley had been kicking around the idea of a time-share practice space after seeing it in practice during his time in Miami. The model’s simple: Bands would rent practice rooms in The Mill for a few hours on end. Such a model is commonplace in major metropolises such as New York and Los Angeles and is used at popular Charleston practice spot The Hinge, but is untested in Columbia.
When Beasley read of the impending death of The Sheds, he knew he needed to “get [his] ass in gear.”
“I said: Why hasn’t someone done something like this in Columbia?” he says.
And even though Beasley’s yet to sign a lease on a property — though he says he’s “very close” to signing one — he already has folks beating down his door.
“The response has been overwhelming,” Beasley says. “I already have people calling me and asking, ‘Hey, when can we move in?’”
That’s perhaps because he’s built his plans with input from musicians. Beasley polled Columbia musicians on what they wanted in a practice facility. As such, The Mill plans to offer some plush amenities: two practice rooms; PA systems in each room; air-conditioning; sound dampening; storage lockers; flexible monthly and hourly rates; bathrooms; and bare-bones recording equipment for recording practices.
He’s also asked city, county and state officials for advice on how to avoid the pitfalls of The Sheds. Beasley says The Mill will be located in an area zoned for industrial, which will alleviate noise and zoning issues. He’s spoken with the Richland County Fire Marshal’s office, Mayor Bob Coble and even South Carolina State Fire Marshal John Reich.
“[Reich] loved the plan,” Beasley says. “He said, ‘This is great. My office is open. When you get some basic designs done, we’ll have our engineers look at everything and make sure you’re looking good.’”
Beasley estimates his two-room facility will be ready in roughly three months. And while his evmtual plans call for a much grander vision, Beasley says The Mill will start with just more than 1,000 square feet of space. Starting small will help the project start quickly, he says, and ensure that everything is done to the letter.
“That’s what I want to do: Do it right,” he says. “But still in a way that’s affordable to most musicians.”
Check out themillsc.com for more.
Original Source: http://free-times.com/index.php?cat=1992912064160665&ShowArticle_ID=11012710092043447
WUSC 90.5FM - October 30, 2009 - USC Today with Ron Huff
Thanks Ron Huff for having me on the air for a great one on one interview. We had a nice chat about The Mill, my time in Miami, and life back in SC.
WXRY 99.3FM - September 20, 2009 - WXRY Unsigned with Brent and Randy
My first interview concerning The Mill. Didn’t even have a name yet, but the concept was there. Plus we got to hang out at the Sheraton rooftop bar, always a plus.
The Playlist Blog, Columbia Free Times - November 10, 2009 - Patrick Wall
NEWS: The Mill Finds a Home
The Mill, the proposed band rehearsal facility The Playlist wrote about a few weeks back, has apparently found a home. According to Mill head honcho Jack Beasley, The Mill is set to move into its new home at 160 Commercial Dr.
A quick Google Maps search places the address near the intersection of Saint Andrews Road and Bush River Road,near the Seven Oaks Shopping Center and Zorba's Greek Restaurant.
Beasley now anticipates that The Mill will open for business on Dec. 1.