Alternative Sounds Abound in the Region.....
Area musicians from the tri-state region pack up their speakers, amps, and guitars every Friday and Saturday night. They head off to local bars like Woodchux in Cumberland or Duncan's Bar in Frostburg. In the local
community, the music scene is known for bluegrass and 1950s cover bands. No attention has been shown to the other artists who also pluck every string, pop every chord, and ink every lyric with the passion and spirit
of the hippie generation or the 1980's New York punk scene. Each instrument and each person contributes to the overall product, and they care for their work.

Nightmare Recording Studios, located in a converted bakery factory in LaVale, records punk, glam rock, and anything else that steps through the door. Owner JT Crawford graduated from the renowned sound engineering college Full Sail University with an Associate's degree in audio production. After graduation, he went on to help record music for artists such as John Mellencamp and Wayne Newton. He later went on to record speeches for Presidents such as Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

"I wanted a place for bands to record that do not have a lot of money," JT said, tapping on his Apple keyboard. Wires from his computer ran to his analog soundboard like an umbilical cord. This gives his recordings a crisp, clear quality. Nightmare Recording Studios has recorded local bands like The Furious Hours, DNS, and Unheard Silence.

His studio is not the only one in the area. The costs of high powered computers have continued to spiral downward. Computer programs, such as Digital Performer and Pro Tools, have allowed area musicians to record their music. "Albums cost hundreds of dollars per hour to record, but now anyone can record for just a fraction of that," says Geno Frazier of Pro Gravity Records, another recording studio.  Pro Gravity Records in Cumberland records groups of all forms, but has done a lot for hip hop and rap groups. Recording styles new to the area has been a passion, an honor, for Frazier.

Pro Gravity has recorded local bands such as The Trend, The Christmas Lights!, and Plan: Be. With a mix of styles, blending traditional rock elements of guitar, bass, and drums with a quick paced, witty rap, his band, Heroes for Higher, gained a dedicated following in the area. Area bands and musicians are hard at work making albums, trying to use the new technological freedom to its maximum.

The screams of Mike Yee, from the death metal band Torture Therapy (http://torturetherapy.com/), echoed through the five room studio of Nightmare Recording Studios. It sent quivers down the throat. Staying on rhythm while keeping in perfect harmony can be daunting for a death metal band. Yee, though, only needs one or two takes to hit the right pitch.

On MySpace, Torture Therapy has connected with bands across the state. This granted them the opportunity to play in Baltimore at Fletcher's Bar in a Battle of the Bands contest sponsored by event organizing company,
Gorilla Productions. Of the eight bands at the event, Torture Therapy was the only one not from the Baltimore area. The bands were judged on crowd reaction, with Torture Therapy bringing home second place.

"Not many bands in the area have taken full advantage of the Internet. Gorilla Productions found us through MySpace," Lerong Ajang, guitarist of Torture Therapy, said.  One hundred bands, ranging in musical taste from electronica to grunge to anything in between, are represented. "We have created a diehard following that is willing to travel anywhere to see us," Ajang said.

The music of the Appalachian area, usually associated with acoustic guitars, violins, and banjos, has overshadowed the full range of musical spirit in the area. Every genre imaginable in the vast landscape of modern, traditional, and folk music exists today in the highlands. All of it is within a few clicks on MySpace, and more
importantly, is in the local bars and clubs around the area. Please support the local music scene.

To inquire about Nightmare Recording Studios, call 301-707-7797 or by
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To Book Torture Therapy, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it