Gordy feels there is a certain humming going on today. When he talks to folks outside of the area, they often equate Eau Claire with music.

Bischoff Guitars

If you mention instrument makers in the Chippewa Valley, luthier Gordy Bischoff’s name always comes up first. This is the 40th year Gordy has been making guitars. Bischoff guitars will most likely be well represented at the Eaux Claires festival. Justin Vernon owns three, including a whiskey-barrel guitar and the guitar featured on the song “Holocene” from the Grammy-winning album Bon Iver, Bon Iver.

Gordy also builds ukuleles. A guitar-player himself for the past 50 years, Gordy says the ukulele is now his playing passion. He shared a great anecdote about receiving a call from April Base Studio that they had a ukulele emergency. A small group arrived at his shop including a quiet, unassuming man. Gordy lent him a ukulele to finish the recording. That man later asked if he could purchase the instrument. Gordy started writing his name down: “S-u-f-j-a-n Stevens.”

In addition to building stringed instruments, Gordy repairs them. He spends long days on both aspects of his career, segmenting his work: a few hours repairing, then setting that work aside to build guitars, sometimes working on a few at a time, and then going back to finishing up the repairs. When not in his shop, Gordy hits the guitar festival scene, having recently showcased his work at the Memphis Guitar Festival. His products can be seen at www.bischoffguitars.com.

Gordy compared today’s music scene to what it used to be back in the 1970s when he first moved to the area. It was a bit slower back then but easier for musicians to play enough to pay the rent. He’s upset that venues won’t support them enough today to enable most of them to quit their day jobs. That said, Gordy feels there is a certain “humming” going on today. When he talks to folks outside of the area, they often equate Eau Claire with music.

Oliver Snare Drums

Drummer and visual artist Eric Lee began making drums because he hated playing on crappy drums and couldn’t afford the cost of quality instruments. Since that first drum, his business – which is named after his son – has been a viable addition to the Chippewa Valley these past three years. Eric’s snare drums are custom-built specifically to a drummer’s needs and budget. Eric crafts only snare drums, although he did admit that this summer he will build his first kit for himself. Eric is also a visual artist, and one can see that skill reflected in the drums on his website: www.oliversnaredrums.com.

Eric is a family man – early to rise, early to bed – which isn’t really conducive to a musician’s schedule. Although a musician himself, he tends to stay on his woodsy spread south of Eau Claire, working on his various projects. Eric is pleasantly surprised how many area drummers will order from him when quality drums can be bought more cheaply from international sellers.

Eric has begun showcasing his visual artwork in New York. An art dealer learned about Eric just as he was showing at the Volume One Gallery. His exhibit was followed shortly thereafter by a feature on Wisconsin Public Television.

Eric is also busy building a “quirky” play set for the Eaux Claires Festival. The details are “mum’s the word” for now. The finished product is supposed to be a surprise for concertgoers, but a major performer will be showcased on it. We actually sat on the unfinished play set while conducting this interview. There’s a lot of work left to be done on it, but Eric was very calm about the enormity of the project that faces him. Once that’s done, it’s back to the drums.

Dwarfcraft Devices

Dwarfcraft Devices, a company owned and operated by Ben and Louise Hinz since 2007, specializes in handmade effects pedals and synthesizers. Ben, who also considers himself a musician foremost, created demonstration videos on YouTube and word-of-mouth led to breakthrough sales from a California music store. Ben and Louise have gone on to sell their products all over the world, including Japan, Australia, Switzerland, and Germany. Musicians who use their products include Weezer, Low, and Justin Vernon. They obviously have fun with their business, proudly proclaiming on their website (www.dwarfcraft.com) that their products are “Built in Eau Claire, WI, while we watch cartoons – because we have the best job.”

Most of their business takes place outside of the Chippewa Valley. Louise feels that they learned from those artistic communities to be the artists they are today. That said, Ben and Louise are proud of the local music scene. Ben stated that there are a lot of talented people who choose to do their best work here with no hope of financial reward, yet they continue to make their music. “It is a rare thing that a really good band will play to an empty room in Eau Claire,” Louise notes.

Their latest product is the ECX1, “a combination of four pedals worth of stuff plus mixers and oscillators in one unit.” The Wizard of Pitch, a new pedal, is the integral component of the ECX1. Ben will be premiering it at the Eaux Claires Festival, mostly at an onsite interactive dome featuring sound and videos. He claims this new item is a compendium of everything they’ve worked up to this point. Ben says, “It’s like the feature film adaptation of our bestselling book series.” He’ll be able to showcase all of his skills and roles on a grand scale at the festival: musician, engineer, and businessman. The ECX1 will be available for purchase later this summer.

By contrast, the Chippewa Valley is home to more than half a dozen orchestral ensembles, some of which Yasuda – usually known simply as “Nobu” – conducts. There’s the Chippewa Valley Symphony (for whom Nobu wields the baton), the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, the Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony, the Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra, plus the University Symphony Orchestra (Nobu again) and the University Chamber Orchestra at UW-Eau Claire and the Red Cedar Symphony Orchestra in Rice Lake. It’s safe to say you won’t find so many ensembles in one place in the Midwest outside of a major metro area.

There’s no simple explanation for this trove of classical riches. UWEC’s strong music program certainly plays a big role, but Nobu is quick to credit the loyalty of audiences and other financial supporters. “The people here love music and just enjoy going to the concerts,” says Yasuda, who is also a UWEC music professor and an accomplished violinist. “They support orchestra, jazz, choir – anything.”

Ivar Lunde Jr. also has conducted a number of those ensembles. A professor emeritus of music at UWEC, Lunde is artistic director for the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra, having recently stepped down as the ensemble’s full-time conductor after more than a decade; previously, he conducted the Chippewa Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Chippewa Valley Youth Symphony.

“Ever since I came to Eau Claire (in 1968), I have thought that the scene here has been rather high quality,” Lunde says. The university’s music program has been key, he says, noting that many graduates and retired faculty stay in the region and continue to enrich the music scene.

“What’s unique about Eau Claire,” he adds, “is we don’t have a lot of the (concert facilities), but we’re still very active.” Because of this, Lunde is excited by the prospect of a new performing arts center as part of the Confluence Project.

So is Nobu: “For 20 years I have dreamed of this new home,” he says of the Confluence Project. Today, he says, “I really feel that our cultural life has really, really developed.”

“You don't have to live in New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville to have a successful (music) career.”

We spend a lot of time talking about local musicians, but the studios and audio engineers who record our performers are critical to the music scene, too. The people behind the mixing boards at Chippewa Valley recording studios have great talent, but why is that? Perhaps there is something about this area that enables the Chippewa Valley’s sound engineers to do what they do best.

“You don’t have to live in New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville to have a successful (music) career,” says local audio engineer Evan Middlesworth. Evan records, mixes, and masters music at Pine Hollow Audio, his own studio just outside of Eau Claire. “A lot of people, especially people coming from the (Twin) Cities, feel like this is a small location. People say ‘X-Y-Z’ studio is great, but they step outside and they’re distracted by the busyness of it all.” The warm, earthy setting at Pine Hollow helps performers let go of whatever’s bothering them and just make music.

The ability to disconnect from the grid is a quality Pine Hollow Audio shares with April Base, the Fall Creek studio founded by Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. He recorded his Grammy-winning sophomore album there with sound engineer Brian Joseph.

Brian reasons that the natural stillness and quietness of recording away from the city helps performers connect on a deeper level. “People that are similar in what they feel is a good time or what they values as far as family and friends, appreciation of beauty and nature, that’s the studio feeling.”

Brian also noted that the economics of this area helps contribute to the Chippewa Valley’s creative class. “The cost of living around here is reasonable,” he says. “It helps make it possible to carve out a modest living” while you achieve your dreams.

Perhaps it’s that the Chippewa Valley breeds a kind of musician who goes into a studio and records with an uncommon sense of honesty. If a musician can connect to nature and if a studio’s vibe reflects that same gentle tone, maybe that is where the essence of recording in the Chippewa Valley comes forward.

While Evan emphatically agrees the Chippewa Valley could be the Music Capital of the North, Brian had some reservations. “Art is a delicate thing. I don’t think it’s meant to be stacked up against other art or competing to have some title. It’s just a bunch of people enjoying each other,” he says. “I think it is important that people are tapping into that same celestial brightness.”

Perhaps it is that modest sense of camaraderie that brings out the best in our local creatives.

A few years later, and now everyone’s talking about websites called Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Places where you could release music for free, no third party and no maze-like iTunes distribution. Just make a profile and start uploading. It was a revelation. Instead of producing songs and throwing them on my iPod, I could just send my friends a link. Promoting got easier, publishing was a breeze, and the satisfaction of watching the “played” stats rise was nothing short of exhilarating.

It’s become fast and efficient for artists to record at home and gain a modest following solely through online connections. This is especially true in my own genres of electronic and hip-hop production. Kids sitting in dorm rooms, lights off in front of laptops, are now some of the biggest names on the Internet. In the past, getting yourself out there took a team of professionals, seasoned and ready to watch you write a fat check for their expenses. Of course, this hasn’t gone away completely, but it’s a heck of a lot easier for kids with limited funds to promote themselves. Not to say it’s easy to get recognized, however.

Dave Power, an Eau Claire-based musician currently drumming with Aero Flynn, has been putting out independently produced music for years, by himself as White Dune, and in the noise rock ensemble Terminator Jeans, among others.

“When a local musician releases something independently and sees a certain amount of success with it, it teaches their peers and other fellow musicians that releasing stuff on one’s own can work, and they will then want to do that, too,” Power said. “It is very, very, very hard to make any sort of headway with independent releases (without a management company, record label, or PR company behind oneself), but it’s possible, and it happens.”

This lone-wolf style of indie production and distribution is important to cities of all sizes. It promotes musical diversity, allowing artists to create what they want without all the mess that comes with big budget practices. In Eau Claire alone – a smaller city than music heavyweights Minneapolis and Chicago – we’re getting the expected singer-songwriter folk aesthetic, but we’re also seeing the influx of more hip-hop, electronic, punk, noise-rock, and metal: artists like Sloslylove, churning out waving synthpop, or Adelyn Rose and Hemma with complex, melody-driven alternative rock.

Coming to the Chippewa Valley from Minneapolis, I never thought anyone would pay attention to my music, considering I didn’t think it was in tune with the area’s more easygoing vibe. But what I discovered was that, with only a handful of people producing electronic music, people took notice – at least to a certain degree. There’s no doubt word can spread fast in small towns, though Power doesn’t believe this makes it any easier to catch fire.

“With my own experience and observations, it can be very hard to self-release one’s own stuff in small towns because such a small number of people see it,” he said. “I think it is easier to make strides with independent music in bigger towns, because there is a much larger audience, and in comparing Minneapolis to Eau Claire, a larger ratio of excited music listeners, show-goers, and music buyers.”

Regardless, we’re seeing something cool happen here in the Valley. With the ease and number of independent artists creating and releasing new art, everybody is chipping in to put the Chippewa Valley on the musical map, and I really hope it never slows down.