Muffled music pumped from the recording studio speakers inside The Collage, a space that encompasses everything its name suggests. With walls decorated in colorful paintings from local artists, an office jam-packed with production materials, a bright and airy t-shirt store, a mural-painted tattoo shop and a dim-lit recording studio, the building on 48 Posey St. is a playground for creatives.
And that’s what founders and owners artist Xavier "Zay" Hutchins and musician Phillip Davis intended.
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Davis and Hutchins aren’t new to the creative scene in Savannah. Hutchins is a painter whose canvas can vary from asphalt to skin, and Davis is a jack-of-all trades who has hands in many different creative and community endeavors in the city.
The duo met in 2013 when Davis was performing at his first open mic night on River Street. One meeting turned into Davis getting a tattoo from Hutchins, which then turned into the pair forming The Indigos, Inc., a nonprofit organization built on a community of artists supporting one another.
Their vision has continued with The Collage.
The space officially opened in June and has already hosted many community events, including a benefit concert organized by local artist Clay Hodges and the successful return of Sunday Supper, a monthly art and music event hosted by Hutchins, Davis and collaborator DJ Carlitobaby.
“It has been amazing just to see where this place started versus where it is now. A lot of people can't even believe the work that was put into it,” Hutchins said. “Everything that I envisioned this place to be is coming true.”
It took seven months of sweat and hard work for the creative compound to come together, and Davis attributed the finished product to the equal-minded effort and “extremely organic” team up with the other owners of The Collage.
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Will Montague is the owner of the 3 Dot Tees, the colorful t-shirt shop that sits at the entrance of the building and that guests will probably spot before anything else. Zaquel Lawrence (Quailz P), a friend Davis has known since high school, is one of the co-owners of the in-house recording studio Four Hundred Studio. Artist Karon McCorkle (Eliteboy Kay) and producer Zachary Laurel (Zach Zillion) round up the quartet that owns the studio with Cornelius Brown (Abandz) as their lead sound engineer.
Studio Magic
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Savannah is a city bustling with musicians, but when it comes time to lay down tracks, finding a professional recording studio in the city can prove to be limited. There are a few that dot the area, landing mostly in the downtown and north side area, but with the introduction of Four Hundred Studios, artists closer to the south side of the city are gaining an accessible outlet for their music.
“That was one thing that we strived for. Because we feel like the other studios … it seems like it's a little bit harder to get in there to record. And with us, it's open. We’re here ourselves recording so you can see what's going on. I feel like we’re pretty transparent with the space,” Davis said.
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
The accessibility of the studio goes beyond the ability to just create music. The owners of The Collage want to make sure that artists get the whole package when it comes to promoting and developing their music.
“It’s a beautiful feeling. Artists can come in and record their songs and then come in and use the event space to do a release album party. If you need a photo shoot to promote that, 3 Dot Tees does the merchandise and the graphic design, and web design.”
A hundred miles away, South Carolina-based artists are also making a home at Four Hundred Studios. Talaina Webb, also known as Laina J, lives in Beaufort, S.C., but said there are no recording studios in the area; when it’s time to record, her best bets are Charleston, Atlanta or Savannah.
“It helps me tremendously because, usually, I will have to go to Atlanta to record. So, I'm saving a lot of time and a lot of money just right to Savannah versus driving four and a half hours to Atlanta,” Webb said. “It’s a better access for me.”
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
For Webb, Savannah is a melting pot for artists, and Four Hundred Studios embodies that. South Carolina musician Duheem Singleton, also known as Heemy Guapo, has been involved with The Collage and Four Hundred Studios since the team of owners bought the building and uses the studio to record his music.
He said the sentiment that Webb shared is exactly what they wanted to convey.
“We want to make sure we’re bringing comfort and loyalness and love. Everybody, every artist, can come somewhere and feel welcome and wouldn’t feel boxed in or pressured or like this isn't the right place to record,” Singleton said.
“We made it an environment for young, old, everybody to just come to get involved even if you don't make music. You might do poetry. You can come in, feel comfortable, have a nice vibe, lights off and just do your flow. Be you.”
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
Credit: Adriana Iris Boatwright / For Savannah Morning News
The space is continuously evolving. Its pre-opening setup in May is completely different from the setup that exists now, and Hutchins and Davis hope to continue to build upon the creative concept.
“Endless possibilities,” Hutchins said.
Laura Nwogu is the quality of life reporter for Savannah Morning News. Contact her at LNwogu@gannett.com. Twitter: @lauranwogu_
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: A playground for creatives, The Collage is all community, accessibility and re-defining culture
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