Columbia Arts Academy, Jam Room rock on, party on
The music-minded folks at the Columbia Arts Academy and Jam Room Recording Studio have recommitted to their role as the city’s music educators and proliferators.
Marty Fort, Columbia Arts Academy director, and Jay Matheson, owner of Jam Room, have recently co-purchased the building that houses both businesses.
To celebrate, the school and studio are hosting a weekendlong party replete with free food, tours, giveaways and a gear swap.
Although there is little overlap of the two businesses – one is a music school that teaches mostly kids, the other a recording space where well-known metal bands have laid down tracks – both make the building a hive of musical activity, Matheson said.
“The main thing is we’re good neighbors. We’re all music so it all kind of jells,” Fort added.
And going in on buying the building signals a “longer-term commitment to being here,” Matheson said.
The party is for current and future students and their families, local musicians and anyone else interested in stopping by, said Marissa Posey, assistant director of Columbia Arts Academy.
The Academy will have pizza from Marco’s Pizza on Friday, sandwiches from Palmetto Pig BBQ on Saturday and snow cones from Pelican’s SnoBalls on Sunday.
Jam Room will offer plenty of swag (think coffee cups, pint glasses and T-shirts for sale). From 6-8 p.m. Sunday, there will be a gear swap, where musicians can bring gear, including guitar pedals, amps, microphones and drums to swap or sell. Prizes include tickets to see Van Halen in Charlotte and an Apple watch.
Owning the building also means both businesses are free to renovate as they please, Posey said. For the Academy, that means redoing floors, soundproofing, painting and upgrading the parking lot, she said. For Jam Room, that means a complete renovation for the Boom Room, a separate studio in the building.
“For us, it’s big because when you’re renting, your future is uncertain,” Fort said. “As owners, we now have stability and a longer future in the Columbia music and arts scene.”
The weekend event is free and open to the public. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday at 3630 Rosewood Drive.
Erin Shaw