Albany couple opens studio in Corvallis to aid area musicians

By Heather Crabtree

The Entertainer

Lisa Landucci and Chris Arellano have been involved with music in Albany since moving to Oregon from Nashville in 2002, through workshops, lessons and music events.

Over the last three years, Landucci and Arellano have held band music workshops out of their Albany home, had a recording booth in the Heritage Mall during the holiday season, ran the open mic night from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursdays at Boccherini's on First Avenue in Albany. Before that, they ran the MusiCafe, a coffee shop in Albany.

Serious musicians were always asking them whether they had a home studio when they saw the booth in the mall, Landucci said. It was these questions and a desire to have something like the MusiCafe again that gave them the idea to open a studio.

Their new studio, also called MusiCafe, is open, but is a work in progress since they just moved in. It's located beneath Starbucks in the Underground in Madison Plaza on Fourth and Madison, Suite V, in Corvallis.

The studio offers band workshops and private lessons for all ages, practice rooms and recording.

For the time being, there isn't a set time that the studio will be open. Practices and lesson times are set up by appointment.

The workshops are offered in six-week phases, meeting once a week for two hours. Arellano instructs the workshops, teaching band members to play together and about recording, writing original music, promoting, stage presence and more.

The three- to five-member bands are placed together based on the type of music the members want to play, age and experience. However, experience is not required.

Once they've fully moved into the space, the studio will include a small store in the front area where they'll sell CDs from the musicians they work with and other local artists and some equipment.

The married couple formerly ran the MusiCafe in Albany, when they first moved to town. They closed the cafe that same year, because it was too strenuous running a business on top of everything they do with music, Landucci said. However, they wanted to do something like it again without the set hours of a coffee shop.

Landucci, an Albany native, grew up singing and playing guitar. She's traveled the country performing in showcases, theaters, state fairs, festivals, and corporate and private shows. She has performed on television shows, including Prime Time Country, NW Country and The Nashville Network's "You Can Be A Star," where she was a finalist.

Arellano, originally from New Mexico, has been playing music all his life. He attended the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Calif. He plays guitar, mandolin, dobro, banjo, slide guitar, pedal steel and harmonica, and has worked with producers at Sony Records and Dream Works Entertainment. He currently teaches at Gracewinds Music in Corvallis.

Anyone interested in signing up for a workshop, private lessons or recording can contact call 791-5024 or e-mail lisalynla@hotmail.com.

coming up

WHAT: Four-band concert with 6, 7, 8, 9 Converse Club; AmericanEase; 6wks, and Bending Keys of Ruby.

WHERE: The Beanery, 500 S.W. Second Street, Corvallis.

WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20.

COST: Free. Band CDs will be for sale at the event. Proceeds go to hurricane relief.