The final hour is upon Watch City Studios, according to a Facebook post from Jack Younger, owner and operator of the Waltham-based recording studio. On Sunday (January 21), Younger shared on both his personal page and the studio’s page that Watch City is closing after 13 years of providing musicians with analog gear to record and preserve “tomorrow’s vintage — today.”
Younger says he’s shuttering Watch City due to a sudden, significant spike in rent costs at 32 Charles St., continuing an unfortunate trend of Greater Boston cultural organizations being priced out of their respective neighborhoods. Even Younger’s prior studio, Basement 247, closed under similar circumstances.
“In May of last year, after two consecutive 5-year leases, the owners of the property at 32 Charles decided to ‘honor’ my option to renew, but only on a trial basis of one year at a prohibitively higher rent, with a mere 3 weeks’ notice,” Younger writes on Facebook. “Caught completely unaware without a more immediate exit strategy and a facility packed with equipment, I was forced into accepting these unsustainable terms. I won’t get into the uglier specifics, but suffice to say, it’s been a year of heavy stress and financial hell just to meet the year’s requirements, much less consider what my options are as a piss-poor and independent recordist.”
Acts who have recorded at Watch City Studios over the past decade-plus include Diablogato, Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys, The Gala, Minx, Strawberry Machine, Shiny Beasts, Bears For Years, and The Four Point Restraints.
Due to the demanding nature of the music business, Younger says he will not be opening a new studio, and instead hopes to re-immerse himself music production with only creativity — and no business — in mind.
“The truth of the matter is, it came at the cost of my quality of life, fracturing relationships, emptying my wallet and never allowing me to progress, much less get a foothold on any of it,” he notes in the post. “I’ve held out as best as I was able but there is simply nothing left for me to give. For this reason, I will not be opening another facility. Music is far too important a part of of my life and mental stability to continue to support a roster of clients and all it requires of me.”
Concludes Younger: “I simply must give my heartfelt and eternal thanks to the countless artists, friends and supporters of Watch City and Basement 247. I do not look at these circumstances as those of failure or surrender. There are quite literally hundreds of projects, albums, singles and other media bearing the Watch City/Basement 247 stamp… and many more who’s [sic] credits to myself and the studios remain unseen. I have had the honor of working with some of the finest artists and talents… locally or otherwise. They are a source of pride and love that I will carry with me for years to come.”
Read the full statement on Facebook here.