Indy artists get cozy on WFYI's 'Small Studio Sessions'

April 10, 2018
Crescent Ulmer Small Studio Sessions WFYI

Smooth voices, vibrant melodies, poetic lyricism and less square footage than a one-bedroom apartment.

Every month, WFYI in Indianapolis showcases a new artist for their Small Studio Sessions series. Bands and performers come into their space and record a few songs with a stripped-down, intimate feel.

In between songs, artists give a bit more insight into what makes them tick and what gives the songs their personality.

If Small Studio Sessions gives you vibes of NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts, you’re not alone. Series Producer Melissa Davis said the show was created about three years ago out of the first Tiny Desk Contest, in which artists send in submissions to win a slot on the hugely popular web series.

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Davis says WFYI received over 60 submissions that they just couldn’t let go to waste. She thought, "Our community needs a place to go – to both find [music] and to perform.”

That “tiny” influence only snowballed. After seeing Austin City Limits from KLRU and the in-studio performances from KEXP in Seattle, the crew at WFYI was ready to try their hand.

They utilized a studio space that hadn’t seen much action since they moved into their building several years ago. And they also had a team from all over the station: radio, television and marketing personnel were all game to make this happen. Davis said it was a goal from day one to make this a station-wide, cross-platform project incorporating web, radio and television.

In the first couple years of Small Studio Sessions, Davis and the team would reach out to artists asking to perform, and this gave them more mileage than they expected. Within the first few weeks, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash agreed to play a set. And weeks later, British folk artist Sam Lee reached out to WFYI about performing.

Things have evolved a bit since then. Nationally touring acts still pass through, but the show is now much more local.

“There are just so many bands locally and regionally. I think it’s mutually beneficial for those bands to be in Small Studio,” Davis said. “There’s so much music here…we want to change it up for sure.”

Artists now send in requests to be featured on the show. Then, they come into the studio and play a few songs, followed by an interview for radio. A couple weeks later, the show premieres on the WFYI website accompanied by the radio feature.

Soon, Small Studio Sessions will be rolling out clips edited for television, bringing the show’s initial goal of utilizing each of WFYI’s platforms full-circle.

As it is now, Small Studio Sessions is a monthly series. But Davis said if she could do anything differently with the show, she’d make it much more frequent.

“There’s so much going on in our state musically,” Davis said. “Right now, we do 12 a year, and I would love to do this weekly or bi-weekly – or, gosh, daily. But that might be a little intense.”

For now, we’ll have to wait until next month to see who shows up in the small studio. Davis says we can expect Indianapolis band Hex Mundi and singer-songwriter Hayley Costas to make appearances in coming episodes.

Small Studio Sessions drops the first Tuesday of every month at WFYI.org.

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