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Our Studio - a victim of Sandy

G

grvthang

Guest
Feb 6, 2012
46
0
Brooklyn
#1
A band I work with rents a room in the Rockaways, NYC, for rehearsals and recording. It's a block off the beach, and it's in a building that the landlord set up into about 7 or 8 separate studios for rent on a month-to-month basis. We had one downstairs, but moved to an upstairs room about 5 years ago. We keep all our equipment for live performances, rehearsals, and recording there. We made it into a very comfortable and personal space.

When Hurricane Sandy hit us this past Monday, I saw a video on the news that night showing a fire truck on the block where the studio is located, in about 2 feet of water. I went to bed thinking that the studio, being on the second floor, was safe from harm.

Turns out there was a devastating fire on the block later that night that took out about a dozen buildings, including our studio. All our equipment is gone. Of course, we have no signed lease, and I know we're going to have a hell of a time recovering anything from the landlord's insurance or FEMA.

A %&#@-up situation. But our drummer put it in perspective: "I went out there and watched it as it was still burning. I felt really bad until I also started seeing burned-up beds and living room furniture. This is just a studio to us. Some other people lost their homes."
 
#2
Gads.

Perspective is an interesting thing, as your drummer realizes...

I don't have studio space but stories such as these would definitely motivate me to seek out insurance of some sort, if affordable. This just sucks arse, man. Good luck to and your mates (and everyone else out there, of course).
 
#4
Sorry to hear that man, im sure many ppl felt that they would escape harms way but as we have seen there is no escape from Mother nature.

My band was concerned as well, we are in BK but on a high floor and far enough away from the water, our drummer was there last night and there was no damage sustained to the space. We have insurance on our room, i suggest you look into that when you rebuild your studio, its only about $300 a year, worth the piece of mind, about a year ago our friends lost all of their gear because a neighboring room had a fire and that opened our eyes to the reality.

Your drummers perspective is a good one, i can only imagine what those folks in the Rockaway are going through. one thing is loosing all your music gear, another is loosing our entire life of memories, clothing and the roof over your head.

Hope you and yours are well, i have been fortunate to be on higher ground and watch all the devastation from my couch with power, water and heat, i know too many who have not had the same fortune.
 
#7
That's a terrible loss! Your (and your drummer's) perspective is a good one, very open-hearted. Hopefully FEMA will come through. Even without insurance, I'd start compiling a list of all the things in there, model #s and years if you know them, serial numbers if you have them even better. Who knows, if you're prepared when the opportunity to file a claim presents itself maybe you will recoup some if not all of your losses? I wish for the best for you and your band.
 
#8
I used to live in the BK, and I feel for you. Truly tragic.
It's good that you, and your drummer, have the perspective necessary to weather this.
I hope you can easily move on from this, and make the most of it.

I wish you luck, and I hope you can recover form this.

wraub
 

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