BANDSPACE

In 1989, aspiring musician, manager and Musicians Institute grad Greg Koch—fed up with the poor state of the existing facilities in Los Angeles—opened 24-hour lockout rehearsal studios on Santa Fe Avenue in Downtown that featured operating windows and downtown views. Downtown Rehearsal started on two floors of a building (approximately 20,000 feet) before Koch added a third floor in 1991 to expand to 62 studios. Many renowned bands from the vibrant ‘90s local rock scene, including Blind Melon, Fishbone, Fear Factory, Static-X, Spineshank, Electric Love Hogs, the Melvins, Goatsnake, Macy Gray, Goldfinger and Face to Face have used Downtown Rehearsal’s studio space. The rooms range in size from 17 ft. x 21 ft. to 20 ft. x40 ft.; In 1999, Downtown Rehearsal opened a second location on 7th Street near the L.A. River. By 2001, it had 212 rooms—and a few years ago, the facility took over another part of its building to add eight larger size rooms, for a total of 220. This second location features drum rooms as small as 6 ft. x 12 ft. to large rehearsal studios up to 25 ft. x 25 ft. and 20 ft. x 40 ft. Though most of its business has traditionally been lockout rehearsal, Downtown Rehearsal also has several studios that are set up for recording, with a window to separate tracking from recording.