BETHLEHEM, Pa. — In an industry said to be notorious for putting business over art and artist, The Foundry Recording Studio operates to do just the opposite.
It’s bringing together a creative community of locals and others from far and wide at a busy corner in West Bethlehem.
That is, a corner mostly busy with traffic at this point, but one that's now home to a space with top-notch recording amenities and instruments and an unmissable, snail-shell facade at 1885 West Broad St.
Now, obviously the Lehigh Valley is no stranger to the music scene.
But The Foundry Chief Executive Officer and studio Director Jason Wegfahrt, a Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts graduate with a creative arts background, said the new 6,000-square-foot Foundry takes creative possibilities to another level with a variety of services at a fair price.
Whether you're tracking guitar or podcasting in one of three cozy production suites, in need of both control and live rooms for recording music or want some extra rehearsal space to spread out with the band, The Foundry cuts no corners.
Services range from $30 to $100 an hour, or book a half day of five hours or a full day of 10 hours to save a bit on the rate for some offerings.
“The Valley long has deserved a space like this. ... And now we have a world-class recording studio open for everybody, whether you’re an artist, engineer or producer."The Foundry CEO and Studio Director Jason Wegfahrt
All within reach: Top-of-the-line DW and Yamaha drum kits, Gibson Les Paul and SG electric guitars and Martin acoustics, a Steinway & Sons grand piano and just about any microphone, preamp or guitar amp an artist may need — or feel free to bring your own.
And don’t forget about the community lounge for networking and just taking a load off.
Need sound engineering help? Even though The Foundry operates without an in-house engineer, staff members probably know a guy.
“The Valley long has deserved a space like this,” Wegfahrt said just before cutting the ribbon at the studio on Wednesday. “I think there’s more than enough talent. We have Musikfest, right?
“And now we have a world-class recording studio open for everybody, whether you’re an artist, engineer or producer.
“This is your home. This is for you.”
The studio also held a three-hour networking event the same evening for instrument demos, facility tours and more.
Lehigh Valley could become 'Nashville of the East Coast'
Studio founder Justen Blackstone said his business partners trust in the support to come from the community’s most talented artists.
Blackstone, who has a vocalist and pianist background and has taught classes at Moravian and DeSales universities, said he recalls former students of his learning in “a community that’s thriving musically" but was in need of a place to come create, practice, record, perform and network.
“Throughout the process, we realized we were building something bigger than we thought."The Foundry Recording Studio founder Justen Blackstone
“If we can give access to everyone with wonderful tools and wonderful spaces, they can create beautiful things,” Blackstone said.
“We can make music by ourselves, but we make our best music when we work together.”
The brains behind The Foundry are thinking big about creatives both within Bethlehem and beyond its limits.
“Throughout the process, we realized we were building something bigger than we thought,” Blackstone said.
“But we don’t want to lose our mission and vision, which has always been: 'How can we help our local community succeed?'
“And in five to 10 years, we really think that the Lehigh Valley can be the Nashville of the East Coast."
Creative hub for artists, producers and engineers
Will the former food-testing laboratory become a creative beacon in an ever-changing market?
Those visiting the studio on Wednesday seemed convinced.
“It's going to work,” Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds said.
“And it's going to work because you guys know what people are looking for, and you've created a beautiful space inside. If everybody has not had a chance to take a tour, take a tour.
“There's a price point for everybody, whether or not it's just you and your guitar or you're gonna have the greatest album ever.”
“You mean to tell me I don’t have to go to New York and LA to find a space like this?”Taj Jackson, an award-winning Bath-area songwriter originally from Pittsburgh, on The Foundry
Taj Jackson, a Bath-area songwriter originally from Pittsburgh, said there have been some nice home studios where he’s from, but they weren’t anything like The Foundry.
He said he's already booked some sessions of his own, at a price he said offers "quality and bang for your buck at the same time."
“You mean to tell me I don’t have to go to New York and L.A. to find a space like this?” said Jackson, who won a Latin Grammy in 2023 for his work with the “King of Bachata” Romeo Santos.
Michael Pagan, of Allentown, known as mogratitude, said his creativity centers musically around jazz ballads and live looping.
Local collaborations have sometimes been lackluster in his experience, he said, so The Foundry makes for a promising new outlet.
“Music is just a vehicle to get you wherever you want,” Pagan said.
“But since I live in the local area, once I seen this place, I’m like, ‘I need to tap in.’”
Kordel Davis, an experimental artist and singer from Macungie, said he normally has gone to Philadelphia to record his music, but now has another option.
“You start making songs and meeting these people, and there's a sense of community. Because when you create art, it comes from a place of things you've been through and you know how you want the world to be.”Kordel Davis, an experimental artist and singer from Macungie, Lehigh County
Davis called music “a love language." He said that if you find yourself stagnantly sitting on a creative idea, don’t.
“You start making songs and meeting these people, and there's a sense of community,” Davis said.
“Because when you create art, it comes from a place of things you've been through and you know how you want the world to be.”
The Foundry is open for sessions 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The front desk and lounge are open to the public on the same days from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
