'Turn it up to 11': Bethlehem Area Public Library's Studio 11 to hold its annual concert, fundraiser

• Studio 11 at Bethlehem Library will hold its annual fundraiser
• The 11Fest, now in its sixth year, will feature rap, rock and pop performances by Emma Bockrath, Jillian Dolan, Ben Lovell, Rhyming on the Beat, Zel, Bellweather Ritual and Goat Wizard
• Proceeds from ticket sales help support the operational costs of the studio
• The space offers free studio services to musicians and artists

BETHLEHEM, Pa. — After the coronavirus pandemic forced Studio 11 to close for nearly two years, Bethlehem Area Public Library hopes its annual concert will help fund its multi-purpose recording space.

11Fest will see music begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11, at the library, 11 W. Church St.

From rap to rock, expect to hear performances by local bands such as Emma Bockrath, Jillian Dolan, Ben Lovell, Rhyming on the Beat, Erik Santana, MARI LWYD, Fictional Name, Zel, Zoinks, Time Being, Bellweather Ritual, and Goat Wizard.

A music studio open to all

Studio 11 opened in 2019 — a first of its kind for the Lehigh Valley Region, according to library Executive Director Josh Berk.

Experimenting with multi-use space in libraries (it's been a widely used concept in big cities such as New York and Philadelphia) helps attract a newer audience to the Lehigh Valley in the digital age, Berk said.

The studio was funded by a grant with Lehigh University.

The university gave the library $10,000 from an $800,000 grant for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that aims to foster community interaction between the city and the school.

The grant money went toward the room's acoustic treatment, a mixing board, Mac computer, cables, headphones, microphones and stands.

Lehigh students, along with the general public, can use the studio to record and rehearse for free.

In its first year, the studio flourished, and even had employed sound engineers to assist with production.

Then COVID-19 hit.

"It took that first year to get its legs under it and get the word out, and it was really taking off then we had to shut it down for about two years," Berk said.

"The studio was one of the library services that was most impacted because it's a shared space with shared equipment, shared microphones.

"I remember the early days of the pandemic and one of the first hotspots was a choir — singing in a room with other people was a really bad thing to do, so we shut it down for quite a long time."

While Studio 11 accepts donations year-round, the 11Fest serves as its main fundraiser.

The goal is to make $1,000 through festival ticket sales come Saturday.

"The 11Fest helps to fund everything else that makes the studio run," Berk said.

"It's important for us in that way because it pays for all of the operating costs, from repairs to staff to training to new equipment costs, things like guitar strings.

"People donate equipment but it's not always in good shape or they donate something that is in good shape and a year later it breaks. We don't have that expertise or time on staff, so we rely on donated money to give us the studio budget to keep everything running."

'You're on your own'

Patrons of the music studio don't need a library card to use the facility, though Berk suggests they open one.

"It doesn't cost anything at all to use the studio," he said. "It's open to anyone. I always encourage everyone to sign up if they can because it helps us out.

"Because we have a relationship with Lehigh University, and their students and faculty live all over, we don't want to turn them away, so we decided to throw it open to whoever signs up.

"There is also a statewide program so that residents of Pennsylvania can use the Bethlehem Library."

There are currently no sound engineers on staff.

"You're on your own," Berk said. "Sometimes people find it beneficial to hire an engineer and bring them. if you are trying to place and record yourself and you're not super knowledgeable it's hard.

"We don't have staff on hand. We had some for a period of time — it was a temporary grant through the Martin Guitar foundation that allowed us to hire some studio engineers to be onsite, but that expired.

"You can do basics yourself. Some of the people have come in [and] have expert-level knowledge [and] freelance engineer, and some people use the space to edit, rehearse."

'Turning it up to 11'

Many of the performers taking the stage have recorded in the space, located on the lower level of the building.

"The lineup is made up of people who use the studio or perform at the library's open mic night," Berk said. "Sometimes it's also word of mouth.

"For instance, the band Time Being, their bass player is a librarian at Muhlenberg College and she and I are friends. I play bass, too. We're like the alliance of bass-playing librarians. It's only the two of us, so it's a small alliance and she's helped out at the library at different events."

During the festival, and while the library is open, the music is tamer until later in the evening.

Then the bands "turn it up to 11," getting progressively louder — a reference to a 1989 mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap," about a hair metal band whose amps' volume goes up to 11.

"Each one gets a little louder as the day progresses," Berk said. "We start with quiet music up until the last band which is typically super loud.

"There is a funny connection between our address and the 'Spinal Tap' movie reference. Once we decided to name it Studio 11, we just started planning everything around 11.

"We decided since we have all these people coming in that are so talented and support the studio that we should have a concert and then we decided to call it 11Fest.

"We embraced them. Let's have 11 bands, let's have it on Nov. 11, and let's make it be like the 'Spinal Tap' thing.

"I enjoy a pun and a dumb joke taken too far."

Editor's Note: This story was corrected to reflect musical performances begin at 5 p.m.