Housed in a vintage railcar at American Tobacco, the pop-up clubhouse champions electronic music through artist-led workshops, live performances and hands-on access to hard-to-find equipment – plus big plans for a permanent space
By Rebecca Savidge
Boom Club, an arts organization dedicated to making electronic music accessible to all, launched its pop-up synthesizer clubhouse at the American Tobacco Campus Rail Car in the beginning of May. The space will remain occupied by Boom Club until the end of July and continue to feature workshops, performances by local and visiting artists, and most prominently, a space for musicians and curious individuals to experiment with electronic instruments.
Boom Club, which stands for “Building Our Own Music,” was founded by Durham native Nick Williams as well as Sean Thegen and Rachelle Sickerott out of a desire to create community and inclusivity around electronic music.
Nick and Sean – who’ve been friends for 15 years, having played in bands together – met Rachelle several years ago at the Slingshot Festival at The Fruit. When Nick, who is the director of Boom Club and works on the project full-time, incorporated it, Rachelle mentioned she had independently envisioned a similar concept. In January, the project really started to take shape, coalescing when ATC recommended that the group take over the rail car for a longer term pop-up through the summer.
“Our quid pro quo was to do our best to activate this part of campus and just bring something free, weird and different, and to connect American Tobacco more to downtown a little bit,” Nick says. “And they’ve been incredibly supportive.”
Inside the rail car, there are various electronic instruments, including synthesizers, drum machines and digital pianos, as well as speakers and headphones for individuals to experiment with the equipment and listen to their creations. All experiences, performances and workshops are currently free to the public.
“A lot of these instruments are expensive, finicky and a little intimidating to use, especially some of the vintage gear that we’ve been lucky enough to have donated, and having a place where people can come, talk, learn and just experiment without necessarily having to bring them home or spend money on them was a really, really important goal,” Nick says.
Providing people the opportunity to play with these instruments, learn without having to purchase them and create a shared community was the basis behind the formation of the clubhouse. “It’s not really like a nightclub,” Nick says. “It’s more like a clubhouse, or an after-school club. It’s a place to gather and be creative. I’ve seen people showing each other what they’ve learned, talking to experts about certain instruments.”
Though Boom Club isn’t a nonprofit, they are currently working in a zero-profit mission. They have a 501c3 Fiscal Sponsorship with Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit that helps arts organizations accept tax-deductible donations. The ultimate goal of Boom Club is to become sustainable through paying staff a living wage and continuing to build a space for growing artists. Individuals interested in donating to Boom Club can do so here.
Since Boom Club opened, many have just stopped in to experiment with the equipment, but some musicians have started coming back to the Rail Car for repeat visits to record themselves, use the gear for their musical projects, show their friends and just use the space for a practical purpose, which is something Nick, Sean and Rachelle weren’t sure would happen, but Nick says has been “the most gratifying” to see. “The reaction from kids has also been amazing,” he says. “They’re respectful and interested and gentle, and it’s been really awesome.”
In addition to having the space for individuals to play their own music, Boom Club hosts workshops and performances by various electronic artists. Maria Chavez, an abstract turntablist from New York, performed a few weeks ago, using broken records and damaged turntable equipment to create strange, yet familiar soundscapes that coalesce into unique rhythms. On July 26, Zillas on Acid, a DJ group from Philadelphia, will perform a final event at The Pinhook, celebrating the ending of Boom Club’s residency at the Rail Car.
Other events at Boom Club include one called “Micromachines,” a performance series created by Sean and friend Nick Wallhausser, where any individual is invited to play a short set using just one small piece of hardware. The format challenges artists to get creative within tight limitations – the debut event in May was met with an enthusiastic and welcoming response. The next installment is this Friday, June 20.
While the future of Boom Club after July is still a bit ambiguous, the group hopes to continue forward with the project in the fall, ideally in a more permanent space after the residency concludes. The goal of the pop-up this summer is to program as many events as they can in order to get the word out. “Our Rail Car Residency is basically our coming out party, where we introduce ourselves to the community and, hopefully, become a known quantity,” Nick says.
After July, the clubhouse will take a break in August, then likely shift to a membership-style system where members-only hours, plus performances and workshops, would be included for club members, though there would still be open hours for nonmembers to continue to experiment with the equipment as well as a program for young artists to take advantage of the space for free. “We will continue to book shows, bring in visiting artists, expand our instrument library and look for ways to collaborate with the local music scene,” Nick says.
“We really want to just bring a little bit of the avant-garde to to people’s lives,” Nick says of the clubhouse. “That’s something that I think is important and a really good way to build community and let people know that where they live is vital and welcoming and inclusive.”
