There's not many places like Unreil Studios; a rehearsal space, recording studio with a cyclorama + music shop attached!
We had a chance to chat to Andrew Hogarth of Unreil Studios about some of his incredibly historical gear and what inspired him to open his fantastic multi-faceted facility.
Unreil Studios, located in Rouse Hill, NSW, is a premier rehearsal space, recording studio and music store that has an incredible amount of vintage and collectable gear in its arsenal.
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When did you first fall in love with the music industry and what inspired you to start your own business?
I’ve been into music from a young age with my parents always playing The Beatles, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep to name a few. Then I got my first guitar in high school and have been collecting them here and there since. In starting the business, I wanted to be able to support Australian artists where I could with some of their touring and recording expenses. There is a lot that goes into making a band work and getting their songs out to the world. Through the studios my goal is to be able to help out artists with some of these expenses and support along the way.
Could you give a brief history of Unreil Studios? When did you first open your doors and how has the journey been so far?
Unreil Studios is fairly new, we opened the doors on the 1st December 2023. I did start working on the studios in mid 2022, putting some ideas together and looking for a space. The complex we moved into out at Rouse Hill is a new one and initially we were going to be open at the start of 2023 but with some delays in finishing the building off, we didn’t get in until towards the end of 2023. During 2023 while waiting for the keys we started linking up with bands explaining our goal of supporting them and then providing them with strings, sticks, picks and heads for shows and recording. The feedback has been great. Like any new business though, it does keep you on edge hoping to get the name out there and that it continues to grow, so far the support has been great and I just have to keep at it.
Unreil Studios seems like a real one-stop shop. Between the online store, the rehearsal space, the cyclorama and the recording studio, you’re covering a lot of ground. Was that your intention from the beginning or has the business grown and developed since its inception?
The plan was to create a space for artists that covered a few areas and also use that to support bands as best we can. I wanted to open it and have these areas ready to go for artists to come in and use from the beginning, and for the online store to have competitive pricing for customers who weren’t close enough to stop in. It is also growing as it goes along with more suppliers getting involved, allowing me to offer more gear at the studios for the bands. I have been really grateful for the support from my suppliers, who have all given me great feedback on the setup and my plan to support as many artists as possible.
Do you have a particular business ethos that has driven you in this venture?
Being genuine about my goal to get behind artists and be there for them where I can. I have started out with accessories and would love to be able to expand that to include merchandise for bands, equipment and general tour and recording support. All bands have different needs and I’m someone they can call to ask for a hand, I love to be able to just get onto it for them and organise things.
You’ve got an incredible collection of historical gear at Unreil Studios, a lot of which has been previously owned by some big names. What are some of your favourite pieces?
Some of the stand out items for me include the Wes Borland Mesa head and cab (the amp was used to record Limp Bizkit’s Three Dollar Bill Y’all album and the cab was used at Woodstock ‘99), both the stage left and stage right Mesa rigs that Dave Grohl used with the Foo Fighters (they were also in Studio 606 for a while), Josh Homme’s Maton Mastersound guitar from around 2005, a custom Ibanez K5 that Fieldy from Korn used on tour around 2002 and a prototype Washburn baritone 7 string guitar that was made for Olly Steele of Monuments.
The Cyclorama is a really cool feature of your space, could you explain to the folks at home what it is?
A cyclorama is pretty much a curved wall with no corners used as a photo or video background, giving the appearance of unlimited space and allowing for easy editing and post production. Some uses we have had for the space so far have been film clips, band promo shots, dancers doing routines and instructional videos, model shots and product shots.
Do you have any more exciting promotions or giveaways coming up?
Yes, at the end of every month there is a major promotion draw that happens with musical equipment. I do weekly draws as well leading up to that with Unreil Studios gift cards to help make the membership go a bit further. I would like to grow the membership part of the business as it helps us to be able to support more artists with their needs while giving the members a chance at winning musical gear as well.
What is your vision for the future of Unreil Studios? Are there any elements of the business you’d like to expand upon or new ones you’d like to introduce?
My vision for Unreil Studios is to be able to support as many Australian artists as possible by assisting them with any needs they have while on their musical journey. Setting them up with discounted rates, providing them with items at no charge here and there and linking them up
with helpful contacts I’ve met throughout the music scene. It’s already a great feeling doing this on a small scale.
For more information, visit Unreil Studios here.
