SVI Rocks record at the Midlands Art Centre Recording Studios
On 22 November, SVI Rockers visited the Midland Arts Centre (MAC) to record their version of House of the Rising Sun in MAC’s new studios. The session brought together SVI Rocks and the Tipton Collective for an afternoon of music and creativity.
SVI Rocks is a Sandwell Visually Impaired rock group with members aged between 20 and 85 and our exciting recording session included 10 rockers and guide dog, Morse. The session was led by Rodrigo Orquera, rock leader from Misfits Music, and supported by accessibility volunteer Sarah-Ann Cromwell. It was organised by Rob Jones, founder and artistic leader from the Misfits Music Institute, with on-the-day support from Ilhan and Megan. The recording was funded by Creative Black Country. Guide Dog Morse made history as the first guide dog to record in the MAC studios. Recording technician Mike joked, “we should put up a plaque for him”.
Rodrigo said:
“I’m happy to say we had a brilliant recording session. It looks like participants had a great time.”
Sarah-Ann added:
“It was a lovely recording studio experience, one of the nicest I’ve had. The recording team couldn’t do enough to make everybody feel comfortable and welcome”
When asked to describe the experience in three words, SVI Rockers said:
“Unique, wow wow wow, fabulous, exciting, grand and awesome, really enjoyed it, woof.”
During a recording break, the group enjoyed pizza and chips cooked by KILN, which gave everyone a chance to relax and chat.
SVI would like to thank funders Creative Black Country for recognising how valuable food, conversation and social time are for the visually impaired community, and for providing a minibus. Without this support, the journey from West Bromwich to MAC Birminghm by public transport, which would have required multiple trams and buses, would have been an unsurmountable accessibility barrier for many SVI Rockers.
Listen to House of the Rising Sun here, we hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording it.
Article by Sarah-Ann Cromwell
