Las Vegas musicians will soon have one less place to call home. Sonic Rodeo, a premier recording studio and rehearsal space in the Arts District, has announced its closure.
“I’ve been in this town for 30 years, and I’ve been lucky enough to play with just about everybody. I really envisioned the place as being … an upgrade from what people were experiencing,” says A.J. Palluck, who co-owns the studio with James Swanson of Factor Media. “What I brought to the table was the personal element. I really enjoyed networking with people and encouraging them. … Whereas, I think at a lot of the places in town that were rehearsal spots, that didn’t exist.”
The duo established Sonic Rodeo with every intention of roping the community in. It was a place where homespun bands could feel proud of where they performed—and so many memories come to mind when Palluck thinks back. The visits from Penn Jillette and famed guitarist Steve Stevens. The night Sonic Rodeo helped SoulBelly BBQ orchestrate a surprise gig with The All-American Rejects. The time ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons came in and filmed a music video.
Palluck, who drums for the Vegas band Soft Echo, says Sonic Rodeo never made outrageous money, but it remained profitable. Rising rent costs contributed to the closure, but this won’t be his last rodeo.
“I like being involved in music. It’s never been about money or fame or popularity,” he says. “One of my kids asked me one day, ‘Dad, why do you play music? Why have you never stopped?’ And I said, because I was cursed with it.”
Palluck says he’s open to becoming a session drummer for other bands. And there’s more to look forward to as Sonic Rodeo’s mixing engineer and guitarist Reid Heidel and luthier Christopher Davis prepare to open their own spot near Sand Dollar Lounge.
“People should take heart to the fact that even though we’re not necessarily going to be the go-to for rehearsal … we’ve hopefully established that it can be done,” Palluck says. “My hope is that somebody else takes up the mantle. There are rehearsal spaces, but I don’t think there’s necessarily music hubs. … I think this community deserves it.”
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