When you hang out with Damon Moon, you start to believe anything is possible. In person, he is affable and engaging. He leans into conversation the way a preacher approaches a sermon — with purpose and conviction. He chooses his words carefully, not out of fear of misspeaking, but out of consideration for his audience. Time is not something he’s keen on wasting. Not when there is music to be made and albums to record.
Cutting records, after all, is what Moon does first and foremost. Even his Instagram handle says so. For over a decade now, he’s been making his living as producer and engineer. But it wasn’t until 2017 that he would truly plant his flag in Atlanta under the banner of Standard Electric Recorders Co., a recording studio born out of the vital mission of providing an artistic incubator for local talent. Since then, he’s operated out of a cramped clapboard house on Memorial Drive in Decatur. With the help of a rotating cast of friends, Moon has helped inspire an array of regional artists to create long-lasting and meaningful music.
Something Special in the Air
If you’ve ever visited Standard Electric, then you know how special it can feel. The warm smell of electronics fills the air, while homemade gadgetry and unique Craigslist scores line the walls and fill the space. There’s a welcoming aura that encourages artists to try new things out and work to evolve their talent. And that’s all by design. “The vibe is the number one thing,” Moon says. “It is more important than the gear. You have to be comfortable here.”
“Artists rehearse so much to get ready for the studio,” he adds. “And then when you go to the studio and something isn’t right, or something is just changing the energy, there’s no way you’re going to get the takes that deliver the performance that you’re after. Comfort is the biggest deal.”
Moon’s ability to listen and empathize with artists is what keeps them coming back to him. That and his exemplary ear. As a producer, he has a gift for pinpointing what makes a song unique and for coaxing out memorable performances. “I try to be super conscious who I’m in front of,” Moon explains. “I think about who I’m talking to and who I am in that scenario. It’s a weird time and I think trying to stay in a receiving place for new information is the best thing any of us can do. It applies to everyone doing anything anywhere, but especially in my field the most important thing is listening.”
Damon Moon sitting on the steps of the new Standard Electric Recorders Co. | Photo by Luke Smith
Still, for Moon, it’s not enough to create timeless records. He’s always been interested in collaborating with others, in building a lasting community. While the Memorial Drive location provided a home base, it didn’t have enough space to function as a permanent creative haven. The tight quarters made it difficult to share the studio with Sydney Ward, his long-time partner and founder of Little Treblemakers, a music education program that offers professional level lessons for children and adults.
As such, the couple would often muse about finding a bigger location they could share. Although finances were tight, they continued to search out ways to make a move work. “It’s been kind of a long-term idea,” Moon says. “[And] up until a couple of months ago it was a pipe dream. What if we found a perfect facility where we could both coexist professionally?”
The Right Time To Jump
With Atlanta mired in a global pandemic that’s wreaked financial havoc and shuttered live music indefinitely, opening a new studio is probably not the first idea that would come to most people’s minds. But with safety and social distancing a primary concern, the realities of coronavirus forced their hand. “Once COVID hit, we started thinking more seriously about it,” Moon explains. “We were in a situation where none of us were really tied down to anything, so we started looking around. I realized during the beginning of the pandemic that our home on Memorial Drive was a liability because it was hard to maintain safety. It’s just a small space. So, it’s the right time to jump. It has to be.”
And so with considerable hope and no small measure of apprehension, Moon — along with Ward, Andrew Barkau, and Will Derr — recently signed a long-term lease on a new building. It’s a historic church that dates back to 1908, located on the outskirts of Scottdale, near Your DeKalb Farmers Market and Waller’s Coffee. The new studio will boast a massive live room housed in the wooden sanctuary of the church. There will be two control rooms with independent isolation booths, and plenty of space to hold gear and equipment while maintaining CDC guidelines for social distancing. When construction is complete, Moon will oversee Studio A, while Derr will manage day-to-day operations. The new campus will also house music lessons from Ward’s Little Treblemakers, as well as Barkau’s vintage gear and repair shop SUSTAIN.
The expanded space puts Standard Electric in the position to fill a void left by Southern Tracks, Doppler, and other local studios that have been pushed out by gentrification and skyrocketing rent. The ability to record in a historic church is a significant draw that only a few studios can promise. The new location will almost certainly push Standard Electric into a larger spotlight, drawing bigger acts to record in Atlanta.
However, Moon is more than content serving the local musicians he considers family. While the new lease is a means of securing the future of the studio, it’s also a commitment to the music scene at large. “Atlanta is a music town, and I want to re-up on my investment in the community,” he says firmly. “Standard Electric has always been for everyone, most specifically artists here in town.”
Damon Moon outside the newly leased Standard Electric Recorders Co | Photo by Luke Smith
Planting New Roots
Outside the church, the golden hour has set in and rivulets of light permeate the grounds of the new home for Standard Electric Recorders Co. Moon cracks a beer and takes a deep breath to let the moment soak in. “I have to pinch myself because it feels insane right now, with where we are in history, to be taking on something like this.”
Insane or not, Moon and company are moving forward with determination and a renewed sense of purpose. Although the pandemic has forced friends and family to be separated as a matter of life and health, Standard Electric’s philosophy has always been driven by the need to connect with others. “It’s about the people doing the work,” Moon declares. “And it’s about the memories and the bonds that happen in the process. I feel like we are in the beginning of a renaissance period when it comes to art and music making. I think that overall touring is totally done until 2022, so as things get better and get worse again, people making music on their own will continue to grow, and they’ll be doing it more frequently. Recording and releasing records is going to become the best way forward again. Artists are going to need somewhere where they can do that safely.”
As the interview comes to a close, it’s yet another humid Georgia night. Nearby, the hum of cicadas mixes with the thrumming of idling engines as Moon reflects on his journey as a producer. “The whole idea with the previous space was to dig in and plant roots,” he says. “And I find myself doing it all again. Sometimes you have to dig up your roots and plant new ones.”
With shadows stretching long and tall, Moon looks at the horizon and remarks, “Originally, I thought Standard Electric was a community.” Suddenly, a sly grin crosses his face. “But I think it might be a congregation.”
More Info
Web: standardelectricrecorders.com
Facebook: @standardelectricrecorders
Instagram: @standardelectricrecordersco