Why Wyoming?!

Marie and I get asked this all the time. We're not surprised given our 4+ decades long New Yorker roots, but figured I would attempt to answer it here. Also, our close friend, guitar master, and web designer Ed encouraged me to write a bit about the area we live in and where the studio is located.

A brilliant comet streaks across the clear night sky, captured from just outside the studio.

Here's some of the background on the 'Why Wyoming' - as Marie and I became 'empty nesters' our priorities shifted and we did not like the trajectory the Denver/Boulder corridor was/is on. Over 12 years, we witnessed a significant increase in major crime getting closer and closer to our neighborhood. Several horrible events occured within a few miles of our home (some much closer!). The population and development exploded and things felt 'crowded' to us with so many high density residential areas popping up everywhere. Colorado is a beautiful state and has a lot to offer but we wanted to look outside the metropolitan area for our next chapter. Urban/suburban living is a choice and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's just not for us any longer. Simultaneously our close friends wanted to explore some options to live in Wyoming so Marie and I went on a couple of scouting missions to begin to check out the SouthEast portion of the state. This particular part of the state is still relatively close to Fort Collins, CO, Denver International Airport, and many very good friends we've made in our time in the Mountain West. Of course the location of our adult children and their significant others (who are like family) is very important to us so that remains a strong consideration.

A stunning view of the morning sky as the rising sun in the East casts a warm glow on the clouds over a snowy landscape, looking West from the studio.

Long story slightly shorter, Marie and I fell in love with the land we saw in Albany County (yes, it was named after Albany, NY) just a few miles to the North and East of downtown Laramie. It's in the foothills of the Laramie Range and across the Laramie valley from the Snowy Range (all part of the Rocky Mountains). This is where our thought of a 'destination studio' popped into our minds because the land available made that thought possible. The home was of course the main priority but, with some planning, could we build something we had not been able to build in NY nor CO? The answer was yes and we moved ahead with the whole project.

While you're on the property, it looks like you might live in 'the middle of nowhere'. It's a large open prarie immediately surrounded to the East and South by foothills. There is a resident herd of prong horns (sometimes erroneously called antelope I am told) that wander the area often right on our property. Sometimes we see more than 50 of them at a time. Marie has seen a mountain lion footprint in the snow, we've heard the coyotes, seen the rabbits and lots of large predator birds (including bald eagles) and are told elk, moose and bears are nearby (but we've not seen those yet). Of course none of these want anything to do with humans so we just enjoy seeing them in their natural habitat. It's somehow therapeutic.

Pronghorns gracefully roam across a snowy landscape just outside the studio

The building the studio is being constructed in has many windows to see the views in 3 directions. We're making a space to create music, turn down the daily noise (of the city or wherever), and make recordings. That is our objective. It's unlike all of our previous spaces as we are creating the space from the ground up. No retrofitting, no real limitations and with professional guidance from inception to final product. On that note, working with Sam Berkow is very exciting given he is a very well respected acoustic designer and has designed many studios and amazing live spaces. He happens to be a heckuva nice guy too so that's a bonus.

A majestic bald eagle perches on a fence post against a backdrop of vast open landscape, just down the canyon road from the studio.

Just down the road from us (about a 12 minute drive) is a very cool little college town adjacent to the University of Wyoming. The old town is part of 'Wild West' history and was a key location for the railroad during westward expansion. We've got six places that were on Diners Driveins and Dives all within a few blocks of each other. Plenty of college bars and places to eat. We've got D1 football, museums, performing arts and all of the things a large university brings to a town. We're surrounded by an endless amount of hiking trails, forest and all types of outdoor activites including nearby skiing. It's rural. Bottom line. You're not going to find 'fine dining' opportunities but rather very casual atmosphere, beer, wine, spirits, amazing beef, wings, sandwiches, etc. There is a section on our website that has links to lodging and more information about Laramie https://www.musicandvideo.tv/studio. You'll also find a link there with more information and history. It's worth checking out. https://www.visitlaramie.org

Bustling downtown Laramie, where historical architecture meets the vibrant charm of the Wild West.

Of course, the western part of Wyoming is also home to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, and Devils Tower is north and east. Those are all multi-hour drives away, but Wyoming has a lot to offer. It just won't offer it at the pace of a large city (which brings us back to what we like so much about this place).

If you've read this far, I'll assume you enjoyed what I wrote! I will update when I have a more solid construction schedule for completion. We need to get back to making music! I hope some of you will come visit and do just that! - Jim