The Boom Room is a new recording studio and rehearsal space in Fishtown that is “nestled in the creative triangle between Johnny Brenda’s, Kung Fu Necktie and the El Bar,” according to musician/producer Gary Dann. While it’s destined to be more of a spot for musicians and creative types to work in private, it’s getting a decidedly public launch, with a day-long festival of music, food and drink on Saturday.
Dann and partner Julian Hinson intend for the space to be a new home for the various scenes in which they take part. Dann is half of two active duos, the folk-sampling Fraction Theory and electro-acoustic soul/pop unit Advanced Mechanisms. He also performs regularly with hip-hop legends Digable Planets, whose Philly-based member Doodlebug will headline the kickoff party in the guise of Cee Knowledge and the Cosmic Funk Orchestra.
“I play music with hip-hop bands, hippie jam music-type jazz people, and I also have a lot of connections with the underground dance music scene in Philadelphia,” Dann says. “So the Boom Room is a way of bringing all of those together into one place and paying back the community.”
The party, with food by chef Josh Massaro, will extend from the indoor space to an outdoor stage — a way to make Dann’s Fishtown neighborhood a part of the show.
“I look out my window and I see people walking down the street with guitars every night of the week,” he says. “I can’t wait to contribute to the arts and culture of this neighborhood.”
