Grime Studios’ vast warren of small music rehearsal spaces roiled and thundered in rock-and-roll ecstasy Tuesday night. Cymbals shimmered, guitars wailed and basses pounded behind rows of closed doors as the city’s bands honed their noisy craft.
A huge, spray-painted slogan screamed a possibly rhetorical question across an upstairs wall: “Is there anything better to do?”
For musicians, the answer is a definite “no.”
“For some reason, Tuesday nights are probably our busiest,” Grime manager Justin Curtsinger said with a shrug, raising his voice a little to be heard over the din.
Grime was founded as Prime Studios on Thompson’s Point in the 1990s. When gentrification pushed Grime off the point 10 years ago, Curtsinger changed the name, transformed it into a nonprofit and moved the 24-7 studios to an industrial building on Presumpscott Street.
Despite Portland’s ongoing real estate crunch, Grime has managed to survive for more than 30 years. Its grungy-but-affordable rehearsal rooms have provided essential incubation and cross-pollination space to a whole generation of broke-but-brilliant musicians.
But maybe not for much longer. Grime now stands at a crossroads.
Curtsinger recently signed a new five-year lease that came with a hefty rent increase. Unwilling to pass the entire financial burden on to his renters for fear of starting a mass exodus, Curtsinger is now facing a $30,000 budget shortfall.
“I’m not sure how we’ll make that up but it’s got to be through charitable donations or grants or sponsorships from local businesses,” Curtsinger said. “If I were to raise rent to reflect the rental increase — it wouldn’t be feasible for very many people that are here.”
Grime just received a $30,000 grant from Warren Memorial Foundation, but that’s already earmarked for a fire escape which will allow the studio to build five more second-story rehearsal rooms. That will bring the total up to 44 shared rooms rented by the month to some 400 hundred musicians in 80-or-so bands. The original space on Thompson’s Point sported only 15 rooms.
Curtsinger is at pains not to blame his landlord, whom he describes as “supportive and cool.” He says the rent increase just reflects the reality of Portland’s real estate market.
Thomas Blackburn, a veteran building contractor and the secretary on Grime’s nonprofit board, has worked with the entity for almost 10 years, helping guide its expansion and finances. Blackburn is betting on local businesses stepping up to help with the cause.
“I have a list of over 100 prospects — places like breweries and pot dispensaries, music venues, restaurants — all the places that would have an interest in this place succeeding,” he said.
Blackburn said he hasn’t gotten very far down his list yet but has already collected $6,000 plus a $2,500 in-kind donation from a building supply firm.
“It’s just nickels and dimes, if you count $500 as a nickel,” Blackburn said. “But whatever they can afford, it’ll be a tax deduction.”
Musicians rehearsing Tuesday night said Grime was essential to their musical lives.
“So many artists rely on this place,” said guitarist Serge Vladimiroff, playing upstairs with his band XO. “Where else can you plug in, crank up and not be worried about the neighbors?”
Downstairs, the band Strangers Tomorrow rehearsed at a deafening volume in their room under a glowing set of purple Christmas lights. The trio describes itself as “pine tree punk from Portland.”
“This wouldn’t exist without Grime,” said guitarist and singer Dave Bassett, pointing to his bandmates. “Two of us have kids and the third lives in an apartment.”
Standing in the lobby, Bekah Hayes said members of her band came from Bath, Scarborough, Westbrook and Augusta, and Grime was the perfect central place to meet, twice a week.
Bassist Matt Boldebook of the band Gasoline Dream stood nearby.
“A big part of what makes this place special is the community, the collaboration, the people I’ve met here,” Boldebrook said. “You can’t get that rehearsing in someone’s basement.”
Jason Ingalls has been renting space at Grime since it was on Thompson’s Point.
“The whole reason so many people come to Portland is for the arts scene — well this is the arts scene, right here,” Ingalls said. “You can’t have a music scene if all the musicians get priced out.”
Ingalls added that if Grime were to vanish, he wouldn’t even know where to look for alternative rehearsal space.
Despite the budget gap, Curtsinger remains hopeful Grime will continue for years to come. It has to, he said; it’s too important to let it go under.
To that end, he’s working two other jobs, as an electrician’s helper and scrap metal recycler, in addition to managing Grime — just in case.
“I’ll work and work and work,” he said, and if it comes down to it, “I’ll bail this place out myself.”
