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In the News: Lake Geneva’s Shade Tree Recording Studio

World Class Lake Geneva Recording Studio Serves as Engineering Office Today Lake Geneva was at the top of the music scene for over a decade and the state-of-the-art recording studio that was housed in the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, brought world class talent to our town. The Best of Lake Geneva visited the site of the former Shade Tree Recording Studio, which is now an engineering office, and was shocked to see that relics from the early days can still be seen. This highly respected studio made a big impact on the industry and pieces of its past are still used in music today. We pieced together the story with the help of the book “Grand Tale: History of the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa," SpringStation, as well as a forum for Mixing/Mastering Engineers where many shared their memories of the studio. It all began in 1978, when a local musician, Andy Waterman, presented the idea to the Playboy Executives, including Christie Hefner, Hugh’s daughter, who owned the hotel at that time. He felt that since top artists frequently performed at the resort and with the hotel being a host to many performers from the nearby Alpine Valley Music Theater, there was a need for a recording studio in the area. Playboy reacted quickly and, within a few weeks, Shade Tree Recording Studio was up and running. With it's tongue and groove ash paneling and Italian marble, according to String Station, it was esthetically pleasing to both the eyes and ears. The studio measured 35x24 and a 21 x 20 control room. It didn’t take long before top recording artists, including John Cougar Mellencamp, signed on. After a few years, the economy took a turn, record labels began to slash budgets and the studio began to suffer financially. After Playboy sold the resort to The Americana, in 1981, the studio, although still intact, sat dormant until 1985, when it became the Sound Summit run by the late Phil Bonanno. After some of his California investors pulled their money, Bonanno aligned with diamond importer, Ron Fajerstein, who renamed the studio Royal Recorders. Fajerstein is said to be the longest and most heavily invested owner. With an infusion of over $500,000 in high end equipment, including a Neve 8-68 Console (supposedly the same one used by John Lennon to record Double Fantasy), the studio became world class. Bands including Survivor, T’Pau, Cheap Trick, Guns and Roses, Bon Jovi, Adrian Belew, Robert Plant of Led Zeplin, Enuff Z’Nuff, Crash Test Dummies, Nine Inch Nails, Live, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more, began recording at this studio. Bob Pucci, a bass guitarist from Chicago recalls “Royal rocked, I recorded there the whole summer of 1986 with my band The Ultraviolet, that Adrian Belew and Jim Bartz produced. The speakers were custom made Westlakes and the whole place was designed by Carl Yancher. The vibe was perfect… The other cool part was that it was right in the hotel. If you wanted a drink or food, it was right there and the even cooler part was its close proximity to the Alpine Valley concert venue… On any given night while doing my guitar tracks, I'd turn around and on the studio couch would be, The Beach Boys, Jefferson Starship, Mr. Mister... you name it. They all stayed at the hotel there which was called The Americana Inn then.” According to Michael Wagener, a record producer for SkidRow, “The studio was very well equipped and the whole environment was just ideal for a creating a rock album.” He went on to say “They even had a stretched Rolls Royce limo for studio guests to use.” Wagener recalled some of his memories he had about the time he was recording at the studio, including being introduced to jet skis on Geneva Lake, being able to stay in Hugh Hefner's room at the hotel, and seeing incredible rock shows at Alpine Valley every weekend (AC/DC, Judas Priest, White Lion, Guns And Roses, etc.). “The hotel was one of two in the area, so all the bands would stay at "our" hotel and all the kids would hang out in the parking lot, needless to say we had an amazing time” said Wagener. The studio’s production company traveled the world searching for new talent but eventually realized that the money it took to bring the bands to Lake Geneva was more than what the studio earned. So in 1992, Fajerstein sold the studio to two of his engineers and the name was changed to Music Head Studios. Under their direction, Live recorded their ‘Throwing Copper’ album that sold nine million copies and Crash Test Dummies recorded their triple platinum album ‘God Shuffled.’ In 1993, the Americana was put up for auction and rescued by the Marcus Group, who revitalized the hotel and changed the name to the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa. The studio continued to operate until 1994 when the business dried up. The studio was given back to Fajerstein who sold off the equipment. Michael Tholen is an engineer who was working with Ministry at the time the equipment became available. He recalls that they “stripped the studio of pretty much everything including the glass and trucked it all down to the new Ministry camp outside of Austin, Texas and began to make the album Filth Pig.” The gear ultimately ended up at Chicago Trax that was bought by R. Kelley, who changed the name to The Chocolate Factory. Grand Geneva's Marketing Director, Courtney Nobilio and Engineer, Randel Scheck, were happy to give us a tour of the department, which is now the Hotel's Engineering Department, and pointed out the elements that still remain. From the soundproofing foam on the walls and the marble flooring where the bands use to play, to the ash paneled soffits, you can get a glimpse of what once stood in the space. Scheck said that many performers stop in to see the old studio space and share stories from their past. Recently, when John Legend was performing in Milwaukee, his saxophonist stopped by the engineering office. “He told us stories about how his father use to record there and as a baby, he would crawl around the floors.” Scheck recalls. “We were also visited by Sebastian Bock of Skid Row about 4 or 5 years ago when he playing at an event in the area.” “You kind of wish these walls could talk.” adds fellow engineer Doug Andrews. So much history was made in this space and from the moment you walk through the reception area and into the studio itself, you can feel the energy. More details and pictures can be found in the book “A Grand Tale: The History of the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa.” You can purchase a copy at the resort. Visit www.grandgeneva.com/timeline/ for more history on this exclusive resort. For details on the specific equipment contained in the Royal Recorders Studio, visit String Station. For a detailed list of everything happening in the Lake Geneva area today, CLICK HERE.

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In the News: Joni's Diner

Old Fashioned Diner Comes To Town By Holly Murphy, age 12 If you haven't noticed, there is a shiny stainless steel diner located just south of downtown in Lake Geneva. It was relocated from Connecticut, after being caught up and damaged in Hurricane Sandy. While they overcame many challenges in getting the dinner across the country (in two separate pieces) to it's new home here in Lake Geneva, it was worth it. Thanks to the Yunkers, we now have a 1954 O'Mahoney diner, only one of three left in the world and it's right here in our town. I had the chance to sit down with Joni Yunker, owner of Joni's Diner and learned a little more about her, her family, and the diner. Joni's big dream of owning her very own diner began when she was a little girl. She grew up in Chicago, but her husband, Kelly, who is also one of the owners and involved with the diner, grew up here in Lake Geneva. She went to many diners as a kid, and knew that she wanted to open one when she grew up. It was a family decision to open a diner instead of a normal restaurant. She said "It was a family adventure." Her amazingly talented daughter, Shaye, is a chef who went to Kendall College in Chicago. She oversees all the cooking in the diner and has mostly family recipes on the menu. They try to buy as much food locally to have fresh and healthy ingredients. The diner's specialty is The Meatloaf Sandwich, and they have good burgers too. They also serve old fashioned drinks like malts, milkshakes, banana splits, and sundaes, all served in old fashioned bowls and glasses. In the future she hopes to be open for dinner and is hoping to expand their baking selection to include more pies and other baked goods. The Yunkers faced many challenges getting here. They found the diner in Connecticut and decided to buy it. In preparation for the cross country journey, the diner was cut in half so it could be transported. Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy hit at that time, causing a lot of damage. Finding replacement parts for something made in 1954 was difficult and they had to travel back to Connecticut and all over the Midwest to find parts that were old and in good condition so it would fit well into the diner. They are very pleased with the final results and support they have received from the wonderful community. "Everyday is fun." said Joni. She likes to visit with the customers and doesn't mind getting up so early to be ready for the 6am opening. The food is great and much of it is locally sourced. I love the pancakes and sausage best but their milk shakes are a close second. I hope you head out there today and enjoy the atmosphere and the food. You will love it! Say hi to Joni for me too! For more information about the diner, click here.

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