NJ studio puts local spin on ‘Tiny Desk’ with ‘Tiny Shelf’ sessions
The Big and Tall Recording studio in Wood-Ridge was inspired by NPR’s popular “Tiny Desk” concerts.
A small recording studio in Bergen County is creating its own platform to spotlight local talent, one performance at a time.
The Big and Tall Recording studio in Wood-Ridge was inspired by NPR’s popular “Tiny Desk” concerts.
The setting inside is simple: a cozy, living room-style space filled with couches, instruments and the constant sound of music. But for the musicians who pass through, it’s becoming something much bigger.
“Our whole history has just been about, promoting the local community as much as possible. That’s kind of the most important thing to us is like making the scene alive in new Jersey,” said Tommy McCormick, one of the owners of the studio.
The studio, run by McCormick and Gabe Valle, has spent the past four years recording and producing music for artists across New Jersey and the tri-state area. Now, they’re expanding that mission with a new video series they call “Tiny Shelf,” a nod to NPR’s “Tiny Desk,” but with a distinctly local focus.
Artists perform live in the studio space while being recorded on camera, with the stripped-down performances hoping to highlight the natural talent.
“It’s just a way for us to promote all the wonderful artists that come to record here that are Jersey and tri-state-area based. It’s giving them a platform that I feel like growing up as a musician, I would have wanted, you know, free of expression and high-quality video and audio just to use for their promotional material and also just get their stuff out there,” said Valle.
