Sound Wall in downtown Opelika is a hidden music nirvana
Rob and Jen Slocumb have created an oasis with Sound Wall in Opelika. (Anne Kristoff / Alabama NewsCenter)
Standing in front of The Sound Wall in downtown Opelika, it’s hard to imagine that just over a year ago this place was in shambles. Google maps still show 605 Avenue B in its primal state, complete with peeling paint and boarded up doors and windows. That’s what greeted Rob and Jen Slocumb when they first stumbled upon the house. But you will also see the good lines and oozing charm that enabled the husband and wife team to see beyond the gruff exterior, allowing them to envision all that the property could and would become.
“The house had been abandoned for about 13 years,” Jen Slocumb said. “It was in very rough shape but we definitely saw through that and saw its potential.”
Alabama’s Sound Wall is the creation of musical husband and wife team from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
“We had been looking for a few years for a space,” added Rob Slocumb. “When we walked into this house we immediately saw what we’re sitting in now and we started thinking about all the possibilities that you could do here.”
The Sound Wall is a new music-centric multi-use space. It is primarily a recording studio and it also contains a spacious live room (for rehearsals and performances), an elegant writing room, and a gourmet kitchen. In addition, the entire second floor of the house is a newly fashioned loft apartment that will primarily house artists who are recording downstairs, but is also available for the general public to rent via Airbnb.
“It’s a great opportunity for people outside our area to come and experience a small town,” Rob Slocumb said. “Artists can come here, they can write their record, they can stay here while they’re writing it. We have the ability to give them some nice gourmet catered meals. It’s a great space to record and then they’ve got all that downtown is offering.”
The Slocumbs have been making music of their own for over 20 years as the duo Martha’s Trouble. They met in Texas and lived in Canada (Jen’s native country) for a while. When it was time to move back to the states they remembered a place that they often played while on tour and its then-burgeoning town.
“There’s just something special about this town,” Rob Slocumb said. “It’s got a great community, a great arts community, a really good music scene. It’s a sleepy town that’s got a lot of life.”
Add in a little coaxing from local entrepreneur and arts impresario Richard Patton and the Slocumbs took the leap.
“We were going to stay a year,” they say, laughing. Ten years and two kids later, they are here to stay.
In addition to performing around town, the Slocumbs host a regular songwriters’ night at the nearby John Emerald Distillery. The Sound Wall is their latest contribution to the arts community.
There they host shows and special events and they have a monthly supper club. May’s iteration features local chef Chris Wilton, who will be opening The Wilton Drink + Eat in Opelika soon.
“For Opelika to really be what we all know it’s going to be, and dream it’s going to be, we need lots of us all doing cool things,” Patton said. “There’s a lot of people downtown doing some really cool, amazing things. And you need a collaborative, supportive community to make these things work. I think we’re getting to a point now where, like Rob and Jen saw, this is a great time to do what they’re doing.”
