Laundry Room Studio is the music recording studio owned and operated by Producer/Engineer Barrett Jones
Founded in 1984 with the control room sharing the laundry room at the house where Barrett Jones grew up, the studio has seen many changes and lived in many locations between Arlington VA and Seattle WA.
A Brief History:
1983-1985: The first location of the studio was in the basement laundry room of the Jones house in Arlington VA. The equipment was a Tascam 34 1/4” 4-track and a Peavy 12 channel board. Some clients who recorded here were: Age of Consent, Freak Baby, Mission Impossible, 11th Hour, and the Flat Duo Jets.
1985-1986: The “route 50” house was spot number 2 for the Laundry room. Same gear as before, rates were $150 for 4 songs and $250 for 8 songs. This was a group house with the control room in a large closet and the bands would play in the living room.
Clients include: Dain Bramage, Pussy Galore, 11th Hour
1986-1988: Somewhere off Wilson Blvd in Arlington. Upgraded to a Tascam 38, 1/2”
8-track, and the Carvin MX2488 mixer toward the end of 1987. This spot was dedicated to the Band BARK
1988-1991: Upland street house, Arlington VA. With more rack gear and now a more “professional” atmosphere, this is where many a cool record was made. Local DC Bands and labels were coming out in droves to record here. Clients include: Dischord, Teenbeat, Simple Machines, Desoto, Jawbox, Sevrin, Jenney Toomey, Harlingtox AD, Velocity Girl, Holy Rollers, Geek, Sexual Milkshake, Late, Dave Grohl, and Churn.
1991-1993: A little yellow house in West Seattle: this spot was never really “official,” but the only 2 projects done here turned out to be among the most successful and influential of Barrett’s career so far. The King Buzzo CD, and the 3 Nirvana tracks.
1993-1996: The Laundry Room/EDC (Satchel pad), Lower Queen Anne, Seattle WA: First official spot in Seattle. This space sounded really great and had the added bonus of a huge load in dock with a great view of downtown Seattle. It was torn down to build a hotel. Still 8-track, with a bit more outboard gear and some DAT machines. Clients include: Satchel, Dave Grohl, Melvins, Churn, Karp, Presidents of the United States of America, Sofa Glue, Young Fresh Fellows, My Favorite Martian, Love Batttery, Mavis Piggot, Thirty Ought Six, Fitz of Depression, Zeke, Visqueen, and Kurt Cobain.
1996-2005: Greenwood Ave N, Seattle WA: Upgraded to a MCI JH 14-16 2” machine, with 24 or 16 track heads, also got the Sony/mci JH600 mixing desk (32 x 24 w/disk mix automation) from Bad Animals studio (think Steve Miller). This was a store front in the heart of the north Seattle neighborhood of Greenwood. It was a long and narrow space With 16 ft ceilings, that sounded great with drums. Clients include: Kurt Cobain, Presidents of the Undited States of America with Sir Mix-a-lot, Pilot, The Fire Theft, Spinanes, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Evermore, Dover, Goodness, Dodi, Magneto, Jimmy Eat World, Tube Top, The Chauffeur, Churn, Dave Grohl, and Gluebound.
2005-2006: South Lake Union Seattle WA: This was a very short lived space and a fiasco, it was in a building owned by Paul Allen that was set to be demolished in 5-7 years, But when Taco Del Mar Corporate took over the upstairs of the building I was kicked to to curb after only 8 months there. CD’s Recorded here: Set Your Goals “Mutiny” and Ultra High Frequency “A matter of time”
2007-present: South Park Seattle WA: Custom built into a killer Brady Bunch house, the studio Has 2 Big live rooms 2 iso booths and a great control room. Amenities Like a swimming pool, professional espresso machine and a 42 inch plasma TV make this a great studio to hang and record in. Clients include: Thunderpussy, Sundries, Mike McCready, Chad Smith, Darkheart, Brian Vogan, Cellar Bells, Om Johari, The Malady of Sevendials, Erin Tate, Brad, Stone Gossard, Visqueen, With Friends Like These,
Shawn Smith, Laundry Room Live.