Eudora is a typical small Kansas town. Pick-up trucks drive along the one-lane roads, gas stations are plentiful, and there’s a picturesque Main Street with quaint shops and too many empty parking spots. One thing, however, is very abnormal about Eudora, located about 12 miles east of Lawrence. The town is home to a recording studio at which Kurt Cobain, The Get Up Kids, Puddle of Mudd, Motion City Soundtrack and Senses Fail have all recorded.

 Black Lodge Recording, 701 Main St. in Eudora, was founded in 1988 as Red House Recording. The studio is now owned by record producer Ed Rose and Ryan and Rob Pope, former members of the Lawrence rock group The Get Up Kids.

 The studio is now available to local bands, and several groups made up of University of Kansas students record there.

“As opposed to paying another studio, we thought it would make sense to take that money to buy a pre-existing studio,” says Ryan Pope, who now plays in the bands Roman Numerals and Olympic Size. “It’s something we can use for years to come and expand on, as opposed to blowing tons of money by going to expensive studios.” 

One local band that’s glad the three took the leap is Ad Astra Per Aspera. Mike Tuley, guitarist for the band, says that, like many local acts, his group never considered recording anywhere else but Black Lodge.

“As a band, we’re pretty seriously loyal to local businesses,” Tuley says.

 The band recorded their second EP at Black Lodge after recording their first in a basement, and they also recorded their first album, Catapult Calypso, at the studio. Entering the studio for the first time, the relative rookies seriously underestimated the time it would take them to record, and they were also sick with the flu, which they had caught from tourmates. Tuley says Black Lodge worked with them to make sure everything turned out right. Ad Astra Per Aspera is in the studio now working on a follow-up disc with Black Lodge engineer Nick Day. 

In additon to working with Ad Astra Per Aspera, Day has worked with several other local artists, and recently put the finishing touches on new records for the bands Koufax and Roseline. He enjoys working at Black Lodge because of the talent in the area, and says it’s important for engineers to form a connection with the bands they work with.

“You have to get a band and get what they’re going for,” Day says. “The job of an engineer is to get the best performance out of everyone.” 

At Black Lodge, Rose is the chief engineer, Ryan is the general manager and Rob isn’t able to be as involved these days because he lives in Seattle and is bassist for the band Spoon. One of Ryan’s jobs is to help bands find the best engineer for their project and make sure they are happy with the studio, their final product and accommodations. 

One band that is happy with its experience is Motion City Soundtrack, who recorded their first album, I Am the Movie, at Black Lodge, with Rose producing. They chose to come check out Black Lodge at the recommendation of a friend when the band wasn’t achieving the sound they wanted. 

“In Eudora, there’s nothing to do except make the record,” says Josh Cain, lead guitarist for Motion City Soundtrack. 

In addition to the two studios, Black Lodge Recording also offers its clients a 2-bedroom apartment, which looks a lot like the perfect college kid’s apartment. The apartment costs $100 a night, but most bands are from the area or have relatives nearby. Motion City Soundtrack did live in the apartment, right after Black Lodge first acquired the space. 

“There were a bunch of mattresses thrown on the floor and we were living up there in one room,” Cain says. “We would be watching TV and some guy is walking around without his shirt on, but the place was rad and Ed was awesome.” 

Rose gave a tour of the two studios housed in Black Lodge. Studio A is the biggest and runs $400 a day. It has a large mixing room, large recording room and three isolation booths. Isolation booths are used in recording so one instrument’s sound doesn’t mix with another’s. If one player makes a mistake, the rest of the band doesn’t have to re-do a take. Studio B runs $200 a day, is about half the size of Studio A and has one isolation booth. The apartment is booked three to four months a year, and the studios are booked about 8 months a year, with Studio B getting a bit more time, according to Rose. 

If you’re not in a band but simply enjoy the recording process, Black Lodge hosts recording workshops throughout the year. According to Rose, classes cap at four participants, and those in the workshop get a complete overview of the recording process, and even practice the craft with a live band in the studio.

Black Lodge will hold its next recording workshop June 2 through June 6. To sign up, or to book recording time for your band, visit the studio’s Web site.