Rocking Horse Studio
Encyclopedia
Rocking Horse Studio is an audio, video and multimedia production company located in Pittsfield, New Hampshire
. The studio was established in 2003 by Brian Coombes of Tristan Park
and his wife Michelle Coombes of Waking in the Blue, and designed by acoustician Michael Blackmer. Dave Pierog would join the company as Vice President and Head of Client Services in 2004. Since its establishment it has been house to musicians such as Another Animal
, The Double Yellow
, Theodore Treehouse, Godsmack
guitarist Tony Rombola
, singer/songwriter Christian Cuff; guitarist/songwriter, Joe Mazzari, The Lucid, and singer/songwriter, Will Kindler.
In 2009, Mix magazine selected Rocking Horse Studio for inclusion in its "Class of 2009" feature, which showcases the best new studios to open over the previous 12 months. (Rocking Horse had its official grand opening in April 2008.)
Brian holds an MA in Professional Communications from Northeastern University and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University
.
, and is vocalist and songwriter for the band Waking in the Blue. ("Waking in the Blue
" comes from a poem by Robert Lowell
.)
, Theodore Treehouse, The Lucid, Godsmack
guitarist Tony Rombola
, Godsmack
drummer Shannon Larkin, Christian Cuff, Might, Joe Mazzari, Sweden's Gustav & the Seasick Sailors, guitarist/producer Duke Levine, Tractor Trailer, Steve Blunt, Will Kindler, Chris Peters, Skamasutra, One Fine Morning, and Cure for Static.
Pittsfield, New Hampshire
Pittsfield is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 4,106 at the 2010 census.The central village in town, where 1,576 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Pittsfield census-designated place , and is located on the Suncook River near the junction of New...
. The studio was established in 2003 by Brian Coombes of Tristan Park
Tristan Park
Tristan Park was formed in October 1986 by songwriters Brian Coombes, Chuck Dyac, and Marc Larochelle. Early Tristan Park sets included their theatrical/musical production, "The Screams for an Absent Dawn." It was an ambitious and influential beginning for a group of fledgling songwriters.The band...
and his wife Michelle Coombes of Waking in the Blue, and designed by acoustician Michael Blackmer. Dave Pierog would join the company as Vice President and Head of Client Services in 2004. Since its establishment it has been house to musicians such as Another Animal
Another Animal
Another Animal is a hard rock supergroup formed by members of Godsmack, Ugly Kid Joe, and Dropbox.-History:During the writing sessions of IV by Godsmack, lead singer Sully Erna encountered writer's block so Tony Rombola, Shannon Larkin, and Robbie Merill went to the studio and recorded music. After...
, The Double Yellow
The Double Yellow
The Double Yellow is an award-winning alternative rock band formed in Nashua, New Hampshire in 2006 and now based out of Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The band's debut album, Everything & Nothing, was released on December 20, 2008...
, Theodore Treehouse, Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
guitarist Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist for the Boston-based heavy metal band Godsmack since the mid-1990s...
, singer/songwriter Christian Cuff; guitarist/songwriter, Joe Mazzari, The Lucid, and singer/songwriter, Will Kindler.
In 2009, Mix magazine selected Rocking Horse Studio for inclusion in its "Class of 2009" feature, which showcases the best new studios to open over the previous 12 months. (Rocking Horse had its official grand opening in April 2008.)
Brian Coombes
Brian Coombes is the producer and in-house recording engineer at Rocking Horse Studio. Prior to starting Rocking Horse, he was a founding member of the progressive rock band, Tristan Park. The band recorded four CDs and toured extensively in Europe and North America before going into hiatus in 1998. He is currently a member of Waking in the Blue, a modern progressive pop band. In 2010, Coombes became the sole owner and operator of Rocking Horse Studio.Brian holds an MA in Professional Communications from Northeastern University and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University
Southern New Hampshire University, also known as SNHU, is a private university in Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and also has numerous specialized...
.
Michelle Coombes
Michelle Coombes is the wife of Brian, whom she met in 1991, and co-founder of Rocking Horse Studio. She grew up in Nashua, New HampshireNashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
, and is vocalist and songwriter for the band Waking in the Blue. ("Waking in the Blue
Waking in the Blue
Waking in the Blue is a poem by Robert Lowell that was published in his book Life Studies and is a striking, early example of confessional poetry. Of the handful of poems from Life Studies in which Lowell explored his struggles with mental illness, this poem was one of Lowell's most forthwright...
" comes from a poem by Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell
Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
.)
David Pierog
David Pierog joined the company as a partner in 2004. Prior to his time with the studio, Pierog founded and operated a design drafting business, supplying 2D and 3D technical graphics to the civil, mechanical, architectural, and structural engineering fields. Pierog left Rocking Horse Studio in 2010. He is an accomplished drummer, currently performing in Tractor Trailer.Artists who have recorded at Rocking Horse Studio
The studios have been used by musicians such as greater Boston rock group The Double YellowThe Double Yellow
The Double Yellow is an award-winning alternative rock band formed in Nashua, New Hampshire in 2006 and now based out of Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The band's debut album, Everything & Nothing, was released on December 20, 2008...
, Theodore Treehouse, The Lucid, Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
guitarist Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola
Tony Rombola is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist for the Boston-based heavy metal band Godsmack since the mid-1990s...
, Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
drummer Shannon Larkin, Christian Cuff, Might, Joe Mazzari, Sweden's Gustav & the Seasick Sailors, guitarist/producer Duke Levine, Tractor Trailer, Steve Blunt, Will Kindler, Chris Peters, Skamasutra, One Fine Morning, and Cure for Static.