Wednesday 11 November 2015

Grime Studio Update

Justin Curtsinger from the mighty band ZUD  is heavily involved with 
Grime Studios. If you are in the area or just wish to help a great cause, 
read below.

To all friends and supporters of Grime Studios,

While there has been a bit less online presence for the past month or two (from me at least), there have been a LOT of things going on behind the scenes with Grime.

First off, a donor who requested to remain anonymous, privately threw in $5000 towards the cause a few weeks ago (note that it does not appear on the current gofundme page).

Though this donor did indeed request to remain anonymous, one thing I will say about this guy is that though he has never been to Portland or even to Maine, he clearly recognizes that the ripple effects of Grime opening and doing it's thing, go way beyond our cute little city up here. No one knows what bands will be born at Grime over the next 20 years, but when considering the current roster of bands which are stuffed into the temporary Phase Zero rooms, not to mention those who were at the old building (both as Grime and even back through the "Prime days"), the possibilities are pretty infinite.


This donation has been floating the built out along, but make no mistake, this thing is not over. With this recent donation coupled with what has been raised on the gofundme page (linked below) Grime is still about $18k short of finishing construction and getting it's occupancy permit for the 20 new rooms which are being built. This is a LOT of money, but I want to remind anyone who may look at that number and skeptically roll their eyes how much less it is than $150k, which was the original goal a year ago. Over $110k has been raised since last October, mostly via means which do not include crowd funding.

I don't think that it's much of a secret that I do not believe these online fundraising things are very effective towards anything that does not include either alcohol, sex or some joke that happens to go viral and probably has something to do with some celebrity, but..... this thing is so close that it is at a point where every little bit REALLY DOES COUNT. www.grimestudios.com (currently redirects to the gofundme page)

Anyone with questions is always welcome to get in touch. Thanks to everyone who has supported and believed in this project, from the beginning and those who jumped on along the way. It has been a wild ride, through all kinds of turbulence, times of uncertainty and almost downright hopelessness, but this thing is almost clear for a safe landing. From that point on, things are looking pretty bright. The waiting list of bands waiting for the rooms to be finished is more than 50 deep and the landlord of the building continues to show a huge amount of enthusiasm towards the project and it's long term effects. For those who truly believe that Portland, Maine should have more to be proud of than it's restaurants and micro breweries Grime is what will turn this place into a real music town. But, without a place to rehearse, there is nothing to bring to a stage or to record later.


Please support and thank you.

Justin Curtsinger

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