According to creator and executive producer Jeff Zueger, what he does is about “portraying the music in the best light we can.” And according to Jeff, that’s against a white wall.
The White Wall Sessions, so named because of the paint job in Jeff’s original studio, is a KELO-aired program in its third season. It features local musicians recording a small selection of songs, usually four or five, to show Sioux Falls and its surrounding areas what the music scene has to offer right here.
“We basically gave those people who were in their basements a place to play,” Jeff said of the White Walls beginning. “We thought we’d get maybe five to ten [people] or something and be done.”
Instead, Jeff said he was “inundated” with requests to play on the show.
“It started out as a little Facebook project,” he said. “But it got some legs, and we’re still doing it.”
Photo courtesy of the White Wall Sessions
For the White Walls Sessions, “still doing it” means 26 half-hour episode in a season recorded from April to November and run from September to May in all of South Dakota, all of North Dakota and a good chunk of west central Minnesota. It means a program run by sponsors and a volunteer crew, which in turn means recording times that always start after the day jobs end. It means a six-camera HD setup and more terabytes of storage than most people will use in three lifetimes. It means close to 150 local artists in just under three years.
“The Sioux Falls scene is kind of seeing a rebirth,” said head audio engineer Chad Konrad. “It’s kind of catering more to the 21st century artist to get their music out to a giant audience.” Additionally, Chad and Jeff see benefits for both parties in this musical exchange: artists get exposure, and people who love local music but don’t want to sit in a bar or find a babysitter can still have access to the artists.
“It’s cool for the artists because it kind of gives them a nudge into local publicity,” Chad said. “It keeps an artist going rather than feeling that nobody’s listening to them.”
Photo courtesy of the White Wall Sessions
And, apparently, “still doing it” also means a venue change. The team hopes the White Wall Sessions recording studio will be relocated by April to the lower level of Last Stop, who has been a sponsor since season 2. The new studio will include recording studios, offices, and sound and video editing rooms, all of which are currently used to create the television and radio segments. But what it will also have is a 75-seat space for live audiences.
The Sessions space isn’t the only thing that’s expanding. According to Jeff, the last three years has seen an expansion within the Sioux Falls music industry as well, and he’s hopeful that the White Wall Sessions have played some role.
“I would hope that it’s given [the Sioux Falls music scene] some legitimacy,” Jeff said of the Sessions.
Nevertheless, whatever the impact, the star of the show is always the same.
“It’s pretty simple and down to earth what we do,” Jeff said. “It’s just about music.”
You could almost call it black and white. They’ll stick to white.
