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Maidenbaum Propert y Tax Reduction Gro up, LLC 483 Chestnut Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516
APRIl 15 - 21, 2021
Remembering the ‘mayor of Merrick’ by KAtE NAlEPINSKI agarcia@liherald.com
Andrew Garcia/Herald
thE SouND lAb’S Head Engineer, Joe Lindsay, prepared to record with artist Sammi Rae. They sat in Studio A, a newly renovated room decked out with state-of-the-art equipment.
Marcia Gould was to Merrick what actor Kevin Bacon is to Hollywood. The longtime Merrick resident was such an integral part of the Bellmore-Merrick community that Gould’s friends
and family members believed that, in the same way that Bacon can be linked to virtually any actor through no more than six connections, Gould can be linked to nearly any local resident. “My mom just RAyMoND ADAMS knew everyone, a n d eve r yo n e Merrick resident knew h e r, ”
S
he always made you smile.
Continued on page 11
Musicians find inspiration at the Sound Lab by ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com
A dim purple light cast a moody, low-key glow in one of the Sound Lab’s newly renovated recording studios in Bellmore. Paired with a raft of recording equipment and music that filled the air, the room begged its occupants to let their creative juices flow. And from Head Engineer Joe Lindsay and artist Sammi Rae, flow they did. Rae is one of many young Long Island artists who have come through the Sound Lab’s doors in recent months. Since it opened last October, hundreds of artists
have used the Bedford Avenue business to produce music of their own. On a recent Wednesday, Lindsay, an experienced m u s i c p r o d u c e r, w a s rehearsing with Rae before recording new material. They brainstormed which Adele song they should work with, and Lindsey later picked out a melody on his electronic keyboard that gave Rae a chance to test her vocal range. “I had no idea what was about to come — it blew up,” said Jay Ortiz, a Bellmore resident and Sound Lab studio manager who heads its marketing. “It’s growing quicker than I thought it
I
want people to leave here with something more than a song and an experience in a studio.
JAy oRtIz
Manager, the Sound Lab would.” Ortiz is one of the forces behind the scenes at the studio. As its manager, he helps organize the day-to-day
operations while also leading a marketing team that helps promote both the Sound Lab and the music and artists that come out of it. Before Lindsay joined the team, Ortiz was a “believer in not needing much equipment,” he said. “I felt that you could record anywhere, like a quick way of recording.” T he interior of the Sound Lab, in turn, reflected that — until Lindsay arrived. He helped deck the rooms out with soundproofed walls, new lighting and equipment. With his more professional approach, Ortiz said, more and more
m u s i c i a n s h ave b e e n streaming to the business. Now, “it can’t get much better,” Ortiz said. The Sound Lab has also been the perfect outlet for Jesse Eplan, a Merrick native and John F. Kennedy High School graduate who has an audio engineering degree from the Los Angeles Film and Recording School. While Eplan helps many artists produce their songs, he, too, produces music of his own. “When I do a session with an artist, it helps my music, too,” Eplan said. “I’m an engineer and a producer, Continued on page 3