Notes for Notes Unveils Westside MusicBox

Anyone familiar with Notes for Notes knows that it was only a matter of time before the group started growing. Since getting its start back in 2004, the youth outreach nonprof has moved from a pipe dream to a highly popular—and star-studded—reality, doing everything from launching a state-of-the-art recording studio within the Eastside Boys & Girls Club to joining forces with musical heavyweights like Seymour Duncan and the Santa Barbara Bowl and hosting big-name songsmiths like Jack Johnson and Ziggy Marley.

Thanks to directors Phil Gilley and Roderick Hare, Notes for Notes has blossomed into one of S.B.’s beloved community treasures and managed to occupy that oh-so-hard-to-find space between keeping kids off the streets and being undeniably cool. All the better, then, that the project is expanding and celebrating the grand opening of the second MusicBox studio this Thursday. Like its cross-town predecessor, the new Westside MusicBox will act as a safe and creative space for kids and teens to hang out, jam tunes, and learn the ins and outs of music making.

“It’s very important that Notes for Notes has a presence on both sides of town,” said executive director and founder Philip Gilley in a recent press release: the implication being that many would-be beneficiaries from the current Eastside MusicBox simply don’t take advantage because of fear and gang tension. “This will give kids from more corners of Santa Barbara a safe place near their homes to learn about the recording process and hopefully even start some careers in the music industry,” added Hare.

While Gilley and Hare share spearheading duties, they’re the first to cite all the others who’ve helped to make this new Notes for Notes location a reality. In fact, it was through financial and equipment donations from people like Martin Gore and Chris Shiflett and organizations like the Towbes Foundation and the S.B. Bowl Education Outreach Committee that MusicBox 2.0 stands today. And we’ve got no doubt that come Thursday, the celebratory cheers and thanks will be ringing out, loudly. The official ribbon cutting takes place this Thursday, February 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the new Notes for Notes MusicBox (602 W. Anapamu St.). For info, call 613-7308 or visit notesfornotes.org.