Zach Wallace and Ruben Zarate had long wanted to open a brick-and-mortar space. But what exactly it would house, they weren’t sure.
Both musicians and members of Santa Barbara’s Dante Elephante, which Zarate started in 2010, the pair were always looking for ways to contribute to the city’s robust music scene beyond the band.
On tour, between shows, they constantly talked about ideas — opening a record store, a guitar shop, or something else connected to music. Zarate was always browsing Craigslist for possible commercial spaces.
Then Santa Barbara music producer Tom Flowers informed them about a spot in Old Town Goleta, which was next to his own studio he’s had for several years.
Flowers told them there was “something about this building.” The ceilings are acoustic panels like those used in the ’60s and ’70s to absorb sound, which means the rooms naturally sound good for recording.
It was perfect.
In February, Wallace and Zarate officially opened Day Off Recording Co., a passion-driven, community-focused boutique recording studio that helps artists move beyond home recording to professionally finish and release songs in a supportive, low-pressure environment.
Wallace contributed recording gear and synthesizers he had been collecting since he was a kid, which formed a big part of the studio’s initial setup. Their approach emphasizes songcraft and production detail — layers, synths, overdubs, vocals — rather than capturing a super-loud band in a single room.
Founders Zach Wallace and Ruben Zarate at Day Off Recording Co. | Photo: Ingrid Bostrom
With more than a decade in the industry, they can step in and help musicians work through creative blocks. “I think one thing that we see from a lot of clients is that they hit a wall,” says Zarate. And when a project calls for someone else’s expertise, they’re quick to call in a local Santa Barbara musician who fits the bill.
When Zarate started Dante Elephante when he was 20 years old at UCSB, his early bandmates came largely through Craigslist. Though the lineup has changed over the years, Dante Elephante remains a cornerstone of the Santa Barbara music scene. Having built his own band from the ground up, Zarate knows the early struggles firsthand. Now, he and Wallace hope to guide young bands in Isla Vista through the same formative stages he once navigated.
“We can guide them in a direction that points them to people they could talk to if they wanted to join a record label, or if they wanted to do it independently,” Wallace says. “We can teach them how to release music independently. So, it’s not just about the writing and the recording — it’s like, ‘Okay, where do you go from there?’”
Beyond music recording, they’re also hoping to offer voiceovers, podcasts, and live-session-style performance videos in the space. Zarate and Wallace hope, through the studio, to make Goleta’s music scene “bigger and better.”
They both have day jobs, too. Wallace is a music teacher, teaching bands, songwriting, and music theory at a Santa Barbara middle school and high school, and Zarate is a driver for the Mental Wellness Center. Day Off Recording stemmed strictly from their love of music.
As Wallace puts it, “We both have full-time jobs. We don’t make our money from this. This is a passion project.”
For more information, check out Day Off Recording on Instagram @dayoffrecordingco. For bookings, contact Day Off at dayoffrecordingco@gmail.com. Website coming soon.
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