John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone studio robbed, GoFundMe launched
John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studio in Oakland, CA was broken into last weekend and a lot of valuable gear was stolen:
Early on the morning of April 15, we experienced every recording studio’s worst nightmare - a crew forced their way through two reinforced doors, broke into Tiny Telephone and stole a number of items from the studio: all of our electric guitars & basses, and some very valuable microphones (including our 1961 Telefunken U47). We are all devastated. These are things we use daily to make music, beloved by the engineers and artists that record at Tiny Telephone. If you’ve ever played the Nash Telecaster or heard that U47, you know what I’m talking about!
John notes that while no one was hurt in the break-in, "the damage to the studio and the loss of equipment is incredibly painful -we’re a small arts organization in Oakland, without any kind of corporate backing or tech money behind us." He has launched a GoFundMe to replace equipment and upgrade security, if you'd like to help out. Tiny Telephone has been home to records by Death Cab for Cutie, The Magnetic Fields, The Mountain Goats, Nada Surf, Deerhoof and more over the past 25 years.
Meanwhile, John just released a new album, CRYSTALS 3.0, and just launched a tour, mostly playing house shows in Richmond, DC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Boston, two Brooklyn shows (Gowanus on 5/3 and Bushwick on 5/5), and more. He's also got house shows on the West Coast in June. Head here for more details, and all dates are listed below.
John's original Tiny Telephone studio in San Francisco closed a few years ago when he relocated to Los Angeles.
Early on the morning of April 15, we experienced every recording studio’s worst nightmare - a crew forced their way through two reinforced doors, broke into Tiny Telephone and stole a number of items from the studio: all of our electric guitars & basses, and some very valuable microphones (including our 1961 Telefunken U47). We are all devastated. These are things we use daily to make music, beloved by the engineers and artists that record at Tiny Telephone. If you’ve ever played the Nash Telecaster or heard that U47, you know what I’m talking about!
Thankfully, nobody was hurt but the damage to the studio and the loss of equipment is incredibly painful - we’re a small arts organization in Oakland, without any kind of corporate backing or tech money behind us. At our current rates, it would take years of booked studio time to pay for everything. The value of our single U47 microphone was $38,000. The cost of fixing and reinforcing all three points of entry alone to prevent future break-ins is around $15,000.
Tiny Telephone's day rate has stayed the same for 10 years: $400 a day. We want to remain affordable for new artists and foster a democratic and accessible culture for bands of all levels to make masterpieces here. (And they do!)
Because of this, we’re raising money to offset these costs: help replace some of what was lost, repair the damage, and upgrade security in and around the studio.
JOHN VANDERSLICE - 2023 TOUR DATES
4.20 - Washington, DC
4.22 - Pittsburgh, PA
4.23 - Columbus, OH
4.25 - Cleveland, OH
4.26 - Rochester, NY
4.27 - Woodstock, NY
4.28 - Portsmouth, NH
4.29 - Portland, ME
4.30 - Boston, MA
5.02 - Easthampton, MA
5.03 - Brooklyn, NY
5.05 - Brooklyn, NY
5.07 - Philadelphia, PA
5.31 San Diego, CA
6.01 - Phoenix, AZ
6.02 - Flagstaff, AZ
6.03 - Albuquerque, NM
6.04 - Denver, CO
6.06 - Salt Lake City, UT
6.07 - Boise, ID
6.09 - Seattle, WA(Magnolia)
6.10 - Seattle, WA (Duwamish)
6.11 - Tacoma, WA
6.13 - Portland, OR
6.14 - Salem, OR
6.16 - Sacramento, CA
6.18 - Grass Valley, CA
6.23 - Los Angeles, CA