January's Small Business goes to.....

And this month it goes to....

Unlike most recording engineers, this small business owner, Jason Portizo, goes above and beyond the call of duty and advocates on behalf of the music scene in New Jersey. He's the go-to guy for indoor and outdoor sound, and it's never disappointing.  He has donated countless hours to benefit shows including the Tent City benefit last August, 100,000 Poets for Change last September, and the "5, 7, then 5" book release show last spring, and others. You can tell by the looks of this picture that Jason knows what to bring to a big gig.

So how did "Ugly Door" become the business name? I experienced that first hand when I was evaluating the rehearsal space. When Jason's business moved to the storefront, the door had gross yellow expanding foam all over it. Since the big move, the business took over 2 storefronts, and the ugly door is now the entrance to a large rehearsal room. The infamous ugly door does not allude to the very accommodating space it leads to. Once you enter the studio you'll find artwork from Dogmatic Live Art, Justin Roberts, Jess Veguez, and signed album art, marking territory that they had worked with Portizo first hand.

You can listen to some samples of recordings here:  http://soundcloud.com/uglydoorstudio/sets/samples

I was happy to see some of the polaroids I took from the "5, 7, then 5" show sitting at the command center.

Ugly Door has several charitable endeavors worth mentioning. There is an upcoming compilation disk of local bands with songs exclusively for the cd, and all proceeds go to Sandy Relief. The studio is donating time to any band that wants to be on the cd by recording one track for free. So far, it's featuring music from Chris Rockwell, Joe Miller, A Criminal Risk, Bog Iron Bloom, Just Kate, and more TBA.

In the wake of the Connecticut tragedy in December, they're running a free group ukelele class. Jason will be teaching the class himself. He writes, "George Harrison was known to drive around handing out ukuleles stating that a man cannot be angry if he's playing a ukulele. I want to spread the positive mentality that this world so clearly is lacking. Effective immediately and ongoing through january 31, I will personally be teaching ukulele lessons for free to anyone who would like to learn. Call the studio for details."

Last but not least, consider checking out the podcasts that were recorded at the studio. The Ugly Door Sessions took time and planning to get these musicians in to talk about their music.  You can listen to any of the interviews here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ugly-door-sessions/id525946442

Accidental Seabirds during their interview and live session. You can listen to it here:

Even yours truly was on the live show.

Jason interviewed deserving bands so they could have the exposure and chance to speak to their audience about their beginnings and intentions. His questions to band members are thought provoking and tied to the lyrics throughout the band's ep or lp, suggesting that Portizo really listens to the bands and cares about the messages behind the music. He gives bands a chance to be heard beyond the sound, and for this reason I chose Ugly Door Studio to be the business of the month. When I told Jason that I'd feature Ugly Door Studios, he said, "Well, I'm living my dream. I always wanted my own studio and it's come a long way. We're looking to expand too, so we have a bright future to look forward to."

http://www.uglydoor.com/

"Like" it: https://www.facebook.com/uglydoorstudio

1575 Rt 37 W #14, Toms River NJ

732-835-UGLY