Colonial Arts Center seeks to grow Buckhannon’s original music scene

BUCKHANNON – The Colonial Arts Center aims to become the headquarters for local, original music.

The Buckhannon-Upshur Chamber of Commerce attended the CAC’s monthly meeting at the Colonial Arts Center on Sept. 9 to learn more about its musical programs and how they encourage locals to write and record their own music.

Colonial Arts Center programmer Bryce O’Loughlin said he is also hoping to raise funds to improve the programs by purchasing computer lab equipment and editing software.

“When I was pursuing my degree, I took an interest in ethnomusicology, studying music cultures around the world,” O’Loughlin said. “At the same time, I was meeting fellow students from all around the country, talking to them about their town, and I came to learn something: Buckhannon not only has a music culture; it has a very special music culture.”

“Since then, I’ve been on a personal mission to preserve and cultivate the Buckhannon music culture,” O’Loughlin added.

O’Loughlin was appointed to a full-time position at the CAC in June 2026, so he could pursue this goal through local music programs. During the meeting, he also gave a tour of Studio 4, a place for people to record their original music.

“We’re not going to record covers in here because we’re trying to create something. We also have a green screen, which is mostly for a project, which is a variety show that features local artists,” O’Loughlin said. “I’m hoping to let people use the green screen some, especially if they could edit it. The problem is, I can’t edit all the stuff that’s going on in here, so I want to get the people editing their own stuff.”

In the context of a music recording studio, a green screen is a large bright-green backdrop, typically used for video production. If a musician performs or records in front of it while being filmed, the green background can be digitally removed and replaced with almost anything, including an animated background or a concert stage, etc.

O’Loughlin also noted he customized the studio so the room absorbs bass reflections.

“When I record, instead of having a bunch of sound bouncing back and muddying it up, I’m only getting some reflections; that’s why there are panels everywhere,” O’Loughlin said. “I recently got myself a measuring microphone that’s going to measure the frequencies bouncing around in here and tell me how to treat the room even better.”

O’Loughlin is also raising funds to purchase more equipment and possibly establish another studio space.

“I always need more equipment to do more, faster, better downstairs in the studio. I would like to have a computer lab because we’re creating content, and I want to be teaching these community members to mix and edit themselves. I don’t have time to mix everybody’s music. I’m trying, and it’s too much. I’ve worked on over 80 songs since starting Studio 4 in January this year,” O’Loughlin said.

He said he’s putting together a proposal for the Lowe’s Heroes program.

“I’m putting together a proposal for the Lowe’s Heroes program,” he said. “Now that I’ve treated this room with my own hands, I feel like I can put a proposal together, and then Lowe’s can help me treat the next room. I want that computer lab across the hall so we can create the content here, and then we can edit it.”

He is also hoping to find a sponsor for Local Music Night so local artists can display their work.

“The premise of Local Music Night is that we pay those musicians to play original music, which is a very important thing to do, and it’s increasingly rare in this world,” O’Loughlin said. “To be a sponsor of Local Music Night is to directly inject money into the music scene, and to create that concert, you’re inspiring young people to participate, to pick up a guitar and learn, so that’s very important.”