Absolute Rehearsals
By D.J. Ivie

Why would a guy with degrees in English and chemistry start a business that caters to a bunch of musicians who are usually broke, drunk, stoned or all of the above?

“The simple answer is, I don’t know,” Absolute Rehearsals’ owner Michael Roth says. “But you have to do something that works for you on more levels than just financial.”

As a teenage guitar player in the house band at El Patio in New York, Roth had the chance to back up some of the greats - Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye to name a couple. At twenty, he quit organized music after his fretting hand was crushed. He then went on to numerous endeavors including a vending machine route and working for a dot com company. One thing stayed constant— his love of music.

He realized something needed to be done when his buddies were paying rent to rehearse in what appeared to be abandoned warehouses.

“At some jam rooms you never know if you’re going to be locked out, if the power will be on or if your equipment will still be there,” Roth points out.

“The Dallas music scene is ill. It’s like the dust after The Big Bang, there is no center of gravity holding it together. To a certain extent I blame the jam rooms.”

When he opened up shop, he went big. At 40,000 square feet, The Absolute Rehearsal space is a musician’s ultimate dream. There are over one hundred rehearsal rooms, which can be rented hourly or monthly. The equipment rental room boasts everything from a simple PA to a vintage Rickenbacker guitar. The lounge not only has well-stocked soda and snack machines but a plasma TV with an X-Box and a pool table. Also, wi-fi and satellite are both available in the building.

The rehearsal facilities are just the tip of the iceberg. There are two performance venues, the biggest of which can accommodate over 200 people. To say this place is full service is an understatement.

The Absolute space also houses Dang! Studios, which has an impressive list of clients. Park Cities Media handles printing and website needs. Radius has a professional photographer who can do simple promo shots as well as music videos.

“Instead of musicians getting screwed all over town, I want a business where they have everything they need in one place,” he smiles. “Plus get a cheap drink.”

Future plans include a music store, liquor licenses for the clubs (applications already filed) and even entertainment lawyers.

With more income streams than just rehearsal rooms, Roth is able to make all of this possible at a more than competitive price.

“Artists deserve more respect, which means they deserve a decent place to jam,” he states. “The main concern should be if a chorus or bridge works - not having to worry if the ceiling tiles will fall in.”