Richard Upchurch assembles ‘experimental instruments’ ranging from miniature pianos to recorders in his workshop.
11:04 AM on Jul 26, 2022 CDT
The first musical gadget Richard Upchurch made was a gift for his four-year-old nephew — it was a simple wooden box with a button to record a sound, a button to play it back and a knob to speed up or slow down the audio.The "Loopy Lou" voice recorder created by Upchurch is BrandNewNoise's best selling device.
His nephew showed it to his teachers, who wanted to buy one, so Upchurch made five more. Over a decade later, Upchurch now makes the contraptions full-time for his Dallas-based company,What started with an “old-school tape recorder concept in this playful box,” he said, now encompasses a range of handmade “experimental instruments,” including miniaturized pianos, harmonicas and xylophones, all of which have recording capabilities.
The list of rockstar clientele, indeed, is long. Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac and country star Brad Paisley all count themselves among Upchurch’s patrons. But why, when these A-list musicians have access to cutting-edge, industry-grade audio equipment? “There’s a freedom and charm to the simplicity,” said Upchurch. “Yes, you can probably do this on your iPhone. But there’s something about the fact that what I make is singular in its use, and it sounds unique, and it’s tactile, and it’s immediate.”. Dana Gerber is a reporter covering a variety of stories about culture, entertainment and the arts at The Dallas Morning News. She previously interned at the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine and Bethesda Magazine in Maryland.
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