There is hope yet for poor musicians, a place where no one will complain if the band is too loud. The place is called Lennon Rehearsal Studios.

Nestled in a sunny alley south of Market between Ninth and 10th Streets off Harrison, Lennon’s eclectic facade hides a massive stock of musical supplies tucked away in a cramped lobby. Professional PA systems in every room amplify a sonic collision of sound seeping out through the studio doors and erupting in the hallway.

For three and a half hours of rehearsal time, the studio offers four small rooms for $30 and four larger rooms for $40, and is open until midnight on weekdays and 10 p.m. on weekends.

“In Lennon we play better than anywhere else,” said Sean Reilly, guitarist for the band Springfield, which has jammed at the studio four nights a week for two years. “Every band should come and play there, we love it so much.”

Springfield has been preparing at Lennon for a show on campus, at 8 p.m. Sept. 8th at The Depot in the Cesar Chavez Student Center. The band’s style of rock music fits in well at the studios, a strong center for working and developing bands in San Francisco for 13 years.

“It’s a labor of love,” said Carol Lennon, owner of the studios, and proud devotee to the idea that an affordable rehearsal space can be free of hassle and available to everyone. “We do it for the musicians.
“It’s their home away from home.”

Lennon is currently completing a large expansion nearly one year in the making. By the end of this year the six-person staff will open the doors of the 6,000 square foot warehouse directly across the alley from the original rehearsal hall, providing 25 to 30 additional studios.

Bands like Springfield, which usually have to call weeks in advance to reserve their spots, will have greater leeway in reserving a practice space as demand for rehearsal studios increases.

Lennon’s clients include Green Day - who shot pieces of their breakthrough video, “Longview,” in the studio - Cheap Trick, NOFX and many of the artists on the Bay Area label Fat Wreck Chords. Other include The Pretenders, AFI and in former days, punk rock legends like Black Flag, the Dead Kennedys and Fugazi.

“Our idols play there,” said Reilly, 24, who said he was excited about playing at a studio where bands can pay in advance, set up their equipment, lock the door, welcome their friends and drink and smoke freely. “If it’s good enough for them, it has to be good enough for us.”

The band almost chose to share a space at Secret Studios, the only city-wide competition offering hourly rates. When they found Lennon and everything it had to offer they fell in love instantly, Reilly said.

“There is an unmatched level of professionalism there,” said Will Philp , a cinema student in his final semester at SFSU and one of the revolving members of the polyrhythmic funk-reggae band Spontaneous Grooves. “In the studio you have to be on top of it. There is much more purpose.”

Spontaneous Grooves is also one of many bands that rent out Lennon’s 1,000-square-foot pre-production studio, complete with a stage, massive sound system and a lounge. For over three hours of rehearsal time in the studio it only costs $60. The studio also occasionally plays host to private parties where local bands and bigger acts alike can put on an intimate show.

“Once we get there it’s like synergy,” said Kevin Pooler, keyboardist for Spontaneous Grooves and an electronic music major at SF State. “You can tell every band there is working towards becoming good musicians - we feed off the energy and the people there.”

The studios tingle with the raw and diverse energy of many different styles of music. The front office features montage of musical accessories and memorabilia - like an old record made into a clock on the wall and the Zildjian cymbals shading the lights hanging from the ceiling, making for a charming yet truly rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere.

“I’m in my own little room when I play there,” said Andrew Wakefield, drummer for Spontaneous Grooves. “It’s like that Weezer song – ‘A garage where I feel safe.’”