Salt Witch Studio is the brainchild of Lindsey Mills, Aly Gore and Liam Milano, and a concept that grew out of the trio filming live sessions of local bands at Delray Beach’s Kismet Vintage store beginning in 2015. No strangers to homegrown music themselves, all three have a hand in the South Florida scene, and through their experience at Kismet resolved to create a space for the kinds of performances they had been documenting.
Thus, Salt Witch Studio was born, first as “a more centralized way to present the work,” Mills explained in an email to PureHoney. From there, it has evolved into a multi-media production house for hire as well as for projects undertaken by its founders. “Music, Video, Photography, Art, Film, Production, Events,” says the studio’s Facebook page. A new offshoot is a record label whose first release will be Mill’s next full-length album, “Ecotones,” due in March.
Mills has been recording and releasing music on her own since her teens. “I’m a West Palm Beach native, went to Dreyfoos [School of the Arts] for high school (where I met my future bandmates in Surfer Blood), and spent my youth playing DIY shows around town,” she wrote.
In addition to gigging with her band, Lindsey Mills and the Lazy Lovers, she curates Salon, a monthly “Ladies Night” of music and art at venues such as Voltaire in West Palm Beach. Forming Salt Witch in her hometown with friends seems to be a culmination of her DIY mandate.
Being immersed in South Florida music and arts does not always constitute being a part of a community; there are professional “appreciators” everywhere. Having a production house when all of your friends are somehow involved with art and music might look like a no-brainer. But few artists are motivated beyond their own vision to help others realize theirs. Artists also embracing the means of production is a long time coming in West Palm.
It’s been said that staying power in the arts is less about making oneself look good and more about eliciting the best from the surrounding talent. Salt Witch Studio seems to be a product of that credo. Here’s to those that do.
Contact Salt Witch Studios at http://www.saltwitchstudio.com ~ Tim Moffatt
