Rock is not dead.

In Ames, at least, with the help of two new recording studios and an abundance of local bands, it seems to be alive and well.

The new studios — at Bali Satay House, 2424 Lincoln Way, and KURE, Iowa State’s radio station, 1199 Friley Hall — were put in place mainly for local bands, says Waleigh LePon, entertainment director at Bali Satay House, and Brandon Bohlen, production director at KURE.

“It will be pretty much just local bands,” LePon says. “We’re going to try to make it affordable; if a band that’s performing here has a decent night at the door, they could use that money and pretty much break even in the studio.”

KURE will also focus its studio, which is now fully operational, on local bands, balancing affordability and professional quality, says Bohlen, senior in electrical engineering.

“It will be just like a regular studio, except at a lower cost,” he says. “We’re still trying to get a couple pieces of equipment to get the quality we want, but we will offer, I think, a very cheap price.”

Affordability is a key factor for a lot of local bands. As college musicians, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with enough money to pay for studio time, says John Seidl, frontman for local band Breaking Even.

“We’ll have to see if it’s something poor college students can afford,” says Seidl, junior in construction engineering.

“Whether we use [the studios] depends on the quality that comes out versus how much it costs.”

Seth Hoveland, singer/guitarist for local band Sweet Afton and senior in Liberal Arts and Sciences – open option says he shares Seidl’s penny-wise view of the studios.

“We would definitely be interested if they can compete price-wise,” he says. “If you have some more affordable things for bands, it’ll be good for everyone.”

Not all local bands are so willing to try the new studios, however.

“As far as I know, there aren’t any good studios in all of Iowa,” says Mason Viera, lead singer and bassist for The Lifestyle. “We have to go to bigger studios to get the sound we want, so we’re not interested in these studios at all — we’re above that.”

One advantage for the new studios is the sheer number of bands in Ames, says LePon, who anticipates the opening of Bali Satay’s studio within a month, and Bohlen agrees.

There are two sides to everything, and the abundance of local bands is no different. Lack of live venues has been the biggest downside to the Ames music scene, the bands say.

“There are bands popping up all over the place, which is awesome,” says Hoveland. “Every band can get recorded now — there’s just not enough venues.

The M-Shop is next to impossible to get into and People’s is hard, too, unless you’re a jam band or a house favorite.”

This misgiving with the Ames scene doesn’t seem to worry the new studios, though.