don’t Poke the BEAR

It wasn’t too long ago that there seemed to be a reasonable selection for rehearsal and recording studios in Geelong. However, more recently, there has been a noticeable lack of places to record your next EP or album. That was until don’t Poke the BEAR, located on Gordon Ave, opened its doors – offering the newest option for recording and rehearsal in Geelong.
From the street front, it’s a little bit of a treasure hunt to find, but as soon as you see the ‘don’t Poke the BEAR’ logo you know you’ve got it. Walking through the front door you are presented with a small foyer that requires a phone call to gain entry to the main facility.
Meeting me today to have a chat about the studios and give me a tour is Tom, who is dressed in a plain white T-shirt with a beard of a healthy length. I wouldn’t quite call him a hipster and, as a fan of the beard myself, I was definitely impressed and complimenting him on his growth.
Once you step inside you will be blown away.  As Tom guided me through the facility you’re greeted with a narrow corridor that branches off into all of the spacious rehearsal rooms that are all available to hire; offering plenty of options for musicians in Geelong and beyond. Walking through the halls, it was quite overwhelming to see the state of the art facilties that don’t Poke the BEAR offer. If you’re a musician or creative type who knows the local area well, you’ll be left in no doubt that this facility is the first of its kind in Geelong, and chances are, it’ll be just the thing you’re looking for.
The main recording space is divided into a live room with a vocal booth and drum booth branching off to the side.
“There are plenty of options in terms of putting down drums to your live recording. If you are after a more isolated and professional sound to your drums, we are able to facilitate that,” Tom says. One of the main questions that was burning in me to ask was, how did the name come about?
“It was one of those names that just came about in the discussion of what we should call it. It was settled on by the CEO and from all the rumours of everyone on the team, he is ‘the bear’. I would really hate to find out what would happen if you were to poke him. So just don’t okay!?” Tom jests as we move into the main control room.
Open for the best part of six months, don’t Poke the BEAR has been receiving a lot of comments that it’s quite exciting to see a fully fledged recording studio in the middle of Geelong. If you have been to experience the  facility first hand, you will know exactly what I am talking about and if you haven’t I’d highly recommend you do.
“There have been a lot of comments about what it is that we are doing here. It’s very inconspicuous at the front and just says ‘don’t Poke the BEAR’. Now people know what we are talking about,”he says.
The strength of don’t Poke the BEAR’ is it is not just a studio, it is designed to be a full artist hub catering to all your needs,  “We were excited about the opportunity to have a full service musicians hub that can offer everything from rehearsing, live sound equipment hire and recording all  under the one roof” he goes on to say.
“We hope that in the next five to 10 years we can become a mainplayer to recording and rehearsal in Victoria,” Tom says.
“I think the recording, rehearsing and hiring side of things will take off as more and more people get to know about it. It’s a very exciting time for us and definitely keep your eyes open on our social media websites for all the updates as they happen.”
Written by Tex Miller
Where: 40 Gordon Avenue, Geelong West
Website: http://dontpokethebear.com.au/
Contact: 1300 650 892