Andrew Ratcliffe

Tweed Recording Academy, a new school offering "cutting-edge audio engineering and mixing programs," plans to open in downtown Athens in fall 2019, according to a press release. The school will occupy the former Lamar Lewis Shoe Store building, which spans the block from Clayton Street to Washington Street and also includes the former Copper Creek brewpub.

Tweed is the brainchild of Oxford, MS producer Andrew Ratcliffe, a Georgia native whose studio has worked with artists including American Aquarium, Will Hoge, North Mississippi Allstars and many others, according to its website.

“I’ve been fortunate to learn about recording through a combination of mentors as well as practical, hands-on experience in my studio," Ratcliffe is quoted as saying in the press release. "I feel like it’s time to put my money where my mouth is and, on a heart level, give back.”

The school will offer a twice-yearly program focused on "the history, art, and application of analog and digital recording as well as mixing skills in both recording applications." Its curriculum is being written by jazz producer John Snyder and Art Institute of Nashville audio instructor Tim Hall, among others. The program workload, which the school likens to that of a typical associate's degree, will include 600 contact hours over a 20-week period. 

The academy's main entrance will face Washington Street, with classrooms on the first floor and administrative offices upstairs. The Clayton storefront will function as a standalone space "for showcasing local musicians and artists, the history of music and recording in the [Southeast], radio shows, and private event space rental."

In addition, Tweed plans to offer a separate mixing program several times yearly, featuring two-week seminars led by engineer Buford Jones. These classes will be held at the newly remodeled Winterville Auditorium in Winterville.

Organizers say the school will emphasize Athens' "great music legacy" while striving to keep creative and financial resources in the local community. Tweed "is actively seeking opportunities for students to fulfil [sic] their required time working in local venues and with local organizations," reads the press release.

It continues, "Entrepreneurship is at the heart of the program, challenging the graduating student to go out into their own communities and start their own content-based engineering and producing opportunities as well as recording studios, bands, and record labels."

For more info, visit the Tweed Recording Academy site.