NEWORLD
‘began’ about 25 years ago in a large (136’ x33’) four
story henhouse located in Blue Hill Falls, a small town on the
coast of Maine. The eight track recording studio became
operational in 1976 and was the home of Noel
Paul Stookey’s early solo recording projects as well
as those of outside talents, (the most notable being DAVID
MALLETT). As the building’s facilities continued to expand,
so did its attraction to the surrounding artistic community and
over the next ten years the modest recording facility attracted
performers from all over the world.
The NEWORLD
personnel in those early days consisted essentially of just
three people; Noel Paul Stookey, (the ‘Paul’ of Peter
Paul and Mary ), Stu Davis, (a ‘folkie’ , interested in
learning about the engineering-recording process) and Elaine
Sutherland (who lent her organizational skills to the clerical,
scheduling, and road managing for Noel and the Bodyworks Band;
occasionally doing backup vocal chores). Living in nearby Surry,
I joined this ever-expanding (and seldom predictable) group as
an accountant/bookkeeper and, though I missed out on those early
renovations to the henhouse I would nonetheless often hear about
the ‘glory days’; the wielding of hammers instead of
typewriters, paint brushes or guitar strings.
By the early
80’s, the large building had been essentially ‘cut in
half’ to its present 66’ length and featured both audio and
mechanical shops capable of on site repair, research and
development. Initially host to a multi-track recording studio,
billing and marketing offices, the NEWORLD location would
eventually boast a working animation office suite complete with
its own airtight, vibration-reduced rack-mounted camera room,
darkroom, story board and conference areas and offices, plus two
complete apartments, and a workshop carved out of the cavernous
sprawling basement for Noel Paul’s father, Nick!
In it’s heyday,
the ‘henhouse’ was always full of animators from the states
and nearby Canada , mimes, artiste’s, carpenters and
technicians; all called to the pristine beauty of the coast of
Maine and to share Noel’s vision. We were often entertained by
the animator/musician and humorist Tim Sample and the energetic
challenging wit of the NEWORLD publicity agent, Louie Mitchell.
Moved by the talents of Paul Trowbridge, David Snyder, Bob
Wilson (did I mention he made a mean mustard sandwich and was
always willing to share), Grady Holloway, Reg Bennett, Deborah
Brewster, Karen Frangoulis…the list of people who slipped in
and out of the building over the years is so much longer and
every one who came and went added to and was enriched by the
creative environment. By the mid 80’s the henhouse
‘family’ had grown to include a non-profit
listener-supported radio station, WERU.
Nonetheless, after
rejoining Peter and Mary, Noel Paul found he was spending less
and less time in Maine. The recording studio languished. The
animation group went its separate ways. The radio station (which
by then was occupying the entire 1st floor) moved to
it’s own facilities. Following four years of study at Harvard
Divinity School, Noel Paul’s wife Betty was selected in 1997
as the Chaplain for the NORTHFIELD
MT HERMON school and Noel and Betty moved to
Massachusetts, leading to the sale of the Henhouse to it’s new
owner Andrea Hendrix.
So, that’s
the history…the animation suite has been converted into
apartments and offices and, although the recording studio/audio
workshop is now merely a repository for old parts, the 4th
floor workshop remains, in that quintessential Maine way,
‘Reg’s room’. The fact is, the ‘spirit’ of NEWORLD
continues to evolve…please pardon the occasional chicken
feather that you may find in the corner, NEWORLD MULTIMEDIA
still has some growing to do…
-Joyce Hall
