On May 11, 2013, Steve Zastrow walked into the Spectrum Films Production studio to record a couple of tracks on video for a potential music web series. This potential series was an idea of Jeff Zueger and Dave Palmer and the thought was to try to get a couple of local musicians in studio and see what happens.
Rigged up with two cameras and one mic, the creators knew the project would need to feel different to stand out. It needed to look good and it needed to sound good, but It also needed to have a cinematic look and feel. It needed to be up close and personal. It needed to draw the viewer in.
The series was to be shot in front the the studio’s white cyclorama wall utilizing dynamic camera movement and foreground objects in soft, high-key light. There was only one rule. You had to perform original music. Creatively or not, the project was dubbed White Wall Sessions.
On May 13, 2013 White Wall Sessions released their first video. Steve Zastrow’s KXRB, a song which paid homage to the local country station and his father Electric Jerry Z, a DJ for the station in the 60’s and 70’s. After the video’s release on Facebook, the local community decided it liked the idea of a local music project.
The Facebook page quickly gained attention and musicians and local video crew members reached out to be involved. So did KELO TV. After an Eye on Keloland segment about the new project, the executives at KELO saw potential for a full time series. A deal was done and on Saturday, September 7, 2013 the first White Wall Sessions episode aired. The first ratings were very impressive, coming in a tight second only to SNL, the ratings champion for years on Saturday night.
By the second year, White Wall Sessions bypassed SNL and dominated the local ratings for the entirety of it’s 10 season run. White Wall Sessions also struck a deal with B102.7 FM and White Wall Sessions Radio was born, providing content for a weekly WWS podcast. The sessions eventually expanded over the air to North Dakota and was broadcast by Forum Broadcasting. Cable channels in Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa also aired the program multiple times weekly.
White Wall Sessions was fueled by community, the love of music and Keystone Light. It may not have been the best idea, but that’s how the crew was paid, with really cheap beer. If your phone went off during recording your penalty was a cold 30 pack.
The first couple of seasons also brought on essential team members who gave countless hours and would play crucial roles in the look and execution of the show for years to come. Doug Taylor, Mike Yaeger, Dan Shafer, Chad Konrad, Tiffany Sara, Karl Keuser, Pat Gayken and Tom Eisner all took the project well beyond any place it ever could have landed without their involvement.
The producers are eternally grateful to all the crew members and musicians who were involved in the project. It is estimated over 100 different people played a role in the production of the project at some point or another.
The first few seasons also brought on community partners which allowed the project to exist. Workplace IT, Bell Inc, Ben’s Brewing and of course Last Stop CD Shop, who built us a studio and gave us our final home, were all vital in funding the project. The main point of the White Wall Sessions was the musicians and the music and to expose the original music of unknown musicians to as many people as possible. It was an amazing ride and we met some fantastic friends. These friendships will never fade and the memories will never be forgotten.
In the end, White Wall Sessions recorded over 300 acts, both local and those who traveled to our great city to share their music to millions of viewers worldwide. It was our pleasure producing this show over the years and we feel very honored to receive this induction and would like to thank all involved in the process.
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