Halo Live delivers in opening act

[gallery]SANDUSKY — Local indie music acts dependent on a nearby place to jam can now rock out inside a new venue.Halo Live at The Mohawk Studio debuted earlier this month with a grand opening ceremony featuring several area bands, including Crash Davenport, The Amelia Airharts, Ancient Elephant and The Casket Company.Along with his business partner, John Davenport, co-owner Shawn Daley transformed a former church building at 805 Wayne St. into a "musical oasis" for aspiring artists seeking to perform in front of an audience."There is nothing like this here between Cleveland and Toledo. It's pretty much a desert when you talk places for original live music," said Daley, who's dedicated most of his life to music. "This will help improve and expose the live indie music scene here."Other than a listening room, Halo offers a recording studio for artists to lay down tracks, possibly turning them into commercially produced songs and albums.In the near future, Daley wants to open Halo Live each weekend for shows and performances primarily by area acts. In the coming months, he envisions attracting regional and national musicians there for concerts.Cari Langenderfer performs with her band, The Amelia Airharts, during the Halo Live at The Mohawk Studio grand opening ceremony taking place earlier this month. Located on Wayne Street in Sandusky, Halo Live features a listening room and recording studioThe lowdown on The Mohawk StudioShawn Daley, co-owner of HALO Live at The Mohawk Studio, provided some insight into Halo Live at The Mohawk Studio's origins and goals:I started recording music in my basement in Milan when I was 15. My friends and I got a mixing board from a pawn shop in Fort Lauderdale. We then wired it to a small boom box tape recorder. We recorded our own band and others to get practice on the equipment. It was the initial spark that led to me into the recording arts.Fast-forward to 2005, and The Mohawk Studio officially started in my one-bedroom apartment. In 2009, I moved to a larger place in Huron. From there, I recorded and produced 40 albums in the eight years, using my home as the studio.I've worked with dozens of artists, most local, some from other countries. I even had the opportunity to produce and record an album that had Steve Albini as my engineer. He became a bit of a mentor while (I was) working there in Chicago with him.It was there with Steve, in Chicago, that I saw his passion for his city and the artists in it. He taught me that you can't just build a structure, invest in tons of equipment, throw a name on it then sit back and expect people to invest their dreams into you. It just does not happen that way. You have to get involved. You have to be a voice in the community.I imagined the city of Sandusky becoming something far more than just another town: I saw this city's leadership move to establish art and culture as a foundation. I realized that this is where I need to be.I teamed up with Dr. John Davenport to take this amazing former church on Wayne Street and make it a cultural icon. We want it to be a beacon of light for independent music recording and performance."The Mohawk Studio name came from a dare a decade ago to get that haircut. This haircut spiraled into a book that was written about my life.Shawn Daley, co-owner of Halo Live at The Mohawk Studio, addresses attendees of the music venue's grand opening ceremony taking place earlier this month. Located on Wayne Street in Sandusky, Halo Live features a listening room and recording studioReach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.Halo Live at The Mohawk Studio on Wayne Street in Sandusky on Jan. 23, 2018.Halo Live at The Mohawk Studio on Wayne Street in Sandusky on Jan. 23, 2018.