Dooplex Studios

By Emily Bontatibus

Jonah Wakefield standing in Dooplex Studios. Photo by Emily Bontatibus

Nestled in the back of a warehouse in Bangor is a small recording studio with huge ambitions.

“Honestly audio engineering was the backup plan so I could always be working in music,” stated Dooplex Studio owner, Jonah Wakefield, “now it’s helping the band, so it all kinda revolves around Milk. St.”

At the age of 7, Wakefield picked up the guitar. Just two years later he knew that he wanted to be a part of the music industry. By 15, Wakefield began recording with a USB microphone and music software, which blossomed into the birth of Milk St., a local indie band.

Wakefield showed intense determination in the music field early in his career.

“I was sick of my job at Chili’s and I was like I want to do my band,” Wakefield said, “I messaged OHOP and I was like, ‘fuck it, maybe they’ll text back’, and he did.”

Milk St.’s first show was on a random Wednesday night at Orono House of Pizza. Wakefield had a relatable realization that he wanted more as a college student than work and school, so he jumped at the opportunity.

However, Wakefield has bigger dreams beyond being the vocalist and guitarist of Milk St..

New England has a powerful and steady hardcore music scene, which can make it intimidating for other genres of music to develop a fanbase, mentioned Wakefield. He hopes that with his efforts in the studio and on stage he can create a stable indie scene in Maine.

“It’s by donation, so if people can’t afford whatever then I’m just like ‘give me what you can, I want to get your album out there’,” stated Wakefield.

Dooplex Studios began in 2018 in the small attic of Wakefield’s old apartment building. He would organize small shows and create loud noises which alerted his neighbors. But, this did not strike him down.

In January of 2023 Dooplex Studios moved to their new official location in Bangor. Though, it comes with its struggles.

“I had no way to bring people in or to like show people,” Wakefield said, “so it was a lot of brute-force social media marketing.”

In Southern Maine there are a decent number of recording studios and venues for musicians to perform at, in Bangor, not so many. According to Wakefield, about six bands in the area are creating their own material, but when it comes time to record they opt for studios in Portland due to reputation. Wakefield hopes to create a beacon for Northern Maine music through Dooplex Studios.

Empty waiting area in the warehouse before a show. Photo by Emily Bontatibus

Once he secured the new location, Wakefield planned concerts in the space to bring attention to his studio. Crowds of 80-100 people would show up in the small waiting area of the warehouse to watch a band perform. Bands all the way between Texas and Connecticut have traveled to play here. Cheem and Joystick have also contributed. But since Covid, the scene has dwindled.

“There were a lot more bands in the local scene and a lot of their friends were into local music and they’d go to shows just to go to shows,” stated Wakefield, “Whereas now people go to shows because their friends are in the band and they want to see their friends playing, as opposed to just seeing music.”

But, as Wakefield said, “There are new bands that pop up every semester and then next semester they might not be there, and that’s what music is for. It's supposed to be fluid, it's fun, it's art.”

Dooplex Studios plans to become a multimedia company, similar to Audiotree. Wakefield hopes to implement music videos, full recording sessions and musician interviews.

Wakefield is someone who truly believes that human art needs to be shared no matter the cost.

“Since it’s here,” Wakefield stated, “I might as well help other bands is how I look at it.”