Community Highlights: Meet Rodney Pino of Grooveworks Studios

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rodney Pino.

Hi Rodney, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Like most musical teens in the 70s, I began practicing drums in my mom’s garage. I played in bands like Eden, Joshua, and Data Clan (which later became Love/Hate) in the mid-80s. In the 90s, I briefly stepped away from drumming to front a few bands (Her Obsession, The Brash). I returned to drumming in 2000 and also started Groove Works Entertainment, LLC with three partners in Torrance. It was an 8,000-square-foot facility with 16 rehearsal rooms, a recording studio, and a large stage for music video shoots and tour practice. Most of our clients were local South Bay bands, but we did have some big names and international acts come through. While the studio took off, I got picked up by hard rock band, Silent Rage. I was fortunate to go on a European tour, did a couple music festivals (Rocklahoma, Firefest UK), and recorded drums on their album “Four Letter Word” (2008, Frontiers Records). It was in S.R. that I met bassist EJ Curse, who had started a No Doubt tribute act, No Duh, in 2004. I joined them as a backup drummer and eventually became full-time. Over the nearly two decades I’ve been with No Duh, we’ve played for U.S. troops across Iraq, performed on a cruise in the Mexican Riviera, and were featured on AXS TV’s “World’s Greatest Tribute Bands.” In 2015, to solve the issue of long setup/break down times during shows, and constantly losing wingnuts and felts on cymbal stands at the studio, I developed the idea of No Nuts Cymbal Sleeves. After a couple years of building prototypes, my business partner, Bill McFadden (one of the original founders of Grooveworks), came up with the ideal design & material. We received a patent in 2017 and NNCS became commercially available for the first time in April of 2019. Bill now runs the business and has made it what it is today. It’s been a wild journey in the music industry, and I feel very grateful to still be doing what I love to do… drumming every week, traveling, and running a successful music studio.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Working in the music industry has definitely been a roller coaster ride. There have been some amazing ups, and some scary downs. But I have always adapted, rolled with the punches, and refused to give up. When we suddenly had to move our business for a second time because our building was sold out from under us, we were faced with the challenge: give up, sign another lease and risk repeating the same old story, or take a leap and invest in a place of our own. Purchasing a commercial building and rebuilding from the ground up was not easy, but completely worth it. It was a new beginning… a push that we needed.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
When we started Grooveworks Studios (known then as Groove Works Entertainment) 26 years ago, we wanted to bring other South Bay artists closer to home and make it easier for them. There wasn’t much available to musicians in my neighborhood. And there was a LOT of great music coming out of the South Bay, from punk and metal, to jazz and R&B. After becoming the sole proprietor, and with rent continuously rising, I needed a fresh start.

My wife and I relocated Grooveworks to Gardena in 2012 to downsize and be closer to the freeways. We were starting over with a totally different clientele… and not just locals. We were receiving musicians from Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles, and even the Inland Empire and Orange County. We began to focus on clean, comfortable hourly rehearsal rooms with PA & backline, and spaces for independent recording studios. A lot of bands would walk into our small studios and laugh and say they were bigger than most “large” rooms they had been in.

After leasing for over two decades, we had the opportunity to purchase our own building in Long Beach, CA! We’re excited to be located in between trendy Bixby Knolls and the revitalization efforts along Atlantic Avenue in Uptown LB. Along with my architect, engineers, and contractor, I put a lot of work into the design of the rooms. Although we had many compliments on the sound quality at our old location, these new rehearsal rooms’ walls have even more soundproofing materials and layers to minimize vibrations and sound bleed. We take pride in our studios and love hearing compliments about how clean and nicely decorated everything is. We now offer complimentary coffee & tea in the lounge for our patrons. Our recording engineer is Jon E Love, a long-time friend and former bandmate (Data Clan). Jon has worked with many feature film score productions with artists such as Tom Jones, Thomas Dolby, MGM, New Line Cinema, Dreamworks, Sony, and Atlantic. Always upgrading, we’ve also made plans to add more groovy art installments in the lounge as well as exterior murals to celebrate our 26th anniversary.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Taking risks is important for growth. If I hadn’t taken risks, I’d probably still be in my mom’s garage playing drums. Go to the audition, start a business, invest in something, go backpacking around the world. If you don’t take any chances in life, you’ll be left wondering what could’ve been.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.grooveworksstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grooveworksstudios
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrooveworksStudios/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grooveworksstudios
• Twitter: https://x.com/grooveworks2000
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/grooveworksstudiosLA
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@grooveworksstudios