SOUND STRATEGY STUDIO MOM PUTS BENEFIT CONCERT TOGETHER.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - You could call it the ultimate garage band concert.

Amid the auto repair shops along Oak Street in Canyon Country, organizers are planning an explosion of sound for Saturday that will rock your world and maybe raise some money for charity.

The second annual Santa Clarita Summer Concert, put on by Command Audio, Lombardi Management, The Aegean Group and Crystal Sound, will feature 16 bands made up of teens and young adults.

Admission to the concert, which will be held from 12:30 to 11 p.m. at Command Audio, 26846 Oak Ave., is free, but donations are being accepted for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Victims of Violent Crimes charity, as well as the Torrance Memorial Burn Center.

Both causes are close to the hearts of event organizers. Command Audio co-owner Dee Grant received treatment at Torrance Memorial after being burned over 85 percent of her body when a propane tank exploded at the Hart PONY baseball and softball fields in July 1998. Talent manager Linda Lombardi's daughter, Christine, was slain in July 2001, leaving behind two young children. Her case is still unsolved.

``The purpose of our studio is to give young people a safe place to rehearse and record their music,'' Lombardi said. ``Our whole point is to give kids a chance to express themselves, and at this concert we're even going to have a compilation CD of all of the performers. This will be the first CD some of them have ever recorded.''

Her sentiments were echoed by Rick Altschuer, a studio co-owner who handles most of the engineering duties.

``We wanted to build a place where young musicians can just hang out,'' he said. ``So many of these young kids are good, and we don't want them to have the Hollywood experience. Hollywood tells them they don't have time for them; we try and nurture that talent and give them a place to go.''

Lombardi serves as a studio mom to a lot of the musicians, enforcing rules and making the kids do chores like cleaning up after themselves in the studio. She doesn't tolerate drugs or alcohol and expects everyone to toe the line. For her efforts, she receives a lot of love and respect.

``This age, teens to 30, they want discipline and they want adults to understand. We have a tendency to turn away when they want to talk, but here we've tried to provide an opportunity to say what they think without any repercussions. They learn respect here.''

The rehearsal halls and recording studios are used by name entertainers during peak hours, which covers expenses and allows them to help struggling artists during the studio's down time. Musicians volunteered their time to help get the place built, and they continue to maintain it. What Lombardi wishes is that more parents would come and see what their children have accomplished. She is hopeful that they will come Saturday during the daylong festival.

One parent who will be attending is KLOS-FM radio personality Mark Thompson, half of the popular morning duo Mark and Brian. His son Matt plays drums with the group The Second String and will be performing in the afternoon.

Also scheduled are bands Weedeeter and Dimtribe, groups that Lombardi said will soon be signing with major producers. Others featured include All or Nothing, InDenial, Pale New Dawn, B9, Rue, Neversick, New Union, Flashpoint, Pump, Fractional and Third Party.

``This studio has given me back my spirit,'' said Lombardi. ``It makes me feel that Christine's life had worth. Maybe by providing this for kids we can stop one person from being violent or stop something from happening.''

Lombardi said the studio is in the process of starting a mentoring program involving major players in the industry to educate the musicians in what they can expect during their careers, cautioning them on contracts and record-industry expectations.

The concert will also feature vendor booths, food, raffles and a dunk tank.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Linda Lombardi, co-founder of the annual Santa Clarita Summer Concert, says time in the studio has renewed her spirit.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer