Michael Wilson and his wife, Amanda, decided to move to Texas. But what to do with Dark Horse Music Store, their active business on South Collins in downtown Plant City? Enter their friends, David and Kaylee Cunningham, owners of Back Pocket Recording Studio.
“They approached us,” Kaylee said. “For their family, they wanted to move to Texas. They knew we were already in the business, and we were friends with them. The timing was right and they wanted it to continue on.”
“It was a great opportunity to expand the business,” David said. “When this came along, it was a great opportunity at a great time.”
“We loved the space,” Kaylee said. “We loved the foot traffic.”
David has Bachelor of Arts in Audio Production from the International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa, and Kaylee has Bachelor of Arts in Artist Development from Liberty University in Virginia. Though they don’t have degrees in the trades, the Cunninghams worked late nights and weekends for months on renovating the former Dark Horse location. “It has been great seeing it grow,” David said. The couple also work in music production for the Crossing Church location in Tampa, even though the Crossing has a campus in Plant City. “We love the people who work here as well,” Kaylee said. “We see them all of the time. We are on the same team.”
Back Pocket has worked out of its location on Alexander Street since it began in 2018. Though Back Pocket has been primarily a recording studio, in April they began music lessons, and have 10 teachers for voice, piano, guitar, bass, drums, violin, and ukelele (which a lot of kids take because it is a good introduction to guitar). Their guitar teachers are currently writing their own curriculum. With the acquisition of Dark Horse, the business didn’t consolidate, but will keep two locations.
The Cunninghams have reorganized the business under the umbrella of Back Pocket Music.
Back Pocket Academy gives music lessons at both locations. The downtown location is Back Pocket Music Store, a retail shop that sells instruments, music books, and gear. Back Pocket Recording Studio on Alexander will continue to handle production work. People have traveled from as far away as Nashville and Virginia to record in the studio. A producer they work with to create tracks on an as-needed basis is Marcus Ramsay, who written a lot of music for TV, including Netflix, ESPN, reality shows, and a song for the television show Cobra Kai. The studio also handles production for voice actors. One of their clients, James Cornwell, did a session performing two characters in a scene from Shrek that got two million hits on Instagram. A former studio client, Gabriela Martinez, is a two-time Tejano Music Awards winner, and a nominee for the Latin Grammy Awards.
Now that they have the downtown location, Back Pocket will set out their first-ever booth at the July 25 Last Friday. From the booth, the Cunninghams will sell $5 raffle tickets with a guitar as the prize. The guitar is similar to a Fender Stratocaster, but is a different brand. “We are hoping a kid will get it so they can learn to play,” David said.
“That is what sells the best in the demographic for the store,” Kaylee added. “Intermediate guitars, not super-high-end professional ones. I think it is because we have a lot of students. Then they want to level-up their instrument, so it’s perfect. As people get more advanced, they might want more advanced guitars, so we will cater to that when it comes.” Both Back Pocket locations will be open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
At the same time they have been adding to their business, the Cunninghams have been adding to their family. Kaylee is expecting their first baby, a boy, in December. “Hopefully he will be a musician too,” Kaylee said. “If not, it’s okay. But he will definitely have an appreciation for music.”