Musicians growing career, family on Raccoon Point

Recording studio produces songs for themselves and other artists on East Coast

Special to the Crisfield-Somerset County Times Joy Hartman Hale
Posted 2/14/21

WESTOVER — One smiles when walking into the foyer of Raccoon Point Studios. Two toddler sized drum sets are the first clue to the musical wonders found inside.

“The twins are …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already a member? Log in to continue.   Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Musicians growing career, family on Raccoon Point

Recording studio produces songs for themselves and other artists on East Coast

Posted

WESTOVER — One smiles when walking into the foyer of Raccoon Point Studios. Two toddler sized drum sets are the first clue to the musical wonders found inside.

“The twins are multi-instrumental,” comments studio co-owner, Leiana Bombz, with a proud smile. She is referring to her sons, aptly named Hendrix and Bowie, who are all of two and a half years old. With parents who sing, write lyrics and music, play numerous instruments, and produce, the two blond whirlwinds of energy have little chance of missing out on the musical genes.

Sean and Leiana Bombz both started with music as teenagers in Philadelphia, and as young adults joined the music scene on the East Coast separately, playing in bands up and down the seaboard.

By the time they met in 2012, Leiana had been touring with her band “Leiana” throughout the US, the UK, and in Japan. She had also recorded and produced three albums and did all this while raising a son and a daughter from her first marriage.

Sean has been involved with a number of bands over the years, including the punk and grunge band Slouch and he continues to collaborate with various artists to this day.

In 2020, Sean and singer/songwriter Chris Jaiden came together to form Cloaking Skies. Cloaking Skies became a four-time 2020 Grammy contender in several categories, including for Record of the Year twice, Best Rock Performance, and Best Metal Performance.

Search for guitarist leads to finding new spouse

Currently, Sean and Leiana have another band that they founded together. The One2s maintain their love for post punk and rock while mixing in their views of current events and culture.

Their first single “Game Over” from their upcoming album This Is Not That is lyrically challenging while the video shows beautiful scenery filmed at Raccoon Point beyond the end of Revell’s Neck Road.

The couple met in Philadelphia when Leiana put the word out that she was looking for a lead guitarist. The two found synergy musically and romantically. “We kept our romance quiet and kept our relationship separate from our band life. Neither of us are drama-prone.”

Their views of relationship and marriage are pragmatic as they describe what they have as a partnership. The two have found harmony by keeping their professional lives separate from their personal and family lives.

“We were old enough when we met that we knew what we each wanted out of a relationship,” says Leiana. “I already had two kids from a previous marriage, and I wanted to start a family with Sean. It was a really good thing.”

Sean adds with a smile to his wife, “But we can be romantic, too.”

Their post punk band, The One2s, is an offspring of both Sean and Leiana’s bands. “A friend pointed out that the smart thing to do would be to combine our bands rather than trying to maintain two separate ones. This way our energy wasn’t divided,” states Sean. “So, we took a guitarist from one and a drummer from the other and created The One2s.”

When asked if the name came from the fact that they merged into one band, Leiana laughs and explains, “No, it came from my mic checks I would do when we went on stage.  One. Two.”

After they married in 2016, Leiana inherited her family’s Revell’s Neck property at Raccoon Point in 2018. “I used to come down here to visit my grandparents, Caleb and Lynne Fowler when I was a kid,” Leiana recalls. “I remember going to Smith Island and thinking how different they talked.”

Both Leiana and Sean talk about how much better it has been for them to move down to the Lower Shore. “The people are nicer, the air is cleaner, and it’s beautiful,” says Sean. He adds with a grin, “And the parking? We love not having to search and fight for parking.”

Working in the studio with all music genres welcome 

At that time, there was one farmhouse on the property until Sean and Leiana built their current residence which includes their professional recording studio. “Raccoon Point Studios has the capacity to record and produce music as well as any studio in DC or New York,” says Sean. Recently, Sean collaborated with Taliesin, aka Big Tal, a poet and hip hopper out of Philadelphia, to write the music and produce his single, “On Murderer’s Boulevard (with the ghost of Johnny Cash).”

Sean also produced the music video which shows Big Tal dressed in black playing a guitar.

“We wanted a Johnny Cash vibe,” says Sean. Big Tal sings his song with a slow rhythm in a story like manner which is very reminiscent of Cash, and like Cash, brings home the meaning of his lyrics with each note. 

“Big Tal wrote the lyrics, but I put the music to the words,” explains Sean.

Though they are drawing current and popular artists from off the shore to their studio, Sean and Leiana want the local musicians to know that the studio is open to them as well.

“We like all kinds of music and I’ve worked with all different genres from country to metal to garage rock. We are open to working with bluegrass and gospel as well,” says Sean. With COVID-19, there have been changes to some of their processes while they maintain protocols to keep everyone safe, but they are looking forward to the day when they can get back to performing live as well as producing and recording more artists without the concerns for health safety brought on by the pandemic.

“We would encourage any local artists to contact us, even now. Our studio time rates are negotiable, and I believe they are more than reasonable,” states Leiana. “We believe that Raccoon Point Studios/Bombz Productions is able to provide a very unique service to the lower shore and we want to be a part of making professional recording accessible to this area and to the many talented musicians and artist that are here.”

Raccoon Point Studios opens the door for professional artists and musicians to come to Somerset County, but also in return, gives an opportunity for the music of the Lower Eastern Shore to share their music with the world. For more information on studio time, production and video services, go to Raccoon Point Studios.

Members and subscribers make this story possible.
You can help support non-partisan, community journalism.

x
X