Staying and Recording at Willowtail
Joshua Mendrala
The ability to fully invest in art, in whatever form it takes, is a rare gift. Especially as a young person living in Durango, the ability to find the time and financial stability necessary to escape and fully dive into a project is something quite difficult to do. This very thing, however, is exactly what Willowtail granted me.
Over the last three years I have been writing an album. This piece of music is incredibly close to my heart, but has demanded the right location to record a number of pieces for it. Unfortunately, apartment complexes don’t make the best locations for recording drums and guitars. Having to act in accordance with other people’s time, curfews, and space had made recording quite difficult.
At Willowtail, I was able to utilize a beautiful lake house with plenty of space for recording, and no concern about making too much noise. Isolated in a beautiful area with a view of various birds, trees, and distant mountains, I was able to dive all-in on my project and really commit. Even more so, being just far enough away from town gave me the necessary push to focus fully on my art and avoid any distractions.
I had every amenity that I needed at Willowtail, as well as the phenomenal acoustics that came with the Lakehouse. Inspired by the location, and the opportunity, I can now proudly say that I have tracked a full album here, and am beyond excited to watch it grow, and eventually be released as a testament to what these spaces can do for artists like me.
Willowtail Springs is located on Diné Bí Kéyah, traditional Navajo land, near the escarpment of the northern sacred mountain, Dibé Ntsaa. It is also part of the open range of the Ute people, now living on the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Tribal Allotment reservations to the southwest and southeast. Additionally, Mesa Verde and the surrounding lands in Montezuma County and the Four Corners Region were occupied by the Ancestral Puebloan People a thousand years ago. We honor the past, present, and future indigenous people residing in this region and recognize them as long standing stewards of this land, amplifying our work by their historical presence and their living contributions to land preservation efforts across this region.
