A Salinas native, in his 20s, he and his brother Bob formed Another Roadside Attraction, a band that generated some buzz, relocated to LA, auditioned for record companies, and played some of that city’s legendary clubs. All along, he had been collecting recording and audio gear. In the 1970s, he converted his parent’s barn into a recording studio, tracking demos for his bands. Later, he became a respected sound engineer for venues such as Cannery Row’s Doc Ricketts’ Lab and Planet Gemini where he worked with many national touring acts. “At Planet Gemini, I learned a lot about digital recording techniques from [owner] Anthony Lane,” he says. “I always had the dream of building my own studio.”

And now he has. With help from contractor Jeff DiBenedetto, Viales converted a Monterey storage loft into a state-of-the-art, plug-and-play audio and video production facility. Opened in April 2024, he has already produced recordings for area musicians Heartstrings Monterey, Rose Merrill and Casey Frazier.