An introduction
Gathering 01 · Spring 2027 · The story of sound
Contents
In this deck
Who we are, the gathering, and the land it happens on.
Introduction
What we believe · Who we are · What we do · By the numbers · In their words · The team
003
The gathering
Gathering 01 · The programme · A day · Three nights · The feeling · Ways to come
010
The land
The property · Site plan · The spaces · Day and night · Where we sleep · Getting there
018
What's next
Partners · Timeline · Next steps · Full bleed
025
A Sanctuary for Sound
Bastion · Bastion at night · One path, three places · The places · What happens at Bastion · A year at Bastion
030
·Contents
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Introduction
Life is better together.
What we believe
004
Who we are
005
What we do
006
By the numbers
007
In their words
008
The team
009
·Introduction
(001)Gathering 01
003
What we believe
A thank-you note to the rooms that changed us, and an invitation to what's next.
Better Together · Est. MMXXVI
·Introduction
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Who we are
We gather the people who make the room
Better Together began with a simple belief: life is better together. We build rooms that are deeper than a party and more alive than a conference.
We bring together people who would not otherwise share a table, give them something real to explore, and let the evening take its course: a talk, a long dinner, a dance floor and the conversation at two in the morning.
Photograph: Martin Parr · used as direction
·Introduction
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What we do
Three things we do
01
We gather
Small, composed rooms of people who make things, around a subject worth exploring together.
02
We explore
Culture and its open questions: where scenes come from, what they carry, and where they go next.
03
We keep the record
What happens in the room is written down, photographed and passed on, so it outlives the night.
·Introduction
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By the numbers
One gathering at a time
Gathering
The first, in spring 2027.
Nights
Friday to Monday, on the land.
Guests
Replace with the confirmed number.
Skies
One for each gathering to come.
·Introduction
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“
Twelve people who shouldn't be in the same room, but are.
Name Surname
Role · Guest of a friend
·Introduction
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The team
Who makes the room
Steve Tam
Co-founder
Creative direction, brand, storytelling and experience design.
Leon Kirchhoff
Co-founder
Strategy, operations, network architecture and governance.
Name Surname
Role
One line about what they bring.
Name Surname
Role
One line about what they bring.
·Introduction
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The gathering
Three days, one sky, Rooms for Creatives.
Gathering 01
011
The programme
012
A day
013
Three nights
014
The feeling
015
Ways to come
016
Gatherings to come
017
·The gathering
(001)Gathering 01
010
BT-001 · Vol. 01
Est. MMXXVI
Gathering
Season
Spring 2027
Theme
The story of sound
Nights
01 · 02 · 03
Guests
000
Sky
01 · Sunset Dust
Rooms for Creatives.
Gathering 01 · The story of sound
·The gathering
(001)Gathering 01
011
The programme
What we do together
Arrivals, introductions and the first fire.
Talks, records and the stories people carry.
The barn after dark, until the lights come up.
The long table, every evening, everyone at it.
Mornings with nowhere to be.
The land, the trails and the long way round.
·The gathering
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Night 01
The first evening
Times are a guide. Follow the lanterns from the gate.
16:00
Gates open
Find your tent and leave the city at the gate.
17:30
The first fire
Introductions, a drink and the sun going down.
19:00
The long table
Dinner for everyone, at one table.
21:30
Records
The listening room opens.
23:00
The barn
Dancing until the lights come up.
09:00
Coffee
The morning after, slowly.
·The gathering
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Three nights
The shape of the weekend
| Night 01 | Night 02 | Night 03 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon | Gates open, find your tent | Wander the land | Talks in the listening room |
| Evening | The long table | The long table | The long table |
| Late | The barn | Records by the fire | The last dance |
| Morning | Coffee, slowly | A swim and a long breakfast | Goodbyes at the gate |
·The gathering
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The feeling
What it feels like
01 · The dance floor
02 · Everybody in · 03 · A circle of seats
Photographs: Alec Soth, Martin Parr and Steve's references · used as direction
·The gathering
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Ways to come
Every guest is a guest of a friend
Admit one · 01
Guest
Three nights on the land
- +A bed under the sky
- +The long table, every night
- +The whole programme
BT-001-0001
Gathering 01 · Spring 2027
Admit one · 02
Guest of a friend
Brought by someone already coming
- +Everything a guest has
- +A seat beside your friend
- +A word from a friend
BT-001-0147
Gathering 01 · Spring 2027
Admit one · 03
Maker
For the people who make the room
- +Everything a guest has
- +A stage, a table or a room of your own
- +Your name in the record
BT-001-0300
Gathering 01 · Spring 2027
·The gathering
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Gatherings to come
Every gathering gets its own sky
Gathering 01
Spring 2027 · The story of sound
Gathering 02
To come
Gathering 03
To come
Gathering 04
To come
Gathering 05
To come
·The gathering
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The land
The story of sound, a few hundred of us, and nowhere else to be.
The property
019
Site plan
020
The spaces
021
Day and night
022
Where we sleep
023
Getting there
024
·The land
(001)Gathering 01
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The story of sound
Land
000 acres
Elevation
0,000 ft
Sleeps
000
Nearest town
00 min
Water
Well and spring
Photograph: Steve's reference · maker to confirm
·The land
(001)Gathering 01
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Site plan
How the land is laid out
The gate
Arrivals, the welcome and the first fire.
The camp
Trailers and tents along the creek.
The long table
Dinner for everyone under the oaks.
The barn
The dance floor after dark.
The listening room
Records and talks by day.
The fire circle
Where every night ends.
·The land
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The spaces
Rooms for every hour
The circle
Seats 000
The listening room
Seats 00
The tent
Holds 000
The long table
Seats 000
·The land
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Day and night
The same land, twice
01 · By day · duotone, Klein to Milk
02 · After dark · duotone, Night to Gold
·The land
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Where we sleep
A bed under the sky
Trailers under the mesa
| Stay | Sleeps | Count | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trailer | 2 | 00 | Beds, light and a door that locks |
| Bell tent | 2 to 4 | 00 | Canvas, rugs and lanterns |
| Cabin | 4 | 00 | For makers and families |
| Bring your own | 1 to 2 | 00 | A pitch by the creek |
·The land
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Getting there
The way in
The city
00h 00m
The airport
00h 00m
The last town
00h 00m
The gate
by 16:00
| By air | Fly into the nearest airport, then the shuttle. |
| By car | Directions arrive with your invitation. |
| Together | A shared van leaves the city on Friday. |
·The land
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What's next
Pull up a chair.
Partners
026
Timeline
027
Next steps
028
Full bleed
029
·What's next
(001)Gathering 01
025
Partners
Who we make it with
We work with a few partners who share how we gather: the land, the food, the sound and the record.
Partner
The land
Partner
The food
Partner
The sound
Partner
The light
Partner
The record
Partner
The stay
Partner
The way in
Partner
Friends of
·What's next
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Timeline
The road to the first gathering
Now
The brand
The identity and the first invitations.
Winter
The guest list
Friends bring friends; the room takes shape.
Early spring
The land
The site is built: camp, barn, table and fire.
Spring 2027
The gathering
Three nights of the story of sound.
After
The record
What happened, kept and shared.
·What's next
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Next steps
What we would love from you
Tell us who you would bring.
Come and see the land with us.
Help us make one of the rooms.
Keep a seat at the long table.
·What's next
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The barn, after dark
029
A Sanctuary for Sound
A permanent home where the music and the community can stay.
Bastion
031
Bastion at night
032
One path, three places
033
The places
034
What happens at Bastion
035
A year at Bastion
036
A day on the land
037
Five ways in
038
The architect
039
Bastion in numbers
040
What it costs
041
From here to opening night
042
The critical path
043
What we raise first
044
Thank you
045
·A Sanctuary for Sound
(001)Gathering 01
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Bastion · A sanctuary for sound
A permanent home for sound
Bastion is the sanctuary for sound we want to build in the hills of Southern California: an amphitheater for about 150, a world-class studio ringed by twelve cabins, and a gallery that tells the story of listening.
People keep asking us whether Better Together is a place. Our first gathering comes in spring 2027, and Bastion is our answer for the years that follow: a home where the music and the community can stay.
Reference: Beartooth Portal at Tippet Rise · photo Erik Petersen
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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One warm glow, not a lit campus · Reference: Scripps Theater Center by Studio Gang, photo Jason O'Rear
032
One path, three places
Every step gets quieter
The arrival
Leave the car and the city at the gate.
The gallery
The story of listening, with a listening room.
The studio
A world-class room with the valley as its fourth wall.
The cabins
Twelve Arcana cabins around one Japanese bathhouse.
The fire circle
Where the day's recording gets played back.
The amphitheater
About 150 seats facing the valley, at the end of the path.
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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The places
Made for listening
The amphitheater
About 150 seats
The studio
Two weeks per residency
The cabins
Twelve, one bathhouse
The gallery
Past, present, future
References: Ganadería Santillán by cosmos, photo César Béjar · Listude, photo Hiroki Kawata · Arcana by Leckie Studio, photo Andrew Latreille · Devon Turnbull at Cooper Hewitt, photo Mark Waldhauser
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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The program
Record, perform, listen and gather
01
Recording
Artists in residence live on the land for two weeks and make their record in the studio.
02
Performances
Every residency ends with one performance at dusk for about 150 people, played once and filmed.
03
The gallery
Shows on the past, present and future of sound, and a listening room for great systems.
04
Retreats
Three or four days for 10 to 20 guests, for people who live nearby and people who travel.
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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The program · a year at Bastion
The year follows the light
Once all three phases are open, a year at Bastion looks like this. Every residency ends in one premiere at dusk, played once and filmed.
Residencies
Two weeks each. Most are underwritten; one in four is paid.
Premieres
Played once, at dusk, for about 150.
Takeovers
A label or collective takes the site for three days.
Retreats
Four days of listening and making for 12 to 16.
Program weekends
Listening weekends and member programs.
Workshops
Field recording, speaker building and deep listening.
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Spring
The first residencies of the year, and workshops for people who live nearby.
Summer
A premiere every few weeks at dusk, and the takeovers.
Autumn
Retreats for creative practice, and the last premieres by the fire.
Winter
Longer studio residencies, the archive, and tuning the system.
Base-case counts once all three phases are open. Large evenings are capped by the permit at about twelve a year and end by 10 pm. Before anything is built, a 2027 pilot runs two residencies in borrowed rooms and two pop-up premieres.
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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On the land
From the gate to the bowl
01 · A threshold slows you down
02 · The meadow goes in first · 03 · The bowl at the end of the path
References: Museum Insel Hombroich, photo Remi Mathis (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Piet Oudolf at RHS Wisley, photo Colin Smith (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Chapel of Sound by OPEN Architecture, photo Runzi Zhu
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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Ways in · what they cost
Five ways to come to Bastion
Most people will meet Bastion on a performance evening or a retreat. Residencies are free to most artists, because labels, foundations and brands underwrite them.
A year once fully open, base case
Percent of revenue earned
USD M earned
USD M given by patrons, partners and grants
Bastion · ways in · base case, USD 2026
Performance evening
One premiere at dusk, played once, for about 150.
USD 80
a seat
Workshop day
Field recording, speaker building or deep listening, for 15 to 40.
USD 200
a guest
Retreat
Three or four days for 10 to 20, with the cabin and meals.
USD 3,500
a guest, all in
Recording residency
A band of four to six and an engineer, for two weeks.
USD 35k to 70k
a booking, mostly underwritten
Full-site takeover
About 150 people for two to four days.
USD 50k to 150k
a booking
Also · Membership USD 500 a year · Cabin night, program guests USD 550 · Studio day USD 1,800
Planning assumptions from the Bastion financial model, not quotes. Cabins are for program guests only.
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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The architect
Michael Leckie, Leckie Studio
Michael is a good friend and was the partner architect on Arcana. He is an award-winning Canadian architect and a big audiophile, and he is a perfect fit for this project.
His buildings frame the view, disappear into the land, stay dark outside and warm inside, filter light through timber and give sound its own room. Each part of Bastion already has a precedent in his work.
Leckie Studio, Lantern House listening room · photo Ema Peter
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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Bastion in numbers
Built in three phases
Seats
In the amphitheater, facing the valley.
Cabins
Around one Japanese bathhouse.
Opening
Three years after the land, our target.
Phases
Each one opens something people can use.
USD 34.6M total project cost in the base case, within 27.9 lean to 44.7 full · about two thirds of running costs earned once open · planning targets, USD 2026
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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What it costs
Each phase opens something people can use
We will build Bastion in phases after the approvals. The base case includes the land, approvals, design and contingency, and the amphitheater, cabins and studio open together in 2030.
Total project cost, base case
USD M · lean 27.9 · full 44.7
00 · 1.1
01 · The bowl and the cabins
19.0
02 · The studio
9.7
03
4.9
Approvals
Approvals, studies and the pilot kit.
2027 to 2028
The bowl and the cabins
The land, the amphitheater and its sound system, the bathhouse, twelve cabins, roads, water and fire safety.
Built 2029 · opens 2030
The studio and the pavilion
The studio and its gear, the dining pavilion and staff housing.
Built 2029 · opens 2030
The gallery and the land
The gallery, art and installations, and the rest of the landscaping and artwork.
2030 to 2032
34.6
Total project cost
+
2.05
Pre-opening and development overhead
+
3.8
Twelve months of operating reserve
=
40.5
Total uses of funds
USD M, 2026 dollars, base case. Design and engineering fees at 20% and contingency at 15% are added per phase.
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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The plan
From here to opening night
Now
The brief
The deck, the financial model, land-use counsel and a fiscal sponsor.
2027
The land
A site shortlist, two pilot residencies and land under contract.
2028
The permit
A written answer from the county, then design and approvals.
2030
Opening night
The amphitheater, the studio, the cabins and the bathhouse open.
2032
The gallery
The gallery, the art and the rest of the land.
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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The plan in detail
The permit is the critical path
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
Today
Stage 0 · the land and the permit
Close
Decision
Phases 1 and 2 · build and open
Opening night
Phase 3 · the gallery
Gallery opens
Base-case plan from the Bastion financial model: 36 months from a land contract to opening night. Recent permits for camps and retreats in the area took one to eight years.
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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Stage 0 · USD 0.4M to 1.3M
What we raise first
Find the land and test it for sound.
Get a written answer from the county.
Host two pilot residencies and premieres in 2027.
Bring in our founding patrons and partners.
·A Sanctuary for Sound
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Rooms for Creatives.
Better Together · itsbettertogether.xyz · Gathering 01 · Spring 2027
045