(somber western music) -[Narrator] Nestled in the high plains of Western Nebraska along the historic Lincoln Highway.

Sutherland is an unassuming town of 1200 that blends agricultural traditions with modern industry.

(somber western music) Main Street is a mix of practical needs and community charm.

(somber western music) -[Rascal] Nebraska nice, just a good spot.

(somber western music) Everybody's really friendly, good people.

(somber western music) A lot of hard workers around here too, so you get some real honest people.

(somber western music) -[Narrator] Musician, Rascal Martinez was born and raised in Sutherland with cattle, crops, an ethanol plant and a power station driving the local economy.

This might seem an unlikely place to forge a music career.

(guitar music) -[Rascal] For the last 10 years, I've been really busy performing all over.

Just been a full-time musician.

(guitar music) I play probably over 150 senior center shows like a year.

I've been doing that for like 10 years.

(somber music) Private events, a lot of corporate events, you know, backyard party type stuff.

I do a lot of weddings.

(somber music) I was down in Tennessee for a long time, just back and forth writing and doing shows.

(somber music) California, New York and Chicago.

(somber music) I almost moved to Tennessee but I was gone so much traveling all over.

I was like, why would I live here if I'm not gonna be here?

(somber music) So I moved back to Sutherland (somber music) -[Narrator] And that's when he found a new way to bring the music world to his tiny pocket of Nebraska.

-[Rascal] I was just looking kind of for an office space.

And then I saw this place was for sale.

So this is a, it was built in 1910.

It was an old bank farmer's bank back in the day.

I think it closed like somewhere in the seventies (crunching sounds) and it was vacant for a couple years.

-[Narrator] The character of the building is largely preserved from its original tin ceilings to the worn wooden floors that still bear the impressions of customers and tellers for more than a century ago.

-[Rascal] I came in here and right away I was just like, yikes.

I gotta have the place.

This is just like, just too good.

(somber music) (somber music) I've always wanted to make my own studio, have a place to rehearse or have bands come in.

I don't think people think they can do it in a small town, but with social media and all the things that we have now, just right at our fingertips, I mean, I think anything's possible with that.

(somber music) We record all the shows live and then I recording everything so that I can mix it all down and master it later.

(somber music) It's 1910, so you're, you know, this is not a brand new million dollar building that's, you know, you can't hear any noise.

You're gonna hear some stuff for sure, but I think that just gives it, it's just, it's so just is warm though.

(background chattering) -[Narrator] He calls it Stolen Vault records.

-[Rascal] We do a lot of bigger shows, but then there is something about a small audience of 20, 30 people where people are coming to listen to, you know what you have to say and it's just a different thing.

'cause you can kind of, you can be in the room.

♪ I don't Even know ya ♪ ♪ I don't even know your name.

♪ ♪ I don't even know ya anymore.

♪ (somber music) -[Rascal] We're bringing a lot of bands from all over.

A lot of, I mean, we got some Colorado bands, a lot of Nebraska bands coming in, a lot of solo artists.

(somber music) If you're coming from Denver and you gotta play a show in Omaha, I mean we're right smack in the middle.

You could do another show, just that small intimate show and you're just like, you're right there.

One-on-one, like with the artist.

♪ No one to turn to anymore ♪ (applause and cheering) -[Muriel] I don't care if it's an an A-list celebrity or a singer songwriter just starting out doing their own things.

This is an incredible way to experience their music.

- I love his passion and what he wants to do with this area and he wants to basically bring more musicians and more bigger musicians out here.

- He is putting us on the map for those big city musicians to come here and not only to perform but to record it is just amazing what this corner of Sutherland Nebraska is becoming.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - Alright, everybody feeling alright?

Alright.

-[Narrator] In a world where success often means leaving small towns behind Martinez is proving that sometimes the best path forward is the road that leads back home.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) -[Rascal] I've always loved Sutherland.

This is my home for sure.

Just to be on the spot where I grew up and bringing people to town they probably never even heard of is just.

Why wouldn't we do that?

You know, (upbeat music) (upbeat music) I like my life here and I like, you know, raising a family here and, and I can still travel and do everything I need to do, but I don't really need to be in the the big city to do that.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) I've been an entrepreneur for a long, long time and you know, I just find my own way I'm doing things and then just I believe in what I'm doing.

I think that's a huge part.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (crowd cheers and claps) -[Crowd] Woo.

-[Rascal] Thank you.

(applause)