Photo by Alex Maness

As Nathan Wainscott walks down the basement stairs of 853 South Elm St. into a barren space of conjoining rooms, he turns and smiles. “This is it,” he says. “Well, at least it’s going to be.” He looks past the cracked walls and stained floors that define the space, past the dirt and dust that saturate the surroundings. Instead, Wainscott sees something special in the bleak setting.

That “something” is an all-encompassing musical incubator called the Marcus C. Rizzo Center for Musician Enrichment — a localized School of Rock.

“We’re hoping to provide a place that feels like home for young musicians,” Wainscott explains. “A place where kids can let down their guard and engage in something that enhances their creative gifts while building self-esteem and a strong sense of community.”

Wainscott envisions a wealth of resources for area musicians inside the center. At its core will be practice spaces equipped with audio/video recording equipment for bands and individuals. Other planned amenities include equipment rentals, a gig-booking service, an onsite supply shop, a live concert venue, and a coffee/juice bar. The center will also operate a social networking Web site aimed at connecting like-minded musicians.

The overriding mission of the project is to give youth and young adults the support they need to explore their musical talents. “We hope to provide a resource of hope for the brilliant, yet often misunderstood mind,” he explains.

The center takes its name from one of Wainscott’s closest friends, Marcus Rizzo — a talented musician who defined the “brilliant, yet often misunderstood,” distinction.

On the surface, Rizzo was a guy who seemed to have it all — charisma, stage presence, and an innate “coolness” about him. Because of this, Wainscott looked up to him. The two shared guitar duties in the Greensboro-based grunge band Bipolar Disorder, which made a run through the local music scene in the mid-1990s.

But the band would come to an abrupt end on April 18, 1994. That’s when Rizzo fatally shot himself in his apartment building. He was only 18.

His death came as a devastating blow to the entire community. No known signs were given; no note was left; only painful questions remained.

The tragic event left wounds that seemed impossible to heal. Wainscott — who was 16 at the time — was forced to learn adult lessons early by trying to move on. Now 30, he owns a decorative finishing business in Greensboro, where he lives with his wife and two children. But all the while, Wainscott says he never forgot the event that changed his life.

For years he tried to live unaffected, but something was working within him that he couldn’t quite define. He says he knew that whatever he was going to do would involve music and youth. Then one night while watching the late local news, he heard the name again.

“I heard something about a ‘Ms. Rizzo,’ ” he recalled. “At that moment, something just clicked. I turned to my wife and said ‘That’s it! I’m going to start the Marcus C. Rizzo Center for Musician Enrichment.’ ” It was at this moment, Wainscott says, that his seemingly undefined life would find true meaning.

Since that night, the pieces have quickly — if not miraculously — begun to fall into place, starting with the Rizzo Center’s location. Wainscott found the perfect spot for the center in the basement of a building he was painting in. He has also crossed paths with some of Greensboro’s most talented, influential, and well-known residents, garnering support and guidance in the process.

“Something truly astounding is happening here,” he says. “I’m now finding myself standing at open doors before I can even think to knock.” 
But with the stars apparently aligning, Wainscott has been dealt an inevitable jolt of reality. After going over estimates with everyone from safety officials to equipment lenders, the price tag for the center sits at roughly $500,000 — about $490,000 more than he currently has for the project.

As with most nonprofits, Wainscott hopes to secure funds from grants, corporate donations, and individual contributions. He’s also taken an active role in the fund-raising process by holding benefit events, such as this summer’s Jazz Festival in Sunset Hills.

“These numbers may seem somewhat daunting at first glance,” he says of the $500,000 price tag. “But we feel that the potential for lives being changed and saved is priceless when compared with the realistic cost to achieve the same.”

As it stands now, though, the basement walls of 853 South Elm St. still have cracks; the floors are still stained; and the space is still largely inoperable. But sit and listen to Wainscott proclaim his vision for the Rizzo Center and all the good it could bring to our youth, and one thing becomes undeniably clear: Those basement walls won’t stay cracked forever; nor will the lives of those Wainscott hopes to reach. 

Donations to the Marcus C. Rizzo Center for Musician Enrichment can be made online or by calling Nathan Wainscott at 336-362-1548. For more information about the project, go to http://www.rizzocenter.com.