February was a month unlike any other in the history of Portsmouth’s arts community: more than 200 regional musical acts each committed to make an album in 28 days.

The RPM Challenge brought hundreds of musicians together to share resources and ideas, and to work toward a common goal. Some took desperate measures, pulling super college-style cram sessions, weathering monster mix marathons, drinking fifths of inspiration. A good night’s sleep and loved ones took a back seat to creating music.

Tim Deal, of the rock band Craving, says “After locking up my girlfriend and our two dogs in the bedroom” his band braved a two-day recording session.

Museum of Science’s blog entries reflect their frantic progress: “We’re writing songs about Dick Cheney, ordering random ethnic food from Gonic’s finest cross-cultural eateries, spotting Elvis, Nessie, and Bigfoot all in the same porno, wondering if there’s enough time for a last game of Sorry! before Armageddon—making history.”

Others took a more a grounded approach. They honed a heightened level of inner consciousness to find lyrics in their feelings. They listened more intently to conversations around them and to the turning of the Earth, mining for mystery, beauty, inspiration.

All the RPM artists had a keener sense of the passing of time. The deadline to create 10 songs, or 35 minutes of music, by Feb. 28 made them acutely aware of the waning month.

They left their daily routines for the RPM wilderness. They did what had been urged: they stopped waiting for The Muse and turned to their instincts, to the instruments they love, to the computer programs they had purchased but never dared try, to their fellow band mates, and they faced a new dawn.

Now they have crossed the chasm between their initial RPM vision to the musical expression they are handing in today. Each one, a testament to invincible conviction.

The roster of RPM artists ranges from the usual suspects on the local scene to acts that never existed prior to Feb. 1. Their music provides a stunning spectrum, from a CD of 10 songs inspired by late-night television commercials to an album of cello meditations on Kahlil Gabran’s “The Prophet” to a recording created purely with self-made computer programs.

As this paper goes to press, we don’t know how many completed albums will actually be delivered to the Wire’s office by noon March 1, but it seems clear that all 220 bands did or learned something in February—were, in one way or another, move to action. On RPM’s Web site, artist after artist says this challenge was the impetus needed to stop hoping and start working. Mosfet says, “The RPM Challenge got me back in the groove of making music again.”

Jodie Curtis, who has written songs for 20 years but never made her own album, decided to do so when she heard about RPM. “I do not perform and this was my first attempt at recording,” she says. “Never did I expect to be this relaxed and pleased in the end.”

Steve Beckwith says, “Some songs on this album may be my best work.”

But the ultimate creation in this sea of new music is the RPM Challenge itself.

Author Geri Weitzman once said, “Sometimes you’ve got to create what you want to be a part of.” While there is a small crew of dedicated audiophiles behind the RPM Challenge, it is our community, which holds the arts as an integral part of its personality and honors an individual’s ability to create, that brought the idea to life and provided an environment in which it could flourish. It was a rare blend of musicians who believed in the idea, the business and club owners who supported it, Portsmouth Community Radio, which eagerly joined the RPM family to promote the music, and a handful of individuals who chipped in because the challenge caught their imagination.

RPM set in motion an entire music scene at once. As this army of musicians crosses the finish line, it is a tribute to the art—and fellowship—that RPM ignited.

Denise Wheeler is the volunteer media coordinator for the RPM Challenge. She is a former arts editor and has been following the local music scene for 15 years.

RPM Listening Party

Hear tracks from all the completed albums on March 9 when the RPM Challenge takes over Portsmouth for a set of city-wide listening parties, starting at The Music Hall at 7 p.m. and then moving on to The Press Room, The Portsmouth Brewery, The Muddy River Smokehouse and The Red Door. We’ll have a complete wrap-up and program schedule in next Wednesday’s paper. Watch this space for details or go to www.rpmchallenge.com.

If you’re really impatient, tune in to WUNH 91.3 FM during the day on Tuesday, March 7, for a special sneak preview!