The Verve Pipe, David Wax Museum, Loudon Wainwright III, Mary Gauthier also among first acts announced for ‘world-class’ GR venue, with a soft opening in October and grand opening in early November.
Christening the Listening Room: Indie-rock fave David Bazan will play two November shows as part of the venue’s grand opening. (Photo/Kendra Petersen-Kamp)
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When the much-ballyhooed Listening Room by Studio C opens in downtown Grand Rapids this fall, the intimate 200-seat venue will boast a concert calendar featuring the likes of Kris Allen, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Bad Plus, David Bazan, The Verve Pipe and Loudon Wainwright III.
Announced today, the first batch of award-winning musicians booked for the music venue that’s part of the ambitious Studio Park complex under development south of Van Andel Arena also includes Mary Gauthier, David Wax Museum, Amythyst Kiah, The Hot Sardines and Christian Sands Trio.
The Initial Lineup
Tickets will go on sale for Listening Room concerts on Aug. 29, with Arizona indie-rocker David Bazan’s Nov. 8 and 9 shows serving as the venue’s official “grand opening weekend.” After it opens, the venue is expected to host four to six performances a week, from local acts to national stars.
The diverse roster of touring acts – along with local artists who will play during the venue’s soft opening in October – demonstrates that the cozy new venue with a world-class sound system isn’t exclusively for singer-songwriters strumming guitars, said Quinn Mathews, the Listening Room general manager and Studio C music operations manager.
“That’s exactly it. I want to have a room that showcases many different styles of music in an intimate, listening room environment,” he said.
“There are stories in all music, sometimes that can get lost in a large, crowded, loud venue and this will be an environment where artists and fans can sit and appreciate the art of music that’s being performed.”
Ticket prices will range from $5 to $10 for many local and regional acts up to $50 or $60 for national touring artists. Some shows will be free.
Kris Allen
The initial roster of announced bookings ranges from jazz-hued artists such The Bad Plus, Christian Sands Trio and The Hot Sardines to roots music and folk acts such as Kiah, Gauthier, Wainwright and David Wax Museum to former “American Idol” star Kris Allen and celebrated South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
West Michigan’s own platinum-selling rock heroes The Verve Pipe, led by Brian Vander Ark, will play two shows for Thanksgiving weekend Nov. 29-30.
More concerts will be announced in coming weeks, along with special nights spotlighting local and regional artists. Information, ticket details and new additions to the schedule will be posted at listeningroomgr.com, with announcements shared via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @listeningroomgr.com.
“This is just a glimpse at a few artists I’m excited about for 2019-2020,” said Mathews.
Read more about the new Listening Room and a video tour of construction at Local Spins:
Listening Room set to transform downtown concert landscape this fall
Grand Rapids’ Studio Park reveals 200-seat listening room headed by WYCE’s Quinn Mathews
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (Photo/Kendra Petersen-Kamp)
LISTENING ROOM AT STUDIO C: THE LOCAL SPINS PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY
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