The new owner of the historic building that long hosted listening room-style shows will roll out a series of upcoming live music events boasting a variety of regional acts.
New Name, Upgraded Space, Same Commitment to Live Music: Spring Lake’s Temple Lounge. (Courtesy Photos)
SCROLL DOWN FOR UPCOMING CONCERT SCHEDULE, SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
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When West Michigan’s The Legal Immigrants and Kyle Brown & The Human Condition take the stage to rock Spring Lake’s Temple Lounge next week, it will usher in a new era for the historic building once known as the Seven Steps Up listening room.
“We knew music had to be a part because of the history with Seven Steps Up, but I’m also a huge live music fan,” said Chris Kettler, who purchased the century-old Masonic Temple building from Gary and Michelle Hanks in 2022.
“Our hope for these shows is to bring a variety of music and entertainment to the space – to bring the best musicians and entertainment a 100- to 125-seat venue can support.
“We want to be known as the venue that pays our entertainers well because we feel they are underpaid and its just a tough way to make a living. … As fans of the venue, you are supporting local and national entertainers trying to make an honest living doing something they love.”
Chris Kettler: Bringing ‘the best musicians and entertainment’ that an intimate venue can support. (Courtesy Photo)
After an 11-year run, Seven Steps Up hosted its final concert in December 2022, a bittersweet finale that took place two months after Gary Hanks passed away unexpectedly.
But the legacy of the concert hall – which hosted an impressive array of national touring acts and regional stars over the years, from Billy Strings and May Erlewine to John Waite and Shawn Mullins – will continue, with Temple Lounge aiming to book regular ticketed concerts as well as free or low-cost weekend entertainment as a lounge and “meeting place.”
Kettler tested the return of live music with a singer-songwriter show in June, followed by a fundraiser for the Grand Haven Free Fridays concert series.
But the upcoming slate of three concerts in November and December represents the first regular run of live, ticketed performances featuring an impressive slate of popular and diverse regional acts:
• Wednesday (Nov. 27) – Benji the Light Lion (Los Angeles-based comedian), The Legal Immigrants, Kyle Brown & The Human Condition, $35 (tickets online here)
• Dec. 6 – Patty PerShayla, The Elijah Russ Collective, $35 (tickets here)
• Dec. 7 – Roosevelt Diggs, Nathan Walton, $25 (tickets here)
(Scroll down for a Spotify playlist of tracks by the artists performing at Temple Lounge.)
“The talent that will be in this room in a 10-day period gives me chills thinking about it,” Kettler said of the upcoming lineup, which includes childhood friend and comedian Ben Evans (Benji the Light Lion), who raises money for a nonprofit that promotes inclusion and mental health awareness.
“We want to show our community we’re committed to a variety of live music and entertainment. And to the fans of Seven Steps Up, I say, ‘Don’t worry, your favorite acts will be back in the near future.’ ”
‘GOOD DRINKS, GOOD PEOPLE,’ CONCERTS & POSSIBLE LIVE RECORDINGS
Joe Bockheim of rock’s The Legal Immigrants said he “can’t wait” to help christen the return of live music to the Spring Lake venue. “We’re finally going to do a couple of songs off (the band’s 2023 album) ‘Late Night Menu’ that we haven’t played in four years,” he noted.
Kettler said Temple Lounge aims to host one or two ticketed events monthly in 2025, with “potential for a January show that will not disappoint” and an all-female performers concert in March to commemorate International Women’s Day.
Kettler – a real estate broker and developer – also sees the future of Temple Lounge as “a place for the people in Spring Lake to gather” with “good drinks, good people, live music and a food option.”
The Legal Immigrants: Playing Temple Lounge next Wednesday. (Courtesy Photo)
“Ultimately, we would love to get to a place we can live-record audio and video as a benefit to the artists who play our venue,” he added, noting that he also hopes to make comedy shows a regular feature of Temple Lounge as well as open-mic nights.
Temple Lounge also is available for special event rentals, with an upstairs apartment that doubles as a green room and lodging for performers. The lower level currently serves as an office.
“We’ve spent significant money on improvements,” Kettler said, noting the addition of new sound equipment, furniture, sound-dampening panels and other upgrades, with more changes in the works.
Because it’s his first venture into operating a music venue, Kettler credited the assistance of his staff, the non-profit Ric Van Weelden Music Fund and area music lovers for helping Temple Lounge move forward.
Kettler, a big fan of Led Zeppelin, Tom Petty, Foo Fighters, Sublime, punk bands, various country and EDM artists as well as a host of Michigan favorites, stressed that Seven Steps Up set the stage for Temple Lounge.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Seven Steps and Gary and Michelle (Hanks),” he said. “They put this venue on the map and I’m living in their shadow.”
Get more information online at templeloungesl.com.
TEMPLE LOUNGE: A Local Spins Playlist on Spotify
Finale: The crowd at Seven Steps Up’s last show in 2022. (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
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