Indigo District takes it to the next stage.
Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-GuardThere's a new stage in town, but it's not at a new venue.
The Indigo District feels like a new venue, though, now that it has a second stage in the back and a capacity of 600.
Time will tell if the remodeling will bolster the local music scene, but the club's making a go of it, incurring additional costs to lease a sound system and lighting equipment.
At the end of April, Seattle band Minus the Bear christened the new space by playing to 400 people of all ages. Owner Justin Gibbs was pleased with that debut, admitting things came together at the very last possible minute.
Before the expansion, the club hosted live music only once or twice a month, picking up national tours and not actively seeking bookings. Having abandoned the concept of a restaurant, the plan now is eventually to feature music almost every night.
The question on many people's minds is whether Eugene is a large enough market for another major music venue. The new space is closest in size to the WOW Hall, which has the competitive advantages of longevity, reputation and low overhead.
The WOW Hall is always an all-ages club; the Indigo will distinguish itself by being a 21-and-older/all-ages hybrid. During an interview outside the club on a sunny afternoon, Gibbs said the age limit will be determined on an event-by-event basis.
The new stage - 16 feet by 20 feet and 3 feet high - is on the west end of the building, in an area previously walled off and used for storage. A separate entrance off 13th Avenue will allow minors access to the stage area, and pizza, soda and other concessions will be available to them there.
Older folks will get a wristband and have access to two bars: the existing one in the middle of the club, and a second portable bar that will open only for big shows.
"There've been a lot of complaints that it's hard to get a drink," said Gibbs, 27.
To remedy that he brought in as a consultant Josh Kein, owner of the Ring of Fire and Lucky Noodle. Kein helped develop a bartending system and increase efficiency.
Indigo District also scored a new bar manager from Ring of Fire, Gibbs said.
Part of what made the Indigo District successful in the beginning was it was a reliable bar that provided a cozy atmosphere despite its cavernous size. There was rarely a cover charge, and it often featured DJ music and dancing.
Gibbs said he doesn't want to lose that, so after 11 p.m. on most nights that's what the place still will be. But earlier in the evening, any type of concert could happen.
Eugene is just not big enough for a specialized music venue that sticks to one genre, Gibbs said.
On a trial basis, Cindy Ingram of Cindy Ingram Booking & Promotions will schedule Sunday and Monday nights, and Gibbs will book nationally touring acts and club shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Ingram said she'll go for indie, pop and rock music that's harder to book in other venues.
"Not a lot of venues are into the whole indie thing, but I think the Indigo District is a perfect fit," she said. "There are so many people who like their punk and metal, or their jam bands and folk, and there's not really an in-between.
`Maybe the Indigo District will be kind of a middle."
Music has been driving force
Gibbs, who moved to Eugene from Los Angeles in 2002, said he has been working in the music industry since he was 17. He said his initial dream in opening Indigo District was for it to be a music venue, not just a bar, but early success with the lounge and a foray into the restaurant business sidetracked him.
Last summer, he decided to remodel and expand. While remaining what he called youth-driven, Gibbs wants to move out of the "hipster" mold the venue is known for and diversify the crowds.
Besides Ingram, Gibbs said he's got a "small stable" of people he's working with to attract shows.
One of his lead horses is former Eugene resident Kurt Liedtke, who lives in Los Angeles. Liedtke met Gibbs in 2005, when he was working on a video project for his then-employ- er: MySpace.com.
Liedtke now works for Playback Entertainment, an indie liaison between recording labels and retail outlets that does for small outfits what big record companies can afford to do in-house. Playback arranges national distribution, books tours, lines up publicity and sets up marketing plans.
Liedtke's goal is to get bands from the labels his company works with to stop in Eugene on days they would otherwise have off between gigs in Seattle or Portland and San Francisco.
"You've got something that's basically halfway. It's a very valid music scene," said Liedtke, a 1997 South Eugene High School graduate. "I've been trying to emphasize that with every band and label. ...
`When I was growing up, the WOW Hall was the place to be. It seems like WOW Hall is still the spot to be. (But Eugene) is not really on the radar for a lot of tours and a lot of record labels."
Although Liedtke has what he described as a "handshake" agreement with Gibbs to route shows through the Indigo, he will opt for other clubs if they are a more natural fit. One of his bands, the Sterns, recently played Sam Bond's.
"I really appreciate what Justin is doing with the Indigo, but every group that I work with might not fit the style," he said. "I'm always going to go to Justin first, because he knows how to treat artists properly."
Venue could fill musical niche
Adam Trent and his local alternative rock/grunge band, ColdFire, played the Indigo's smaller stage on Monday. He said he was most excited about the potential for the Indigo to attract all-ages crowds for his type of music.
Cozmic Pizza, the McDonald Theatre and WOW Hall are all-ages, he said. But Cozmic typically books only certain genres of music, and the WOW Hall requires a professional press kit. And the McDonald Theatre is too big for just about any local band to fill.
Trent said he thinks all types of musicians should have the opportunity to play.
"The space is huge; it's definitely different," Trent, 26, said. "Now, it's just up to them to run it correctly. It's a business, you've got to get the right people."
The notion that Gibbs and his club could become tastemakers appeals to Liedtke. The fact that Gibbs hosts "Noon Noise," a radio show on KWVA-FM, and is exposed to a lot of music is a good sign, Liedtke said.
"Inevitably, they will compete with the WOW Hall," Liedtke said. `The writing's sort of on the wall there.'
For both venues to thrive, Liedtke said they will have to keep an eye on tours coming to the area and try to convince the shows to stop in Eugene.
"It is yet to be seen if (Justin) can do it to the scale that the WOW Hall does it."
Gibbs said he sees why people keep asking him if he's trying to take business away from other clubs, but he said his real goal is to bolster the whole music scene. He said he's worked with the WOW Hall in the past and will continue to do so.
Mike Hegenreter, who books the WOW Hall, said he has produced some mildly successful shows at the Indigo District. But he said his main intention in doing so was to keep his relationships with artists and agents strong by meeting their needs if he can't accommodate them at the WOW.
"If my night is booked already, it allows me to have another option to produce the show and still keep the money filtering through the WOW Hall," Hegenreter said. He noted that it's something he does with many local venues.
Gibbs said the Indigo District is going for something different than the WOW Hall and will maintain much of its college-scene focus.
"There's always room for quality," Gibbs said. "We're all working together to build the music scene in Eugene."
INDIGO DISTRICT
After reopening the long-closed doors of the Dunham/Fields building in 2003, the nightclub has remodeled for expanded music offerings
Capacity: 600
Stages: Two
Musical focus: To be determined, but independent artists on national tours and local musicians will be in the mix
What's new: Sound system and bar manager
What's coming: Permanent stage
What's gone: Pool tables, full restaurant
Address: 1290 Oak St.
New hours: From 9 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. daily, from 6 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. if there's a show
You can call Serena Markstrom at 338-2371 or e-mail her at smarkstrom@guardnet.com.
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| Title Annotation: | Entertainment; The nightclub remodels and aims to expand its role on the Eugene scene |
|---|---|
| Publication: | The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) |
| Date: | May 11, 2007 |
| Words: | 1484 |
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