It’s not precisely a mission from God to get the band back together, blues brothers and sisters. But a group of locals is interested in using the sanctuary of the First Street Church as a music venue, and is currently working to make it happen.
The church, purchased by Evan Almighty director Tom Shadyac and placed under the guidance of the Thomas Jefferson Area Coalition for the Homeless (TJACH) to function as a day shelter, is still slated to open "around Thanksgiving," according to Mayor Dave Norris, who first brought the church to Shadyac’s attention."My hope is that the listening room would open then or soon thereafter."
Norris explained in a phone interview today that his role is "simply providing advice and some guidance to [the group] on putting a proposal together to manage this space for TJACH."
"The proposal would be that a portion of the ticket sales from any concert or paid event would go back to TJACH for management of the building as a whole," he said. Norris added that the group would make the church’s sanctuary available "not just for concerts, but for a wide variety of other comunity events." Brad Savage, program director for 106.1FM The Corner, confirmed that he has also been "peripherally involved." See below the photo for more.
Could the First Street Church shelter and community space function as a music venue? A few locals think so.
Could make for an interesting venue; just ask a few other music aficionados. When I interviewed Ani DiFranco earlier this year, we spoke a bit about Babeville, the church she purchased and transformed into a mixed use venue. Music website Pitchfork recently started recording bands for a video series dubbed "Cemetery Gates," in which bands like Ra Ra Riot and St. Vincent perform in a Brooklyn chapel. And rock gigs at the UVA Chapel always make for rare nights and reverential crowds.
Perhaps more importantly, a nonprofit venue could bring a good deal of financial support to the project, which will also include a resource center for the homeless and a community kitchen. As Norris explained, "The sanctuary space would serve as a revenue generator for the rest of the building."
We’ve lost a few music venues, folks—is it time that we gained one like the First Street Church? Let’s hear your thoughts.
