A local music promotion company is set to open a new midsize venue in downtown Phoenix this fall.
Crescent Ballroom, a venue created to house live music by Stateside Presents, is located one block west of the Van Buren light-rail station. The ballroom holds its first show October 4, though the official opening date has yet to be finalized.
Charlie Levy, head of the promotion company and of Crescent Ballroom, picked downtown for the venue because of its prime location.
“We were looking for a space for a midsize venue and we noticed how downtown Phoenix has been picking up, with so many things happening,” Levy said. “We figured the venue would do really well, considering the light rail, proximity to Arizona State University and new development nearby.”
Levy indicated that ASU students were a primary factor for Stateside to open the new venue downtown. The bands that will be booked are “geared towards ASU students,” he said.
Crescent Ballroom is housed in a building originally constructed in 1917, though Stateside is making renovations to it, Levy said. Changes will be made in order to augment the building’s older character, he explained.
Those who wish to improve the image of Phoenix nationally also appreciate the promotion of the unique character of a downtown building. Kimber Lanning, director of Local First Arizona and owner of Stinkweeds, a music store, anticipates positive effects from the opening of the Ballroom.
“Bands are walking, talking postcards,” Lanning said. “If they (like their experience in Phoenix) they will tell other people about the positive experience they had here.”
In addition to the main stage, there will also be a Crescent Lounge in the front of the venue.
“(The lounge) will be open every day from 4 p.m. to close,” Levy said. “It’ll always be free, with a small stage for DJ acts or small bands. We really wanted it to have a neighborhood bar feel to it.”
Levy is hoping that the combination of the larger stage and the more intimate setting for the lounge will bring in concertgoers from across the valley. Since the venue is centrally located, people from Chandler to Avondale will have to travel the same length to come to a show, he said.
Lanning, for her part, encourages participation from the community in new businesses like Crescent Ballroom.
“I want to encourage people to go and see live music,” she explained. “If we want to get a vibrant city, we have to get people involved (at a community level).”
In addition to receiving support from those who live downtown, Levy points out that though the area houses a multitude of artistic ventures, music has not typically been one of them.
“People downtown appreciate the arts, since the area has a lot of museums and art galleries,” Levy said. “All we’re doing is providing an alternative form of art for people to enjoy.”
Some of the bands already booked for the venue include We Were Promised Jetpacks, St. Vincent, Washed Out and The Naked and Famous.
Contact the reporter at Anna.Gunderson@asu.edu
