For those that have lived in the Bay Area for a long time, there was a long stretch of time where it felt like we were losing venues left and right. In the last two years however, it seems that the tides are turning in the other direction. Legendary venues Cafe du Nord and Swedish American Hall have reopened after several years of laying dormant. The UC Theater – best known as the place to see Rocky Horror Picture Show in the Nineties – has resurrected itself as a rock club. And brand new spaces like Cornerstone and Starline Social Club are really killing it in the East Bay.
The most recent addition to our live music landscape is August Hall. This venue is going in at the same location as the old Ruby Skye, only it’s been totally remodeled, and they’ve added a full restaurant and bowling to the space! They are opening up this weekend with SF’s own Giraffage on Saturday night, and the epic double bill of Courtney Barnett and Jay Som on Sunday. Spinning Platters had a chance to interview their talent buyer, Chad Heimann, about the venue, his career, and we did a little bit of making fun of Ruby Skye.
They’ve got a stacked calendar here, but you better act soon, as shows are selling out left and right.
Spinning Platters: I wanted to ask you a little bit about how you found yourself in the job you’re in. How did you get started with Noise Pop, a few years ago?
Chad Heimann: So I had been with Noise Pop for six years. I moved up the ranks from intern, marketing, business development, and moved into talent buying over the course of six years.
SP: So once you’ve started talent buying. I mean, looking at your timeline – I might be mistaken, but there is definitely a certain changeover where Noise Pop started branching out into things that aren’t just fuzzy garage rock. Was that part of your doing?
CH: I think a lot of that was part of our doing. It wasn’t just me, it was a collective changeover, with Dawson Ludwig coming on as the general manager, that really – I think between the two of us, really pushed into new sounds that were still indie, but we felt could break out the mold of what Noise Pop meant.
SP: Is there an artist that you pinpoint as the first artist where it was like, okay this is risky, but let’s give it a try.
CH: Oh, Carly Rae Jepsen. That was something that was very risky – many yeas but also, equally, many nays and just like, this isn’t going to work. But looking back, and seeing the people she produced with, Blood Orange and Rostam it made a lot of sense for us to take the risk, and it paid off, seeing that she sold out, and I still have a lot of people bring that show up.
SP: Oh yeah, that was one of my favorite shows of 2016.
CH: Oh awesome, that’s amazing.
SP: So while working with Noise Pop, simultaneously you’re an artist manager, how did you get hooked up into that world, like how did you meet Giraffage and decide that you were the one who was gonna make him big?
CH: We met a year prior to managing him, I met him at a Noise Pop show. We hit it off, our friendship grew out of that, and him wanting an American manager. At the time he had a British manager, so I took over the reins and the rest is history. We slowly started bringing on more clients to our management roster to make what our roster is today.
SP: Are you still managing bands while also working at August Hall?
CH: Yes. I continue to manage Giraffage, manage Jay Som, and oversee other client projects at Salty Artist Management where we have Car Seat Headrest, Mitski, Wingtip, Skylar Spence, etc.
SP: That sounds exhausting.
CH: Haha, it is, but it’s a labor of love.
SP: Alright, so you’re at Noise Pop for six years, you’ve got this successful managing thing happening at the same time, Noise Pop is going really well with you – what brought you to doing something risky and getting a job working full time at a brand-new venue?
CH: It wasn’t just that it’s a brand-new venue, but that Live Nation is partnering with it as the exclusive bookers for August Hall. I’m the first talent buyer in twelve years to be hired to LiveNation from the Bay Area, so that alone meant a lot to me, to be asked to join their team, being that it is a small team, and a lot of the people in this building come out of the Bill Graham era of booking, and so to be a part of that team meant a lot and was something I was intrigued and excited about. I also felt like, with my time at Noise Pop I’ve gotten really good at opening venues. Swedish American Hall, Cafe du Nord. This just felt like an exciting challenge that I wanted to take on.
SP: Yeah, you’ve booked a hell of an opening month. So, August Hall is the former Ruby Skye. Ruby Skye had a certain reputation for being a little hoity-toity, while being debaucherous at the same time. August Hall doesn’t feel like either of those things, do you think people are going to buy it as a music venue, not as a venue for people to do drugs and pretend to listen to DJs?
CH: Ha! Yeah, I think so. An agent put it well the other day when they said, “from what we see, you’re definitely not just putting lipstick on a pig.” We’re doing a full re-vamp of the venue. The sound, the stage, the lights, going in to the venue, as well as the décor. I don’t think anyone is gonna walk into this room and say, oh yeah, this is the old Ruby Skye, I think people are gonna be just blown away by what we have going on. I think it’s really exciting and unique, what we’re creating. You know, the fact that you’re going to be able to go downstairs, have a drink at the Fifth Arrow, possibly pick up a game of bowling, and then head upstairs, is pretty awesome. Something you’d never have seen at the former Ruby Skye, or Slide, which is what the Fifth Arrow was.
SP: So did you remove the Oxygen Bar?
CH: (Laughing) The Oxygen Bar is gone.
SP: Oh well. So, the bowling alley is separate from the music venue, so it’s not quite how the Brooklyn Bowl works, then?
CH: Not quite how Brooklyn Bowl works, but attendees can go down, and back up quickly through the same entrance. So, there will be that opportunity to go back and forth, but it won’t be like bands are competing with bowling balls being chucked down lanes.
SP: Alright, and you’ve made sure that there’s like, a bounce, so when Courtney Barnett does an acoustic number you’re not going to hear pins dropping?
CH: Oh yes, we’ve already addressed that many of the upcoming acts we have this summer, making sure that won’t be an issue, and that the music comes first.
SP: So we’re about six weeks away from your first show. What – aside from Giraffage – is the thing you’re most excited about?
CH: I’m most excited about things we haven’t announced yet, that are going to be part of our opening month. We were really excited to be able to get the initial lineup out the door, so that people were aware of the club being real, having tickets go on sale, which is exciting, see shows sell out. But there’s a number of items we’re working on still for the opening month that will think will really blow people’s minds, and hopefully change the perspective from what this club was, and really get them in a mindset of what this club’s becoming.
SP: I like how you kept all those carefully guarded, under your hat. I’m really excited about this, it’s great that there’s a new room, it’s great that there’s a room this size that you can walk to from BART.
CH: Yeah, I think this room’s really important, something the city really needs. Not just the fact that it’s a 750 cap, which there aren’t any other rooms this size in the city, we’re also 1000 cap. for dance shows. We’re also very happy to have the ability be all-ages, and 21+. I know there’s a strong lack of all-age rooms in the city, so I’m excited. We don’t have to just cater to 21+ acts, we can still bring in young music fans to experience a club show, which doesn’t always happen.
SP: Yeah that’s really good. How are you deciding what shows are 21 and over, versus an all-ages show?
CH: I think it really just comes down to the audience, having that conversation with the artist, their managers, their agents. As well as the venue, always thinking about the safety of our attendees, in hopes that we make the best decision when it comes to that.
SP: Excellent.
