A new all-ages venue and community space in San Jose
0% complete
17 281 $ récoltés sur 15 k $
182 dons
HEAVY LEMON & CROSSTHREAD PRESENT:
It might seem like a weird time to open a venue. Touring is harder than ever for artists, and independent venues are constantly on the verge of closing.
Despite, or maybe because of that, the DIY music scene is thriving in San Jose. In Jade Cathay Chinese Restaurant on a Friday night, it’s not uncommon to find 200 people rocking out to a band that has less monthly listeners than there are people in the room.
Heavy Lemon San Jose started in 2021 as a group of friends throwing shows in a practice space, and gradually grew into a vibrant community, hosting 3-4 "pop-up" shows a month at local businesses. As much as we love dragging a PA around town (and we plan to continue to do pop-up shows!) it is time for a more permanent home that will enable us to diversify our programming and be able to say "yes" to more great independent touring bands.
Heavy Lemon is teaming up with Crossthread, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering safe spaces for all ages through community outreach and education, to open a new all-ages venue in San Jose.
Together, Heavy Lemon and Crossthread plan to reopen the historic Black Cat Licorice Theater in downtown San Jose (next to Black and Brown Vintage Clothing) as an all-ages venue and community events space. Having a permanent brick-and-mortar home will enable both organizations to serve the community through more shows and festivals, workshops and classes, and recording and media production services for bands.
Our mission:
- A “third space.” Provide an inclusive, all-ages gathering place where people feel comfortable expressing themselves.
- A place to start. Curate inspiring shows, based on music not metrics.
- A place to tour. Support DIY-oriented touring bands, connecting grassroots communities across the West Coast and making touring financially viable for small acts.
- A place to learn. Pass on the legacy of how to book shows, how to make them sound good, and the importance of gathering people.
- Put San Jose on the map. Set up the optimal conditions for a volatile culture bomb to explode in San Jose. You know, in a good way.
Events we will be able to host in the space:
- Shows shows shows! Big shows, small shows, festivals, touring bands, local bands, you name it
- Sound workshops - training the next generation of sound engineers
- Recording workshops - teaching artists to record themselves at home
- Festivals - events like New Band New Year and Heavy Lemon Fest
- Media production - production for our web series "Heavy Lemonade"
- Music recording and video - a studio space for music production
Organisateur
