Austin Ray (left) and Rick Whetsel

The Gulch: Hear it Here
By Jason Moon Wilkins
Thursday, 08/11/05

In the grand vision for the future of The Gulch, redevelopers imagine an area where pedestrians can wander from one end to the other, eating and shopping and being entertained all along the way. But there is a divide, literally and figuratively, where entertainment is concerned. Over the next few months, though, several new venues will open, aiming to close the entertainment gap in The Gulch.

While Nashville night owls can continue to count on area staples like venerable bluegrass venue Station Inn (which is staying put during the area's redevelopment) and the newly reopened 12th & Porter Playroom, they can now can add upcoming options like the upscale restaurant Sambuca (in the old Six Degrees space) which will offer everything from jazz to alt-country seven nights a week, and the recently announced Judgment Hall (in the former Katatonic space between the old Café OneTwoThree and Pub of Love) which, according to Judgment Hall/Judge Bean's proprietor Aubrey Bean, will be a "traditional Texas dancehall" constructed in the style of Austin's legendary Greune Hall.

But by far the biggest venue and most buzzed-about launch in the new-look gulch is City Hall, the multiuse entertainment space next door to Bar Twenty3 which opens this week with a performance by Ray LaMontagne.

Some Nashvillians may have already been inside the giant old warehouse for one of the various events or parties held there over the last two years, but when concertgoers step inside to attend LaMontagne's show, they'll be amazed at the subtle but significant changes to the place.

"One word: restrooms, man. It's got restrooms now," Rick Whetsel, owner of Great Big Shows and now the entertainment booker for City Hall, says with a chuckle. "The second word would be 'air-conditioning,'" Bar Twenty3 and City Hall co-owner Austin Ray adds.
City Hall was still far from finished when ATR caught up with Rick and Austin, but the construction skeleton revealed an open floor plan that continues the modern, minimalist look of Bar Twenty3, which is right next door. All the character of the room remains virtually untouched, from the exposed brick walls to the network of metal framing running overhead.

"The similarity between opening City Hall and opening Bar Twenty3 is very simple," Austin states. "We opened Bar Twenty3 for the sole reason that we were guys who went out to bars and didn't feel like we were getting offered what we should be offered as Nashvillians. And I can say the same thing about most shows that I go to."


"Ever since 328 (Performance Hall) closed, we'd been looking for a venue to use," says Rick, who booked 328 before it was demolished to make way for the new Shelby Street Bridge and planned Demonbreun Street extension. "I really think this is it. We've partnered with a sound company called Sound Associates. They are providing us with PA equipment that we could not afford —not even close. But they want the ability to show off this particular rig, so we get to have something we can't afford in this room."
With a world-class sound system and a venue large enough to hold 1,200 people but with production costs low enough to host shows in the 650-person range, Rick and Austin hope City Hall will be the magnet that finally draws many of the tours that have passed Nashville over since 328 went away.

"You can look at Asheville and Louisville. These shows are going to even smaller markets because we didn't have the appropriate venue," Rick says, citing artists like Bright Eyes, Interpol, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party and The Killers whose recent tours have passed Nashville by.

"The most painful and ironic point from the consumer standpoint is that you have bands literally driving through Nashville to go to another city to play a show and not stopping here," Austin interjects. "Maybe they stop at Wendy's. That's a good contrast in the difference in revenue to be gained from this for the city. We can have them stop at Cracker Barrel, or we can have them stop and play for 1,200 people."

'City Hall' venue to open in August
By John Rodgers, jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com
June 15, 2005
 
Hoping to fill a missing beat in the Music City scene, the owners of Bar Twenty3 in The Gulch will open a new music venue called City Hall next door at 405 12th Ave. S. in August.

The 1,200-person capacity, a rare size in this market, will make the space unique to Nashville, said Bar Twenty3 co-owner Benjamin Goldberg.

Currently, Mercy Lounge and Exit/In are the only two similar local venues but they can't accommodate as many people, Goldberg said. To attract bands that might skip Nashville because of its lack of mid-size venues, Goldberg and co-owner Austin Ray are opening City Hall as a multi-functional entertainment facility.

"We've seen the acts that we want to go see in other cities," Goldberg said. "We really want to create a space that allows them to come to Nashville."

A former warehouse, the 12,000-square foot venue will host all different types of musical genres starting with Ray LaMontagne's opening show in August. "We really want to bring different, exciting, eclectic acts from rock to electronic to funk to all sorts of different genres," Goldberg said.

Goldberg said it will cost less than $1 million to transform the warehouse into City Hall.
City Hall's interior will include a retractable stage that allows the space to be configured to fit parties of all sizes while maintaining a warehouse feel with metal rafters and industrial skylights. City Hall can also accommodate private parties such as corporate events and wedding receptions.

Goldberg said the warehouse offers excellent acoustics and has been used for music video shoots.

"We've had people like Toby Keith who've played over there and he was like, 'you guys are sitting on a great music venue,'" Goldberg said.

Ron Nemetz of R. Nemetz and Associates will design City Hall. Nashville-based Great Big Shows will serve as the booking agent.

A full schedule of concerts is expected to be released shortly. Tickets to all shows can be purchased through Ticketmaster.