2008 Woodie Awards
Old Town Theater opens doors to new music ventures
First Downtown Music Project concert to feature four local bands
Rachael Gleason
Issue date: 9/25/07 Section: Features
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The concert - which will begin at 8:30 p.m. - will include performances from Masterblaster, Jimamo, Falling North and The Last Great Assault.
Whitaker and the Student Government Association have been pursuing the Downtown Music Project since spring.
Recent negotiations have allowed SGA to make this project a reality - last Tuesday it signed legislation officially recognizing a contract with the city that permits the project to rent the Theater for a one-time down payment of $100.
The meetings on Saturday and Sunday allowed the bands to take promotional pictures and discuss the sound system.
"I think the music project will work because of this place," said Jordan Volz - a band member of Last Great Assault - upon inspection of the Old Town Theater.
The Theater - formally recognized as the Gibbs Center for the Performing Arts - is located in the Downtown Square, across from the Greyhound Station, on 12th Street.
Gene Myrick, director of the Friends of the Old Town Theater, said that the Theater has been in production for approximately five and a half years and has welcomed at least 65,000 people through its doors.
"I'm thrilled to death," he said. "The more we have youth in the Theater, the better."
According to CinemaTreasures, the Town Theater originally opened in 1947 as a movie theater, but closed 30 years later. Friends of the Old Town Theater opened the Theater again in 2002 after years of planning and dedicated it to the late J. Philip Gibbs.
Whitaker said the Downtown Music Project will organize one concert a month starting in October, except in December and May. He said each concert will feature four to five local bands.
"The music scene is growing and strong - we have the talent to draw from," Whitaker said. "The thing about Huntsville is that we only have small venues. We wanted to have a big performance once a month to highlight Huntsville's music and attract people to the Downtown area."
Masterblaster bassist, guitarist and vocalist Dustin Adams said the Music Project concert is probably the biggest project his band has been involved with.
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