Three high school buddies are bringing a smorgasbord of music to the City Opera House this fall.
The Fall Concert Series organized by Grassroots Productions at the 112-year-old facility will showcase local talent at a local landmark. The shows will cover a range of musical styles with everything from folk, roots and bluegrass to Cajun, jazz and funk/fusion. The multi-faceted vision of the series founders is to provide an alternative to the bar scene for both musicians and audience members while also bringing a wide variety of music downtown.
"There's really no stepping stone for bands to reach up to the next level and this gives them the ability," said Stephen Volas of Beulah, co-founder of Grassroots Productions with three friends from Benzie County Central High School. "There's a need for this kind of series."
The mostly Thursday night, nearly weekly series kicks off Thursday, September 21, with Seth Bernard and Daisy May with Greensky Bluegrass. Shows run through November 17, with a few dates still being finalized, and are geared to all ages with kids under 12 free and smoke-free shows.
"We're parents and to have a venue with no smoke and early start times is a positive musical experience for everyone," said Jeremiah Sequoia, a Beulah resident and member of Grassroots Productions.
Bands currently booked include Steppin' In It, Terrapin Flyer, the Neptune Quartet, K. Jones and the Benzie Playboyz, Breathe Owl Breathe and Homemade Jam. The vibe of the high-octane line up will keep the audience engaged.
"Most of the bands here, you can't help but dance," said Josh Stoltz of Lake Ann, a member of
Grassroots Productions.
Grassroots Productions, which has revitalized the Dunegrass Festival in Empire over the past two summers, held their first City Opera House concert in February. The well received show sparked their determination to produce a full-fledged series there, especially after they scoped out other venues in the region.
"We had people telling us this place would be finicky but we did Melvin Seals & Friends in February and it was awesome," said Volas.
Grassroots Productions members envision the series as an annual event, eagerly anticipating when the multi-year restoration project at the City Opera House is complete.
"For me, once this place is done and packed with people, it's going to have such a great sound and be so high energy," said Volas. "I can't wait to see this place sold out."
"I'm really happy to be doing this when the capacity is 350-400 but when it's 700, I'm then really looking to do a lot of national acts," he added.
The Fall Concert Series at the grand old building dovetails with the City Opera House's mission, noted Philip Leete, program and events coordinator for the organization.
"Part of the over all vision is to have a wide variety of locally supported events, which is what the Grassroots Productions series is — all locally-grown, locally-supported and locally-built musical groups — and from there expanding outwards," he said.
The weekly concerts plus other public events, including a comedy show, Poet's Night Out and a Central High School orchestra concert, are happening this fall in the midst of another reconstruction phase. Workers are building a new, two-story grand entrance, upgrading sound, rigging and lighting equipment, adding restrooms, finishing dressing areas and adding balcony seating plus completing decorative painting and trim.
Before the City Opera House closes for a month in December — the final push before a grand re-opening early next year — the shows will take place around the work.
"At 3 o'clock the noise stops and we clear the dust so we can have a concert," said Leete. "It's busy, the way we should be: open to the public with a variety of arts, music comedy and theater."
Tickets to the Fall Concert Series at the City Opera House are $20 each and are available in Traverse City at Oryana Natural Foods Market and Horizon Books. For more information on upcoming events at the City Opera House, see their website at www.cityoperahouse.org. For more information on Grassroots productions, call 231-882-9502 or see their website at www.grassrootsproductions.net