“It was at small independent venues that I found my first idols, eventually grabbed drinks with them, and learned that we were the exact same. That was powerful for me – and I think that the more we make music accessible to everyone, the more people and experiences we’ll see reflected across it” – Bartees Strange
Independent Venue Week, running from July 12-18, 2021, has announced that Bartees Strange will be joining this year’s celebration as its official artist ambassador. Strange has emerged as one of the most electrifying and exciting acts to break out onto the national scene in recent memory, with Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, The FADER, Stereogum, NME, NPR Music, The New Yorker, and more finding themselves enraptured by Strange’s one-of-a-kind sonic tapestry of alt-soul, post-punk, midwest emo, indie folk, and abstract hip-hop.
Strange’s experiences as both a performer and patron of independent venues over the years have allowed him to drive home just how critical these spaces are to the enrichment of arts and culture, communities, and scenes nationwide. “The important thing about independent venues is the way they can eliminate the barrier between a fan and an artist,” says Strange. “As bands get bigger, it becomes more and more unbelievable to see that they’re human. That they face the same challenges as everyone. And that anyone can use music to tell their stories as well. It was at small independent venues like Bad Granny’s Bazaar, The Opolis, The Conservatory, that I found my first idols, eventually grabbed drinks with them, and learned that we were the exact same. That was powerful for me – and I think that the more we make music accessible to everyone, the more people and experiences we’ll see reflected across it.”
In addition to the reveal of its artist ambassador for the 2021 edition of the event, Independent Venue Week announced another milestone this week, declaring that for the first time ever, stages and rooms from ALL 50 US STATES, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico, will be participating in Independent Venue Week. With over 300 VENUES already signed on from across the country, this year’s Independent Venue Week will not only be the largest event of its kind to occur in the United States but worldwide, as well.
“Since we brought Independent Venue Week to the States, it’s been crucial to us that the event is nationally, geographically balanced; that everyone has the opportunity to participate locally,” says Cecilie Nielsen, Director of Special Projects at Marauder, the firm that runs the American iteration of Independent Venue Week. “We’re excited to have such strong participation. It is an affirmation of how essential independent venues are to communities all over the country, not just in cities that are traditionally thought of as major music markets.”
Though this year’s Independent Venue Week is already slated to be the largest yet, venues and promoters interested in participating can still register to be part of the annual event. The venue-curated programming will be joined with the return of #IVWTalks, a virtual conference series that discusses current live music industry issues and includes Get Schooled, a full day dedicated to student participants interested in a career in live music to take place on Thursday, July 15.
#IVW21 Partners
Independent Venue Week has stood shoulder to shoulder with its nation-wide community through the crisis; its early organizing efforts sparked the formation of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), with whom the event has officially partnered. “Independent Venue Week brought us together in good times and then connected us when we had to fight to Save Our Stages,” said Audrey Fix Schaefer, board member and communications director of NIVA. “Without Independent Venue Week’s years of bringing awareness to the contributions that independent venues provide in terms of creating a communal space for music, connecting people, art, and commerce, it’s impossible to imagine how this industry could have survived.”
#IVW21 PARTICIPATING VENUES (So Far!)
Alabama Theatre (Birmingham, AL)
Princess Theatre (Decatur, AL)
The Camp (Huntsville, AL)
Druid City Music Hall (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Koot’s (Anchorage, AK)
Williwaw (Anchorage, AK)
Jeremy’s Juke Joint (Lake Havasu City, AZ)
The Neighborhood Comedy Theatre (Mesa, AZ)
The Nile Theater (Mesa, AZ)
Last Exit Live (Phoenix, AZ)
The Rebel Lounge (Phoenix, AZ)
The Speakeasy (Tempe, AZ)
Club Congress (Tucson, AZ)
Groundworks Tucson (Tucson, AZ)
Roots HQ (Fayetteville, AR)
The UC Theatre (Berkeley, CA)
The Wayfarer (Costa Mesa, CA)
Glendale Centre Theatre (Glendale/Los Angeles, CA)
T-Bar Social Club (June Lake, CA)
Marvyn’s Magic Theater (La Quinta, CA)
1720 (Los Angeles, CA)
Globe Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
Gold-Diggers (Los Angeles, CA)
Los Angeles Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
Palace Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
The Paramount LA (Los Angeles, CA)
The Sardine (Los Angeles, CA)
The Paupaiz Music Stage (Napa, CA)
The Glass House (Pomona, CA)
Club Fox (Redwood City, CA)
Crest Sacramento (Sacramento, CA)
Harlow’s (Sacramento, CA)
Sacramento Comedy Spot (Sacramento, CA)
Belly Up (San Diego, CA)
The Casbah (San Diego, CA)
Soda Bar (San Diego, CA)
Spin Nightclub (San Diego, CA)
Amado’s (San Francisco, CA)
August Hall (San Francisco, CA)
Bimbo’s 365 Club (San Francisco, CA)
DNA Lounge (San Francisco, CA)
Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
Mr. Tipple’s (San Francisco, CA)
The Riptide (San Francisco, CA)
Center Stage Theater (Santa Barbara, CA)
Kuumbwa Jazz (Santa Cruz, CA)
The Troubadour (West Hollywood, CA)
Boulder Theater (Boulder, CO)
Fox Theatre (Boulder, CO)
The Black Sheep (Colorado Springs, CO)
Monkey Barrel (Denver, CO)
Roxy on Broadway (Denver, CO)
Aggie Theatre (Fort Collins, CO)
The Courtyard at 610 (Ridgway, CO)
The Sherbino (Ridgway, CO)
Bijou Theatre (Bridgeport, CT)
The Cellar On Treadwell (Hamden, CT)
The Midpoint (Hartford, CT)
Cafe Nine (New Haven, CT)
Strange Brew Pub (Norwich, CT)
Arden Concert Gild (Arden, DE)
Freeman Arts Pavilion (Selbyville, DE)
The Queen (Wilmington, DE)
9:30 Club (Washington D.C., )
The Anthem (Washington D.C., )
DC9 Nightclub (Washington D.C., )
Lincoln Theatre (Washington D.C., )
Pearl Street Warehouse (Washington D.C., )
Pie Shop (Washington D.C., )
Songbyrd Music House (Washington D.C., )
High Dive (Gainesville, FL)
Jack Rabbits (Jacksonville, FL)
Murray Hill Theatre (Jacksonville, FL)
Blue Jay Listening Room (Jacksonville Beach, FL)
Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (Live Oak, FL)
Churchills (Miami, FL)
North Beach Bandshell (Miami Beach, FL)
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (Sarasota, FL)
Bradfordville Blues Club, Inc. (Tallahassee, FL)
Crowbar (Tampa, FL)
The Village Theatre (Atlanta, GA)
The Blue Door (Brunswick, GA)
Eddie’s Attic (Decatur, GA)
Grant’s Lounge (Macon, GA)
Hargray Capitol Theatre (Macon, GA)
Hilo Palace Theater (Hilo, HI)
Hawaii Theatre Center (Honolulu, HI)
ProArts Playhouse Maui (Kihei, HI)
The Olympic (Boise, ID)
Hey Nonny (Arlington Heights, IL)
Annoyance Theatre & Bar (Chicago, IL)
Beat Kitchen (Chicago, IL)
Copernicus Center (Chicago, IL)
Golden Dagger (Chicago, IL)
The Hideout (Chicago, IL)
Lincoln Hall (Chicago, IL)
The Lincoln Lodge Theater (Chicago, IL)
Metro (Chicago, IL)
North Bar (Chicago, IL)
The Promontory (Chicago, IL)
Reggies Music Joint (Chicago, IL)
Reggies Rock Club (Chicago, IL)
Schubas Tavern (Chicago, IL)
Subterranean (Chicago, IL)
Thalia Hall (Chicago, IL)
The Wild Hare & Singing Armadillo Frog Sanctuary (Chicago, IL)
Winter’s Jazz Club (Chicago, IL)
Egyptian Theatre (DeKalb, IL)
Evanston SPACE (Evanston, IL)
Skooter’s Roadhouse (Shorewood, IL)
Buskirk-Chumley Theater (Bloomington, IN)
Mojo’s BoneYard Sportsbar & Music Venue (Evansville, IN)
HI-FI (Indianapolis, IN)
Carnahan Hall (Lafayette, IN)
Vegetable Buddies (South Bend, IN)
Surf Ballroom & Museum (Clear Lake, IA)
Hoyt Sherman Place (Des Moines, IA)
Wooly’s (Des Moines, IA)
xBk (Des Moines, IA)
East Of Omaha (Griswold, IA)
The Englert Theatre (Iowa City, IA)
Hutchinson’s Historic Fox Theatre (Hutchinson, KS)
Liberty Hall (Lawrence, KS)
Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts (Salina, KS)
Wave (Wichita, KS)
The Warehouse at Mt. Victor (Bowling Green, KY)
Alhambra Theatre (Hopkinsville, KY)
Headliners Music Hall (Louisville, KY)
Old Forester’s Paristown Hall (Louisville, KY)
Renfro Valley Entertainment Center (Mount Vernon, KY)
The Southgate House Revival (NEWPORT, KY)
Texas Club (Baton Rouge, LA)
Wurst Biergarten Venue & Food Park (Lafayette, LA)
Ashé Cultural Arts Center (New Orleans, LA)
Carnaval Lounge (New Orleans, LA)
Howlin’ Wolf (New Orleans, LA)
The Grand (Ellsworth, ME)
Rams Head On Stage (Annapolis, MD)
The Crown (Baltimore, MD)
Metro Gallery (Baltimore, MD)
The Rockwell (Baltimore, MD)
Merriweather Post Pavilion (Columbia, MD)
Regent Theatre (Arlngton, MA)
The Narrows Center (Fall River, MA)
ātac (Framingham, MA)
The Center for Arts in Natick (Natick, MA)
Soundcheck Studios (Pembroke, MA)
Electric Haze (Worcester, MA)
The Magic Bag (Ferndale, MI)
The Pyramid Scheme (Grand Rapids, MI)
Kalamazoo State Theatre (Kalamazoo, MI)
Up North Grill (Kallaska, MI)
Acorn Center for the Performing Arts (Three Oaks, MI)
7th St Entry (Minneapolis, MN)
Fine Line (Minneapolis, MN)
First Avenue (Minneapolis, MN)
Granada Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
The Parkway Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
TAK Music Venue (Moorhead, MN)
The Fitzgerald Theatre (St. Paul, MN)
Palace Theatre (St. Paul, MN)
Turf Club (St. Paul, MN)
Rick’s Cafe (Starkville, MS)
recordBar (Kansas City, MO)
Uptown Theater (Kansas City, MO)
The Pub Station (Billings, MT)
Kettlehouse Ampitheater (Missoula, MT)
1867 Bar (Lincoln, NE)
Slowdown (Omaha, NE)
The Alpine (Reno, NV)
The Bank of New Hampshire Stage (Concord, NH)
The Music Hall (Portsmouth, NH)
Crossroads (Garwood, NJ)
Hopewell Theater (Hopewell, NJ)
White Eagle Hall (Jersey City, NJ)
Newark Symphony Hall (Newark, NJ)
The Newton Theatre (Newton, NJ)
Township Theatre (Twp of Washington, NJ)
The Liberty, Inc. (Roswell, NM)
Palace Theatre (Albany, NY)
QED (Astoria, NY)
House of Yes (Brooklyn, NY)
Jalopy Theatre (Brooklyn, NY)
Littlefield (Brooklyn, NY)
The Muse Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY)
Our Wicked Lady (Brooklyn, NY)
Purgatory (Brooklyn, NY)
ShapeShifter Lab (Brooklyn, NY)
The Sultan Room (Brooklyn, NY)
Babeville (Buffalo, NY)
Town Ballroom (Buffalo, NY, NY)
Fort Hill Performing Arts Center (Canandaigua, NY)
The Park Theater (Glens Falls, NY)
Center for the Arts of Homer (Homer, NY)
Drom (new york, NY)
Iridium (New York, NY)
ISSUE Project Room (New York, NY)
Lola (New York, NY)
Arlene’s Grocery (New York City, NY)
Birdland (New York City, NY)
6 On The Square (Oxford, NY)
Patchogue Theatre (Patchogue, NY)
The Capitol Theatre (Port Chester, NY)
Bardavon 1869 Opera House (Poughkeepsie, NY)
My Father’s Place (Roslyn, NY)
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (Troy, NY)
Asheville Music Hall (Asheville, NC)
Sly Grog Lounge (Asheville, NC)
Cat’s Cradle (Carrboro, NC)
The Evening Muse (Charlotte, NC)
Neighborhood Theatre (Charlotte, NC)
Paddy’s Irish Pub (Fayetteville, NC)
The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop (Raleigh, NC)
Fargo Brewing Company (Fargo, ND)
Fargo Theatre (Fargo, ND)
Sanctuary Events Center (Fargo, ND)
Jilly’s Music Room (Akron, OH)
Mapleside Farms (Brunswick, OH)
Beachland Ballroom & Tavern (Cleveland, OH)
BOP STOP (Cleveland, OH)
The Happy Dog (Cleveland, OH)
Wilberts (Cleveland, OH)
Grog Shop (Cleveland Heights, OH)
Phenix Banquet Center (Columbus, OH)
Woodlands Tavern (Columbus, OH)
Stroede Center for the Arts (Defiance, OH)
Marathon Center for the Performing Arts (Findlay, OH)
Stuart’s Opera House (Nelsonville, OH)
Robins Theatre (Warren, OH)
The Auditorium at the Douglass (Oklahoma City, OK)
Ponyboy (Oklahoma City, OK)
Tower Theatre (Oklahoma City, OK)
Les Schwab Amphitheater (Bend, OR)
Tower Theatre (Bend, OR)
Volcanic Theatre Pub (Bend, OR)
The Vault Theater (Hillsboro, OR)
Afrodaddy’s Jazz (Portland, OR)
Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR)
Kickstand Comedy (Portland, OR)
The Old Church Concert Hall (Portland, OR)
Roseland Theater (Portland, OR)
The Siren Theater (Portland, OR)
Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR)
Ardmore Music Hall (Ardmore, PA)
ArtsQuest (Bethlehem, PA)
Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks (Bethlehem, PA)
XL Live (Harrisburg, PA)
The Kennett Flash (Kennett Square, PA)
Jamey’s House of Music (Lansdowne, PA)
Chris’ Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)
The Fire (Philadelphia, PA)
Helium Comedy Club (Philadelphia, PA)
Mann Center for the Performing Arts (Philadelphia, PA)
Underground Arts (Philadelphia, PA)
World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA)
3577 (Pittsburgh, PA)
Hot Mass (Pittsburgh, PA)
Thunderbird Music Hall (Pittsburgh, PA)
Sellersville Theater (Sellersville, PA)
Sherman Theater (Stroudsburg, PA)
118 North (Wayne, PA)
La Respuesta, Puerto Rico (San Juan, PR)
Greenwich Odeum (East Greenwich, RI)
Comedy Connection (East Providence, RI)
Charleston Pour House (Charleston, SC, SC)
Arts Center of Coastal Carolina (Hilton Head Island, SC)
Red Rooster Coffee House (Aberdeen, SD)
The Down Home (Johnson City, TN)
The Concourse (Knoxville, TN)
Levitt Shell (Memphis, TN)
Cannery Ballroom (Nashville, TN)
The End (Nashville, TN)
Exit/In (Nashville, TN)
The High Watt (Nashville, TN)
Mercy Lounge (Nashville, TN)
Third Coast Comedy Club (Nashville, TN)
Flamingo Cantina (Austin, TX)
Giddy Ups (Austin, TX)
The Hole in the Wall (Austin, TX)
Hotel Vegas (Austin, TX)
Mohawk (Austin, TX)
Speakeasy (Austin, TX)
Deep Ellum Art Company (Dallas, TX)
Granada Theater (Dallas, TX)
The Kessler (Dallas, TX)
Sundown at Granada (Dallas, TX)
Three Links (Dallas, TX)
Bass Performance Hall (Fort Worth, TX)
Tulips FTW (Fort Worth, TX)
The Heights Theater (Houston, TX)
The Secret Group (Houston, TX)
Warehouse Live (Houston, TX)
The Bugle Boy (La Grange, TX)
The Comedy Arena (McKinney, TX)
The Marc (San Marcos, TX)
Rattlesnake Ballroom (Walnut Springs, TX)
Red Butte Garden (Salt Lake City, UT)
Stone Church (Brattleboro, VT)
The Birchmere (Alexandria, VA)
The Canal Club (Richmond, VA)
The Spot on Kirk (Roanoke, VA)
The Liberty (Roswell, VA)
Bright Box Theater (Winchester, VA)
Make.Shift Art Space (Bellingham, WA)
Wild Buffalo House of Music (Bellingham, WA)
The Atlas Theatre (Seattle, WA)
Central Saloon (Seattle, WA)
The Crocodile (Seattle, WA)
El Corazon (Seattle, WA)
The Factory Luxe (Seattle, WA)
Funhouse (Seattle, WA)
The High Dive (Seattle, WA)
Nectar Lounge (Seattle, WA)
Aurora Borealis (Shoreline, WA)
Spokane Valley Summer Theatre (Spokane Valley, WA)
Purple Fiddle Cafe, Brews and Stage (Thomas, WV)
Gibson Community Music Hall (Appleton, WI)
X-Ray Arcade (Cudahy, WI)
Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts (Fond du Lac, WI)
Cavalier Theater (La Crosse, WI)
Pump House Regional Arts Center (La Crosse, WI)
WAREHOUSE (La Crosse, WI)
The Bur Oak (Madison, WI)
The Cooperage (Milwaukee, WI)
Old Gem Theater (New Richmond, WI)
Weill Center for the Performing Arts (Sheboygan, WI)
Grand Theater (Wausau, WI)
The Crystal Grand Music Theatre (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
The Lincoln Cheyenne (Cheyenne, WY)
Bartees Strange header photo credit: Farrah Sheiky
