Independent Venue Week is showcasing the power of small venues on emerging artists. Today, the organization is launching the Independent Venue Speak podcast which will focus on stories about the some of the most beloved music venues.
Independent Venue Speak will be hosted by a different guest artist each episode and focus on how a specific independent venue has shaped the narrative in their music community. For its inaugural episode, the podcast invited the Grammy-nominated artist and songwriter J. Hoard to tell the tale of the iconic Lower East Side room Arlene’s Grocery and its ties to The Lesson, a world-renowned hip-hop jam ensemble that forged an entire music culture.
“What’s dope about The Lesson is that a lot of us were the people that nobody wanted to give a chance,” said J. Hoard in a release. “So, we all took a chance on each other. Arlene’s took a chance on us…Arlene’s gave all of us the nutrients and the platform to do amazing things. What The Lesson did was literally ahead of its time.”
The podcast launches just over a month before the 2021 edition of Independent Venue Week, which is scheduled to run from July 12-18. More than 200 venues across 41 states and territories have already signed up to participate.
“To truly make Independent Venue Speak as incredible in execution as it was in concept, we enlisted the artists and venue operators to tell these stories themselves,” said Cecilie Nielsen, director of special projects at Marauder that produces the annual Independent Venue Week event as well as the podcast. “These stories are about extraordinary people who helped inspire prolific music movements and about the venues that offered these movements not just a stage, but a home.”
The podcast will be in partnership with ticketing company See Tickets.
Source
