Bootleg Theater, talent-buyer The Fold to part ways at end of June; venue to resume concerts in late July
Kevin Bronson on
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“I think we’re ready to grow in a new direction,” says the venue’s co-owner Jason Adams. “Bringing everything in-house and having more creative control will help with that. I think [the arrangement with The Fold] has been good for us and good for Scott. We had a very productive relationship.”
Over almost two decades, The Fold has booked shows at the Silverlake Lounge (a partnership that ended in 2012), Silver Lake’s El Cid, downtown’s Bordello, Hollywood’s King King and Los Feliz’s the Derby and Tangier.
Sterling could not immediately be reached for comment about the Fold’s future.
The final Fold show currently scheduled at the Bootleg is the last night of Hunny’s residency on June 22. Adams said the venue will be dark for much of July while he hires new staff, that staff gets settled and a sound system is installed — most of the gear currently used for shows in the Fold’s.
The Bootleg’s unique set-up makes it two rooms in one — the larger Theater is used primarily for stage productions, although it has hosted some memorable concerts, with the front room, which became known as the Bootleg Bar, hosting shows on an almost nightly basis.
Adams, an actor and set designer, says he hopes future programming at Bootleg will explore “the pollination between theater and music” as well as just concert fare. Among the immediate changes: The Bootleg will have a full bar rather than its current beer-and-wine-only fare. The venue’s back patio is undergoing renovation to improve soundproofing as well.
Adams and his wife Alicia Hoge-Adams first took control of the 1930s-era warehouse space at 2220 Beverly Blvd. in 2000, as the small-theater hub the Evidence Room. It was rechristened the Bootleg Theater in 2006.
“It’s a little bit like a divorce,” Adams said of the change, noting the inherent difficulty in having a talent buyer and venue owner work as separate business entities. “It was always confusing for both our patrons and the bands.”
Good move for the Bootleg I reckon. Shows there have been lackluster and diminishing in attendance in recent times. I hope they manage to revive the place as it’s one of my favorites in town
Wow, this is big news. I wonder if Fold will book another venue exclusively, book shows in a variety of venues, or retire. Also, will the in house Bootleg booker keep the bands as indie rock oriented as when Fold booked it, or will it book different genres of music? I guess time will tell. Kevin, you find out about everything first when it comes to the L.A. music scene!
A shame. I’ve been a big fan of artists booked by the Fold, including a handful written about on this blog. But in recent years, I haven’t really discovered or seen a particular artists because of them. I still remember when they booked A Place to Bury Strangers at the Silverlake Lounge.