Downtown music scene adds Main Street Annex to lineup

At first glance, it may appear that downtown Charlottesville is flush with music venues. Many local restaurants convert a convenient corner into a performance space by striking a few chairs, flipping over a vacated 8-top table, and re-decorating a sandwich board to advertise the current evening’s event. Since its grand opening on July 13, locals have been embracing the Main St. Annex for providing a fresh performance space.

Located in an upstairs wing of the Charlottesville Ice Park, the Main Street Annex fills the vacant storefront that was once home to the recently relocated Eloise Boutique to 219 Water Street. The Annex, while still a work-in-progress, offers an 8’x12’ stage complete with full PA system and lights, a backstage bar (beer and wine only) and a comfortable “green-room” for performers. The space has the capacity to comfortably hold 300 people.

Jeyon Falsini, owner of local booking and music promotion agency, Magnus Music, along with partner Steven Martin, has been delegated the task of not only transforming the former boutique into a concert venue, but also of booking performers and filling the room.

“The pieces are really starting to come together for this space; our online presence is growing, staff and production are taken care of, and the calendar is starting to fill. We know spaces like ours, with little capital, take some time to grow, but we’re confident that by Spring 2013, the Main Street Annex will be a red hot spot on this city’s radar. That’s for sure.”

“We’re building a great place to see music,” added Martin.  And he isn’t speaking figuratively.

“We cut out the walls from the old dressing rooms,” explained Falsini, “and even used some of the shelving to build the stage.”

The “do-it-yourself” approach to the renovation pairs well with The Annex’s bare-bones style and feel. And because Falsini and Martin’s business acumen lies in event promotion and not construction, the Annex’s calendar looks more like that of an established music-hall than the folding furniture, plastic cups and paper tablecloths may suggest.  Now that hammering and dry walling have given way to scheduling and booking, the goals, according to Falsini, are “to build line-ups and introduce out-of town acts to Charlottesville.”

Upcoming acts include “Arpetrio” on Oct. 24 and a show with “Damn Right” (Baltimore, MD) and “Former Champions” (Richmond, VA) on Nov. 9.

For more information about the new venue, to purchase tickets or to book a show, visit mainstreetannex.com.