Linen Building in Boise jumps into the concert game with new series
BY MICHAEL DEEDS - mdeeds@idahostatesman.com
Copyright: © 2009 Idaho Statesman
Published: 06/05/09
Photos provided by Steve Smith Photography
The stylish Linen Building offers Downtown Boise a new live-music venue.
DDITIONAL INFORMATION
Boise developer David Hale doesn't fancy himself a concert promoter. But this week, Hale officially threw his hat into the live-music ring.
"Live at the Linen," a series at the old American Linen Building, 1402 W. Grove St., Boise, launched with three consecutive nights of music.
Singer-guitarist Marcus Eaton performed Thursday. Tonight, local acts ranging from Low-Fi to Kelly Lynae will perform as the kickoff party for
"Music From Stanley." On Saturday, rock group Motorflower will include its audience in the filming of a music video then perform a regular
concert afterward.
Since opening the Linen Building in fall 2007, Hale has shaped it into a stylish event center that hosts weddings, receptions and corporate
functions. The main room can accommodate about 350 people. Upstairs can handle 150. The parking lot outdoors, with some creativity,
would hold 1,500 or more for a summer event.
Hale had always envisioned music as part of the Linen Building equation, he says. But the building's acoustics weren't up to his standards.
So drapes were hung. Walls and ceilings received dampening treatments.
Hale isn't done tweaking the acoustics, either: "As we start to have more music," Hale says. "We can troubleshoot."
Hale hopes to offer about two concerts per month at the Linen Building, he says. The next booking is local jam band Garden City Limits
on June 12. In a perfect situation, the Linen would become a destination for Idahoans who value live music as an art form, not just as
background noise for socializing.
"My ideal concept is to see an 'MTV Unplugged'-type of setting or show," Hale says. "A super-intimate show with a higher-end artist or just
more of a listening experience than what I think is being offered out there. Hopefully, we're working towards that."
Michael Deeds: 377-6407
Live at the Linen this weekend
Music From Stanley: Low-fi, James Orr, Bernie Reilly, Dan Costello, Kelly Lynae, bands from Boise Rock School. 6 p.m. Friday, June 5, all ages , free. Donations suggested. Raffle and silent auction. Beer, wine available. Online: www.musicfromstanley.com
Motorflower Video Shoot and Concert: 7 p.m. Saturday, June 6, all ages welcome, free. Video filming followed by concert. Opening act: SFM-Steve Fulton Music's Power Trio. Full bar. Online: www.motorflower.com