Spaceland to leave its longtime location; Spaceland Productions plan to open dance-centric new venue
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The blue-and-silver curtain will drop for good on the Silver Lake indie rock institution Spaceland next March.
The club, founded as a weekly night in 1993 by promoter Mitchell Frank, hosted some of the earliest L.A. performances by Beck, Foo Fighters, Arcade Fire, Elliott Smith and Weezer, among many others. It became synonymous with both a revitalized eastside rock scene in Los Angeles and the neighborhood’s changing demographics, hosting thousands of shows and serving as an essential launch pad for local and international artists even as Frank expanded to newer venues, including the Echo (2001) and the Echoplex (2007). But as of March, the venue will operate under a new club name, the Satellite, and will sever affilation with Frank’s and business partner Jeff Ellermeyer’s Spaceland Productions for in-house booking.
‘It just reached a point where it was time for us to move on,’ Frank said in a written statement. ‘We’ve had some incredible musical moments here; people met, fell in love, started life-long friendships, but it’s just time for a change.’
The release noted that the change could be toward a more electronica-centric direction at a new venue focused on dance nights, electro bands and DJs. Frank has long alluded to courting a new downtown venue managed by Spaceland Productions, which could fit the neighborhood’s recent spate of major electronica events.
Spaceland’s final shows will include a monthlong Melvins residency and the L.A. debuts of U.K. bands the Vaccines and Yuck.
[UPDATE: In a written statement, former longtime Spaceland Productions booker Jennifer Tefft confirmed that she will be leaving her current position as a talent buyer at The Fold to book shows at The Satellite, the new club located at the former home of Club Spaceland in Silver Lake.]
-- August Brown (Full disclosure: In my other life as a musician, I’ve played several of Spaceland Productions’ clubs, including Spaceland)