Atlanta Music Guide caught up with Vinyl’s Talent Buyer, Brandon Mize, to get the full scoop on the awesome venue! Check out what he had to say!
Can you give us some history on Vinyl and how it came to be?
Vinyl started in 2003. We just celebrated our ten year anniversary. Center Stage has been here forever and the room that is Vinyl now was empty for a long time. We decided to turn it into a small music venue to support the local music scene here in Atlanta and to bring in smaller national and regional bands.
What have been some of the most memorable shows held at Vinyl?
The ones that stand out to me the most are the artists and bands that went on to play bigger venues. You look back and think, ‘It’s really cool that they played Vinyl.’ Some of the shows that come to mind are Citizen Cope, Marc Broussard and John Butler Trio. We’ve had Phil Lesh and Friends do a ‘Circle of Friends’ in there which was pretty cool having all those guys on stage. All of the ‘Circle of Friends’ we had in there where pretty cool because, you know, it’s big bands on a small stage.
What are some upcoming shows that people should know about?
Rachael Yamagata on July 5 is a good show we’re looking forward to. Alice Smith on July 17th, that’s a good one. Bronze Radio Return on July 24, that’s going to be a big one. We have Nico Vega and The Crash Kings coming. In September, we’ve got Charli XCX with Kitten, that’s a good one. We have some great ones coming up!
What is it like to book talent for Vinyl?
It’s fun but it’s also very trying at times. You have to worry about who can bring in enough people to make the night successful for both you and the band. Unfortunately, on a smaller level you’re worried about bar sales on certain shows. It’s a business and that hinders how you book things sometimes. You can’t always book the bands you love, you’ve got to book bands that bring people out. That’s the thing I love about it, you book new bands that are up and coming that will hopefully grow and get bigger and you turn people on to new bands that you like and hopefully they’ll start liking them as well.
How do you get the word out about shows happening at Vinyl?
We use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all of that. We do email blasts, we use Atlanta Music Guide to spread the word, we put posters up around the city. The Internet makes it easier to reach a lot more people.
What makes Vinyl unique?
It’s a smaller room. It’s more intimate. You can see some of your favorite bands up close. We are on the nicer side of things; we’re not super nice, but we’re not totally grungy-dirty either. We treat the bands and the people who come here the same. The way we treat people while they are here makes us stand out.
What is something that many people do not know about Vinyl?
If Vinyl is the only room that has a show, then parking is free!
This low-key, high quality venue is one of our favorite places to watch a live show! The venue offers an intimate setting with prime views of the stage. Get your friends together and come out to enjoy a live performance at Vinyl!
Check out Vinyl’s calendar to see which show you’ll be attending!
