New Home for Up and Coming Bands
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Although there are a multitude of live venues in Rhode Island showcasing local bands, there has long been a need for an organizer to promote and cultivate said talent. With this in mind, Dennis “Denny” Rochefort recently launched General Assembly, an organizing body in charge of maintaining and growing local musicians, fans, promoters and venues.
“I have always had the idea of creating something to organize local music,” said Rochefort, who grew up in Lincoln.
Organizing local talent
“I got the idea when I moved back to Providence and started booking shows for The Whiskey Republic,” added Rochefort. “I started to see how difficult it was to get people to come out to shows. I also saw how many musicians and bands rarely played with or even knew about each other because they were of a different genre or hung out at a different bar.”
So how does Rochefort plan on organizing and promoting local acts? “There is never a way to guarantee recognition for even the best local bands, but there is always a promise to provide an opportunity and to provide full support” maintains Rochefort.
In order to pledge his full support, Rochefort is employing a two pronged approach: “ Right now the two main focuses are providing an opportunity for anyone to access a world class music venue and second to get everyone talking to each other and supporting each other,” said Rochefort.
Providence's new world-class venue
In order to find his “world class music venue” Rochefort sought the help of Fête, a new venue located in Olneyville. A cutting edge facility, Fête is a 15,000 square foot site featuring a ballroom (capacity 730+), lounge (capacity 200+)
and a state of the art sound system.“Fête truly is like no other venue; it’s gorgeous. It was built entirely around having the best sound possible, and no expense was spared to make sure it was the best of the best,” Rochefort said.
So what is the byproduct of a newly formed organizing body and a cutting edge venue? Those interested can discover for themselves at General Assembly’s inaugural State of the Union concert at Fête on December 30th.GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
More than just a host to live bands
According to Rochefort, “The State of the Union show is the first step to being more than just a host to live bands.”
Though still in its infancy, Rochefort hopes for the State of the Union to “highlight the best up and coming bands of varying genres" and showcases bands "on one of the best stages in the country.”
Want to check out General Assembly’s State of the Union for yourself? Head to Fête on 103 Dyke Street from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on December 30th. Concertgoers can see such local bands as Herra Terra, She Rides, Vulgarrity, Brother Kite, Roz Raskin and the Rice Cakes, Watch Your Head, Knife Party and The Silks. Tickets for this event cost $10 and $14. For more information go here.
