When the State Theatre closed last fall, it became the third business in several years to call it quits at the troubled O Street location.

Now the spot’s getting another shot, with a new music venue that might just change the landscape of the Lincoln music scene.

Box Awesome’s Bourbon Theatre will host its grand opening this evening with a performance from electronica artist Bassnectar, kicking off a string of summer shows that will include up-and-coming country singer Chuck Wicks and bad boy old-timer David Allan Coe.

For Box Awesome, Bourbon Theatre will be an expansion venue to host local and national music acts that draw larger crowds than the bar at 815 O St. can hold.

“We couldn’t not do it,” said Jeremiah Moore, who co-owns Box Awesome and Bourbon Theatre with his wife, Leah Moore, of the expansion. “With this building being here and just the stars aligning, it was something that we really had to do.”

In the past, Box Awesome’s show turnouts have ranged from just staff to the 175-person capacity deemed by the fire inspector. Box Awesome will continue to be a place for smaller acts. But, Moore said, it’s time to grow.

“We’re trying to focus on not trying to do too much off the top,” he said. “It’s my belief that it’s better to try and grow into something instead of having to cut back.”

The two main goals right now are hosting a couple of larger musical events each month and cultivating a crowd for the theater’s newly remodeled bourbon bar, which boasts 30 kinds of whiskey. The theater will later expand to hold other events, such as second-run movies.

The building’s coffee shop, Kinetic Brew, will stay open, and its owners, Brian Walsh and Jeremy Furrow, will serve Bourbon Theatre events. The theater also just installed a high-speed wireless Internet connection.

As the theater’s initial concert lineup would suggest, Bourbon will try to keep things eclectic.

“In a place like this, in a town this size, we really have to be diverse in what we’re bringing in,” said Jeremy Buckley, Box Awesome’s and Bourbon Theatre’s booking manager. “Because if we just did indie rock and we did 10 big indie rock shows a month, like, none of the kids have $180 to spend on 10 $18 concert tickets.”

Instead, Bourbon is trying to cater to several niches. It’s a little bit country. It’s a little bit rock ’n’ roll. It’s a little bit trippy electronica.

“People will look at this place as sometimes doing events that they don’t necessarily care about,” Buckley said. “But we want to survive. And that’ll be a good enough reason to do that.”

Given the building’s bad run of luck in the past decade, the guys want to do everything right this time. When asked if he’s concerned about the location’s cursed past, Moore said not in the slightest.

“The only thing we have to do is just keep going forward and doing what we say we’re going to do,” he said.

The only reason Bourbon Theatre is possible, he said, is the growth of support from the Box Awesome community and the Lincoln music community in general. They have made this happen, Moore said.

“And to me that’s, for lack of a better word, beautiful that that’s happened, that people have started supporting something they feel good about.”

The people behind the Bourbon Theatre are front row from left: Jaclyn Geist, Kayleigh Speck, Jeremiah Moore, Leah Moore, Tenzin Moore; second row from leftL Iam McCarthy, Alex Munson and Liz Birkmann; third row from left: Duff Hunke, Chris Johnson, Bruan Ruhs and Eric Garrett. Back row from left: Doug Jacobson and Jeremy Buckley. Not pictured are Jim Schroeder, Nick Westra, Ed Duncan, Eli Mardock, Darren Keen and Nick Beckius. (Courtesy photo)

If you go:
The Bourbon Theatre will hold its grand opening at 9 tonight with a performance by electronica artist Bassnectar. Tickets for the 18-and-older show are $18. Doors open at 6.

Other upcoming performances:

May 29: Kris Lager CD release party

June 18: Chuck Wicks

June 26: David Allan Coe

July 11: The Hood Internet

By MICAH MERTES / GZO
Friday, May 22, 2009 - 12:14:43 am CDT
http://journalstar.com/articles/2009/05/22/living/gz/music/doc4a15e7e94b...
Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.