Bowery Ballroom Founders To Open LA’s Teragram Ballroom

BOWERY BALLROOM FOUNDERS GO WEST:  

BB ANNOUNCES OPENING OF TERAGRAM BALLROOM  

A NEW LIVE MUSIC VENUE COMING SPRING 2015  

IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

SCOTT SIMONEAUX APPOINTED AS TALENT BUYER

New York City music impresario Michael Swier and the Bowery Ballroom / Mercury Lounge team (Michael Winsch / Brian Swier) have joined forces with LA business owner, Joe Baxley (Broadway Bar), to launch the Teragram Ballroom, a mid-sized live music venue located on the fringes of burgeoning downtown Los Angeles.

Scheduled to open this spring, Teragram Ballroom will accommodate audiences of approximately 600. The old-Hollywood era theater housing the Teragram Ballroom has been through major renovation to deliver what Swier’s iconic venues have always offered: an exceptional listening experience, unimpeded sight lines, and an intimate environment that caters to both musical artists and those coming to take in the performances.

“It’s exciting to see the Teragram Ballroom come to life on this western edge of downtown Los Angeles,” says Michael Swier, who lived in LA from 1974 to 1978 and feels a certain comfort and familiarity in the city of his youth. “You can feel the pulses of a reawakening in the neighborhood, I feel privileged to be part of this new vitality.”

Located at 1234 West 7th Street, the 9,000 square-foot theater offers special features for artists and audiences: three dressing rooms, dedicated loading dock, spacious backstage, state-of-the-art sound system, three bars and a restaurant with comfortable circulation throughout.

“As with our New York venues, we have built the Teragram Ballroom for the bands as much as for the audience,” added Michael Swier. “The breadth of our experience has culminated in this incredible project.” The venue’s name reflects the influence of a crucial contributor who passed away before reaching this point on the long journey: “Teragram” spelled backwards honors Michael Swier’s late wife, Margaret Hannigan, who helped found the early venues.

A recent article in The New York Times describes in detail the background and philosophy of Michael Swier, who, with his team, has opened such music venues as the Bowery Ballroom, The Mercury Lounge and The Music Hall of Williamsburg. These venues have hosted such rock legends as The Strokes, The Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Kanye West, Morrissey, The White Stripes, John Legend, Metallica, Death Cab For Cutie and so many more.

Partner Joe Baxley scouted the location for Teragram Ballroom. As a long-time LA resident and business owner, Baxley was on the forefront of development in central downtown LA. “I’ve seen a lot of changes,” he said. “In the last decade, central downtown has been revitalized while the area of our new venue, only blocks away, is just beginning to see a resurgence. I’m confident the Teragram Ballroom will be a positive cultural addition, one that will have an economic benefit to the immediate neighborhood. This venue and other local businesses like Lethal Amounts Gallery, the historic Mayfair Hotel (undergoing renovations now), and the Monty Bar are helping to extend the Seventh Street corridor beyond the 110.”

Teragram Ballroom is a short walk to the 7th Street / Metro Center Station, a major transportation hub which serves the red, blue, purple and expo lines.

“We have reconditioned the space acoustically,” said architect, partner, and brother, Brian Swier, “And have gone to great lengths to achieve the highest fidelity in accordance with design methods prescribed by our long-time acoustical consultant, Jim Falconer. We have added significant mass and insulation to the existing vaulted ceilings and walls to create an ideal listening environment.”

He added that thanks to this extensive modification, as well as unparalleled sound and lighting systems, “the Teragram Ballroom offers an incredibly faithful, true live-music experience.”

Industry-veteran and Los Angeles resident, Scott Simoneaux, has been hired as talent buyer for Teragram Ballroom. Simoneaux’s experience includes booking venues in Los Angeles and New Orleans, most recently One Eyed Jacks and Republic, both located in the latter. Johnny Beach, long time talent buyer for NYC’s Bowery Ballroom and partner in the Teragram Ballroom, will assist with the launch and subsequent oversight of the talent-buying department.