Pyramid Scheme employee Julius Hayes will be the first to admit his fervent dedication to the downtown Grand Rapids music venue.
“This is about how much people care about this place,” said Hayes, who’s worked in various roles at the bar for the last two years.
“There was one incident where a customer got angry and he got put out — politely put out,” said Hayes of an unusually dramatic evening. “We talked to him very calmly, but he ended up busting one of our front windows by the garage and he took off running.”
Within seconds, a doorman sprints into action for a serious foot chase through ice, snow and slush. Starting on Commerce Street from the bar’s location in GR’s Heartside neighborhood, he catches the man by the Van Andel Arena. Conveniently, a member of the Grand Rapids Police Department is nearby. The officer opens the backdoors of the squad car — the dedicated doorman throws the troublemaker in. Justice is served.
“Not all places have employees that will do things like that,” Hayes said. “It’s like, ‘Hey man, you have disrespected a place that I value very much.’”
When The Pyramid Scheme opened its doors in April 2011, the atmosphere its co-owners had in mind was clear. They wanted employees who cared about their establishment, their neighborhood and, above all, the music. If they had that, everything else would fall in to place.
“Jeff (Vandenberg) and I wanted to create a bar that we’d want to hang out at,” said Tami Vandenberg, one half of the brother/sister partnership duo. “Grand Rapids has a lot of great bars. It has a lot of shitty bars. We wanted a place that appreciated communities we were a part of, which was the art community, the musician’s community and the activist’s community.”
The idea for a music venue came up back when they opened The Meanwhile in 2007, but its location, in a sleepier part of Eastown, called for more of a neighborhood pub. So the hunt was on for a more rockin’ abode. She said the obvious choice soon became Heartside District.
“I feel like Heartside is one of the few places in the city where you get such a wide variety of people in the same neighborhood,” Vandenberg said. “Our homeless neighbors are here, there’s Rumors, there’s Rockwell’s, there’s all the artist’s residencies. I really like how people cross paths in Heartside that maybe wouldn’t in other places.”
The Pyramid Scheme’s open door led to a diverse staff — not surprising with a self-proclaimed (and proud of it) feminist and activist owner.
“As far as the music and the staff go, this is the most diverse job I’ve ever been at,” Hayes said. “It’s a good look to be one of the few Grand Rapids places that has a diverse crowd and it works. … It’s good to see equality.”
Along with a diverse staff is the venue’s diverse roster of concerts. The eclectic mix of shows has been invigorating for the employees’ personal playlists.
“I’ve been finding we’re all branching out as far as our musical tastes go,” said Pyramid Scheme’s venue manager Nicole LaRae. Originally adverse to metal, LaRae saw Baroness perform and felt a change of heart. “We’ll see something we thought we weren’t going to like, and then — damn! They’re just awesome. The Baroness show was so good. I’m not going to totally knock something just because it’s labeled something I don’t think I’ll like.”
The taste level of the booking team is perhaps the best excuse to check out The Pyramid Scheme. Acclaimed acts such as Charles Bradley, Grandmaster Flash and Dead Prez have taken the stage, along with some 900 others and counting. The club’s most recent anniversary show brought in HUM and Andrew W.K., which amazed staff and patrons alike.
“I’ve never felt as much electric energy in this room as the Andrew W.K. night,” LaRae said. “They were like, ‘It’s OK if people want to get up (on stage) and dance as long as they don’t overstay their welcome.’ People were getting up on stage, taking pictures with him and going crazy. It was like 60 minutes of non-stop, absolute chaos.”
Acts like these have made The Pyramid Scheme a force to be reckoned with in the GR music scene. The venue has come a long way from a rocky start.
“In terms of expectations, with a couple of years the numbers came in significantly lower than what we’d planned for,” Vandenberg said. “It took a while to break in. The music industry is no joke. There’s a reason why venues pop up and go under regularly.”
Hayes recalls a time when shows would get 15, maybe 20 people in attendance.
“Now we can go into a week with three or four sold-out shows,” Hayes said.
Pyramid Scheme has also earned a good rep with the talent it books. The venue respects the talent.
“They’re on the road and that’s not an easy life to live,” said Jeremy Hirsch, general manager of The Pyramid Scheme and live music nut. “They are looking for any bit of comfort. It means so much. Whatever we can do to make them feel more comfortable goes so far.”
The Pyramid Scheme has targeted the mid-size market for music venues in Grand Rapids and offers a more intimate performance space. With killer sightlines for 420 people, the venue gives fans a chance to see bands in that “we knew them when” context.
A then obscure Future Islands played last year before exploding into the big time.
The smaller setting also allows for one hell of a performance when bigger acts like Of Montreal come through and gives local artists major exposure when opening for headliners.
“I’m just grateful to be here and be able to bring bands in. When people show up it just makes my heart swell,” LaRae said. “Anyone that’s ever bought a ticket, you’re the reason why we keep going. Keep supporting this place, because it really is a special spot in Grand Rapids.”
