Fact: Music venues have a hard time staying in business.
An all-ages, alcohol-free venue? Good luck.
Well, that's not a fate Foundry Hall, or its supporters, are willing to accept. The cozy South Haven performance venue has been going strong with a steady diet of local and national acts. All the while, the building has been up for sale, and one local band is making sure it becomes the venue's permanent home.
"We always felt that (Foundry Hall) brings a lot of local acts the opportunity to perform, and even national acts," said Gretchen Powers, half of the folk duo Thirty Steps to Forward. "We read in the paper they were looking to purchase the building. We thought we could do something."
That something is coming in the form of a benefit show on March 22 at 7:30 p.m. Powers and her brother will appear with the Alabama Spanking Machines and Chicago-based Rebecca Rego. Admission is $7 and all proceeds go to the cause.
"We really appreciate the fact that all the artists donated their time for this," Gretchen Powers said.
Gretchen and Seth Powers have long been on the front lines, fighting for Foundry Hall, which is operated by well-known folk artist brethren Andru Bemis. Thirty Steps To Forward was conjured up in the heart of South Haven, making Foundry Hall more or less its home base.
"We definitely play there quite a bit," Seth Powers said. "We like the small atmosphere and it's cozy. It's a nice venue."
Thirty Steps to Forward hasn't played a lot prior to the fundraising show. They shifted their focus to producing their sophomore release entitled "Hinterland".
"We took a break from playing and we wanted to dedicate our time to making the album the best it could be," Gretchen Powers said.
The duo took advantage of the creative leniency recording offers by incorporating a fair share of instruments on the new album. Overall, the album has more teeth than their previous release ("The Bird and The Fool"), but still maintains its whimsical innocence.
"We're looking to play more, now," Gretchen Powers said. "We want to do a CD release tour somewhere around the area, maybe in June."
