USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C o m mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia / S a n t a Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 18, No. 35
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September 5, 2018
1 Section, 12 Pages
s e m a N r e g g i B s e s i m o r P l u a h Vinyl's Over By Will Isern
Since opening in 2010, Vinyl Music Hall has been downtown Pensacola’s premier venue for contemporary live music. From George Clinton to Diplo to Big Boi, Vinyl has hosted some big names in its short history and built a name for itself within the industry. But downtown Pensacola has undergone a dramatic transformation in the eight years since Vinyl opened its doors. Palafox Street is more popular than ever, and the city’s reputation as a hotspot for nightlife is spreading. Now, owners Harry and Evan Levin have big plans to transform the modest venue to accommodate bigger crowds and, hopefully, brighter stars. “When we first started we were kind of part of that revitalization,” Evan said. “Now it’s just awesome to see that energy all the way down Palafox, and going past Garden Street. You see people outside sitting at tables and all the foot traffic seven days a week. So, I think it’s the right time for us to grow as downtown is growing.”
Vinyl closed its doors July 22 to undergo a top-to-bottom renovation that will increase capacity from 525 to 860. The main addition will be that of a wraparound mezzanine stretching from the rear of the venue around and behind the stage. The front of the venue will be pushed out as well, and the entrance and box office completely redone. Inside on a recent Tuesday, a small army of welders and construction workers from Brownsville Welding and Chastain & Co. scurried to complete the renovations ahead of the planned reopening show by the Chris Robinson Brotherhood tomorrow, Sept. 6. “We basically gave ourselves six weeks to do everything,” Evan said. “The goal was to minimize how
long we had our doors closed, but it’s a lot to do in a short amount of time.” With the capacity for larger crowds, Vinyl will be able to pursue acts for whom the previous capacity would have made performing here economically unfeasible. The Levins aren’t keen to say just who they may pursue, only that the renovations should make them a much more attractive option to wide variety of acts. “We talked about it for several years; about what we’d like to do and this made the most sense,” Evan said. “It’s going to allow us to go after bigger acts that may have had to pass us over in the past.” Many may not know that the original plan for the building that houses Vinyl was condos. Built in the early 20th century, it was originally a Masonic Lodge and had sat empty for years before the Levins bought it in 2005. When the housing market collapsed in 2007, the Levins offered the building up for lease, but with no tenants by 2010, the cousins decided they’d try to bring a musical element that had been lacking from the downtown landscape. “We wanted to bring something to downtown that didn’t currently exist,” Harry said. “We didn’t want to open a competing restaurant or bar. We wanted to bring something that was kind of a fresh new
concept and we had been to a couple similar venues in other cities and talked about how that’s what Pensacola was missing. We wanted to try to do something unique to the area.” It was never a sure thing that a dedicated music venue would work in downtown Pensacola, but the Levins’ gamble has paid off. Vinyl has hosted a slew of sold-out shows over the years, including Steve Earle, Postmodern Jukebox, Dr. John and many more. Part of their success, the Levins said, is
“We wanted to bring something that was kind of a fresh new concept. We wanted to try to do something unique to the area.” catering to wide audience by offering many different types of shows, including different genres of music, magic acts, burlesque and more. Attracting
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those diverse crowds has been a boon not just for Vinyl, but for all of downtown. “People don’t come here because they’re fans of the venue, they come here to see whoever’s on stage,” Harry said. “And if they want to see that person bad enough, they’re coming from Mobile, from Panama City – we get people in from Birmingham, from Orlando. So you’ve got a new crowd coming downtown every time we open our doors. We don’t serve food or anything like that, so the people that are coming here are staying at hotels and eating at restaurants and going to bars after the show, so they’re really getting a feel for all of downtown. So I thinks its great for everybody.” As they look to the future, the Levins say they’re excited about Vinyl’s growth and the opportunities it will allow. The renovations are not coming cheap, but they say that they’re confident that the demand exists to make them worthwhile. As for where they go from here, Harry said they’ll continue to do as they’ve done since opening and let their audiences guide their decision-making. “It took us eight years to take this next step, so we’re going to let our crowds dictate where it goes from here,” Harry said.
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