Published: May 04, 2008 12:47 am         

New music downtown

GREENVILLE — You can hear the music from the street, but the sound is much better up the narrow set of stairs, where Matt Koger and the Blue Ribbon Band were warming up Saturday evening in anticipation of the grand opening of the Stonewall Music Hall.

Inside, Koger and the group were performing sound checks and running through a few numbers for practice as the sun set in the picture window behind them and the appointed hour grew closer.

Koger, a Greenville physician and songwriter, had played earlier in the day at the Texas Woodstock Festival in Winnsboro, but admitted he was more excited about performing in the new venue on the second floor of 2611 Stonewall Street.

“We’ve got it licked here,” Koger said, noting Saturday’s concert is expected to be just the first of a regular line-up of appearances by regional musicians who now have a top-of-the-line place to play in Greenville.

“I hope they like it as much as we do,” Koger said.

Saturday’s concert also served as a release party for Koger’s new CD, the “The Coyote’s Call”, and his family and friends helped set up the room, which recently underwent extensive renovations, giving it a vibe somewhere right in the middle of the road between a honkytonk and classy performance hall. White tablecloths and candles are combined with a big, bright jukebox and photos on the walls of everyone from Willie Nelson to Steve McQueen and Bruce Springsteen.

Many of the photos are autographed.

“They are kind of personal to all of us,” said Clint Scribner, another one of the partners in the project. “They’ve come from our personal collections.”

Tin ceilings built more than 80 years ago are now bright red as they remain above fancy chandeliers.

“We purchased the upright piano from a junk shop down the street and had it tuned up,” Scribner said.

One corner of the room is separate from the main floor and contains comfortable-looking couches and chairs, offering the atmosphere of a lounge or conversation pit.

Scribner said the plan is to place a flat-screen television along one wall of the section, allowing those who want to watch the concerts, but not sit too close to the stage, an opportunity.

On this night, Koger’s family has brought in some pizza, candy bars and cold drinks which they will offer for sale. Scribner said the food provided can change along with the bands performing, as they bring in outside vendors to sell anything from barbecue to fajitas.

“It will also be BYOB,” Scribner said. “We are going to have a deputy sheriff in here, working security for us, so we know there won’t be any problems. We are also going to be non-smoking.”

People start arriving shortly before the scheduled 7 p.m. opening, some carrying coolers as they find their seats. Admittance for the night is $10 per person, either adults at least 18 years of age, or kids accompanied by an adult. Those arriving range in age from children in their early teens to individuals well past the need to check their identification.

Koger and the band take a last break. He said the experience of fixing up the room reminded him of how he made money in high school and college, by working in the construction industry.

“Getting back in here reminds me that I am glad I have a nice office and people I see every day,” Koger said.

Koger, Scribner and a third partner, John Kent, all note how much they love the acoustics of the room, both as the band is playing and whenever someone makes a selection from the 200-song jukebox.

Pretty soon, there is a line at the door, as the room rapidly begins to fill. Koger checks his watch and takes a big sigh.

“That’s it,” he says. “It is seven o’clock. We are officially open.”