Local musicians James Fogle and Steve Levine have merged two music essentials, a store and a performance venue, into one location at 136 S. Acadian Thruway.
In August 2017, Fogle and Levine opened Baton Rouge Music Exchange and Mid City Ballroom.
The desire to open a music venue for all ages and genres has been drifting in the back of his mind for years, Fogle said.
At one time, the local live music scene was restricted to restaurants and bars or large, big name places like the Raising Cane’s River Center Arena, Levine said. The dynamic excluded small name groups playing their own music.
“We wanted something that was more part of the fabric of the community,” Levine said.
Over the last few years, Baton Rouge’s music scene experienced a “resurgence,” Levine said. Several listening rooms, like the Red Dragon and the Dyson House, opened to cater to local singer-songwriter groups and some big name traveling groups.
However, Levine said Baton Rouge needed a venue capable of housing a larger audience and full band performances.
Mid City Ballroom opened with its first performance, Alvin Youngblood Hart’s Muscle Theory on Aug. 11, 2017, according to a report in The Advocate.
Fogle said they opened the venue sooner than expected due to ongoing renovations at the Dyson House, who was originally scheduled to host Alvin Youngblood Hart’s Muscle Theory.
Mid City Ballroom has featured several local musicians. They have also hosted comedy shows and private functions like baby showers, wedding receptions and graduation parties. A New Orleans burlesque show will perform on March 9.
Music junior Garrett Howell said he has played at Mid City Ballroom four times with two different bands. He plays drums with Nice Dog and guitar with Shipwrecked.
Howell said the first time he played there, he was struck by the grand windows and the roomy stage. He said the owners allow musicians to play around on the store’s gear before soundcheck. Howell’s played with several touring bands unfamiliar with the venue that often comment about its likeness to an old church and are intrigued by the venue’s history.
“Musicians, especially, seem to think it’s a really cool venue,” Howell said.
Fogle said he hopes to schedule more well-known musicians, allowing local groups to open for them and gain additional exposure.
The building once operated as a Baptist church, Levine said. He and Fogle converted the church’s main room into Mid City Ballroom, and the venue maintains much of the same spirit and appearance.
“Built as though someone knew that some day it would house a live music venue where people once prayed, got married, and were memorialized,” the venue’s website said.
The church required extensive renovation, completed with the help of bandmate Randy Breland. Under the old carpeting, they found and restored the original hardwood floors. Levine’s wife and interior designer Beth Levine decorated the interior.
Steve and Fogle ultimately wanted to create a space with impeccable sound, while also not disturbing nearby residents, Steve said. They installed sound proofing panels to keep the outside noise to a minimum, but they’re often complimented for their great acoustics inside. They also hired a highly skilled sound technician, Mike Pinter.
Fogle hopes his venue will create a more progressive, music and art-friendly community in Baton Rouge. He invites local artists to feature their photographs and paintings on the walls in Mid City Ballroom.
The former church houses both Mid City Ballroom and Baton Rouge Music Exchange. Baton Rouge Music Exchange is a second-hand music store known for selling vintage gear on consignment. The store consists entirely of used instruments and equipment, aside from new accessories like strings and picks. Baton Rouge Music Exchange opened on Aug. 26, 2017, according to the store’s website.
Fogle said he wants Baton Rouge musicians to feel comfortable hanging out in his store, like they’re playing in their own homes.
“Come sit in my living room,” Fogle said. “It’s filled with all kinds of guitars and amplifiers sitting around.”
Baton Rouge Music Exchange began humbly, Fogle said. Fogle bought, sold and traded vintage gear since he started playing. After years of pleading, Fogle transformed his band’s 600 square-foot rehearsal space on Perkins Road into the first Baton Rouge Music Exchange.
Steve said he owes his partnership with Fogle to a 1959 Gibson J-50 he won in an auction about 10 years ago. He discovered the guitar’s seller was a well-known local musician, who referred him to Riverfront Music repairman Holger Notzel. Through a series of mutual friends, Steve met Fogle.
Fogle and Steve play together in a local band called The Maggies, and Baton Rouge Music Exchange became the dealer and homebase for Komet Amplification, homemade amps designed by Holger Notzel.
Steve said the store and venue’s “organic” beginnings facilitate its unique vibe creating, “ a diversity and a power” resembling the music stores of his youth.
“We like selling stuff, but we want to foster a community even more than that,” said general manager Adam Planche.
While the two opened it together, Steve said the vision for the place always belonged to Fogle and his wife, Anna Fogle.
“That’s the heart and soul of this place,” Steve said.
Baton Rouge Music Exchange provides a variety of instruments for local musicians on Monday, Feb. 19, 2018.
