 "Photo: Special to the Voyager")
The live music scene of downtown Pensacola is gearing up to be bigger than ever.
“I’d like to see the downtown area blossom,” said Corey Fogerty, president of Hopjacks Inc. “Live music is one of those cornerstones that will bring more excitement to the area.”
No one seems more excited about the imminent explosion of live music downtown than Fogerty. As a partner in Vinyl Productions LLC, he is preparing for the grand opening of Vinyl Music Hall, a live music venue located on the corner of Garden Street and Palafox Place, right next to Hopjacks Pizza Kitchen and Taproom.
“When we opened Hopjacks, one of the things we identified was a substantial lack of live music in the area,” Fogerty said. “We basically decided it was time for a really well-done venue here.”
Vinyl Music Hall will be located on the ground floor of the Masonic Building. Fogerty said that the Masonic Building, which has stood for over 100 years, is “absolutely beautiful.” “The Masonic Building is one of the highest-profile pieces of real estate in Pensacola,” Fogerty said. “It’s the perfect place for a venue.”
Fogerty said that the Masonic Building has undergone extensive renovations, but Vinyl Music Hall will maintain the “historical ambiance” of the building.
“We’ve upgraded all the basic services that a bar requires, such as plumbing,” Fogerty said. “However, we’re not touching the core of the building. We’re going to let the building be beautiful.”
Fogerty said that Vinyl Music Hall should be opening its doors sometime between mid-April and mid-May of this year. The venue will be able to hold an audience of over 450 people. Fogerty said that Vinyl Music Hall wants to “try and capture the high-B and low-A list acts that come through” Pensacola.
“The bands we are booking at Vinyl Music Hall will knock your socks off,” Fogerty said. “It’ll blow your mind that we were able to put bands of that caliber in an intimate venue of this size.”
Along with high-profile touring acts, Vinyl Music Hall will also serve as a venue for local musicians to display their craft for a live audience.
“We will be aggressively including local music in our lineups,” Fogerty said. “We want to see local musicians grow, as well. The local music scene has a lot of potential here.”
While Fogerty wants Vinyl Music Hall to be a prominent location for live music in downtown Pensacola, he also does not want to discount the many other venues in the area.
“I’d like to see an entertainment district downtown that is classy, busy and exciting,” Fogerty said. “The more stages and venues, the merrier.”
One such venue is Sluggo’s, which will be relocating from its current location on Cervantes Street to downtown Pensacola in early March.
“It is a really good opportunity for us to find this space downtown,” said Gina Mangold, the operating manager of Sluggo’s.
“Here on Cervantes, we just have cars breezing by,” said Kelsey Ziempa, a member of the Sluggo’s staff. “Being downtown is a better opportunity for us because there will be a lot more foot traffic.”
Sluggo’s was once located downtown before moving to 2403 W. Cervantes St., which is where it has been since 2004. The new building is located a little over two miles away at 101 S. Jefferson St.
“We just don’t know what to expect yet,” Ziempa said. “Moving back downtown is like a new adventure.”
Mangold said that the new Sluggo’s will have an aura that is strikingly similar to that of the old Sluggo’s.
“The inside of this building will basically be placed inside the new building,” Mangold said.
The new Sluggo’s will also continue to serve its famous vegetarian cuisine, but the dining menu will be expanded.
“The menu will be much more elaborate,” Mangold said. “We want to make the food more exciting, and with more variety.”
The live music area of the new Sluggo’s is expected to be somewhat smaller, but Mangold doesn’t feel that is something to count against it.
“It’s going to be a little more intimate,” Mangold said. “I think it is going to feel better for the bands to play closer to the audience.”
In the five years that Sluggo’s has been located on Cervantes Street, the establishment has built a strong, loyal community of fans and supporters. According to Mangold, these young men and women have been very helpful in this period of transition.
“A lot of kids have shown up to the new space to volunteer their new services,” Mangold said. “They want to make sure this becomes something great.”Shown up to the new space to volunteer their new services,” Mangold said.
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