Brewing up a musical venue

Bars may play an important role in the local music scene, but for acoustic guitarist and singer Jonathan Parkison, the romance is over.

He is tired of performing for people who are more interested in drinking and socializing than the music — and bars obviously are no place for his 3-year-old daughter.

So for Parkison, an atmosphere like that provided by the Boiler Room is the perfect alternative.

The coffee house, located in what was the boiler building of the former Courthouse East that is now the Eastside Brick development, has quickly become a welcome addition to the local music scene.

The renovated building, distinguished by the giant boiler that sits in a corner, was set up with a small stage, with room for more than 100 people to attend shows.

“Surprisingly, the acoustics are really good in there,” Parkison said. “It’s great to have a completely all-ages-friendly place with a very intimate atmosphere. And it’s kind of nice to have people who actually came to hear the music.”

For one of Parkison’s recent shows there, his daughter and a few other young music fans spent the second set playing with toys while lounging on couches lined up against the walls.

“It gave it a real fun feel,” Parkison said. “It’s good to have a solid very artsy kind of eclectic gathering place.”

David Boone, a professional singer/songwriter from Missoula, has found a new relationship to the Flathead Valley through the Boiler Room.

Boone had a longtime fan in Eric Berry, one of the original partners of the Eastside Brick development, until Berry died in a motorcycle accident a year and a half ago.

Berry had told Boone of his aspirations to create a development that would foster the arts, including the cafe that would add to the sense of community.

Boone and his wife had become close enough to Berry to attend his memorial and Boone has stayed in touch with his daughters, but he never expected to have a part in Berry’s vision for an arts-oriented community gathering spot.

But then Neill McShea, graphic artist for the Boiler Room, called Boone and asked him to play for the Boiler Room grand opening on Feb. 27.

“It was a great inspiring moment to be asked, to know that someone had gone ahead with his [Berry’s] community vision,” Boone said.

Boone said it was a memorable performance for him as an artist. The Boiler Room was filled and Boone said he played songs he remembered Berry had always requested.

Now with a new CD in the works, Boone will be playing a show of his blend of folk, pop and rock music with his band The Controls, on April 2 in a ticketed event.

Boone said the Boiler Room shows are giving him a new motivation to committing more time to Flathead Valley audiences. And he definitely hopes to make the Boiler Room a regular part of his routine.

“They kind of facilitate the atmosphere to be very attentive,” he said. “A lot of cafes, music is just kind of sonic wallpaper, a background for socializing. It’s great to come across a venue that reveres the music a little more and puts the focus on the craft.

“For any artist, it’s not only a treat, but it lends to the material being more effective.”

McShea is the son-in-law of Boiler Room co-owners Vince and Charlotte Padilla and husband to the Padillas’ daughter Jasmine, who also is a co-owner.

He has been setting up the music shows for the establishment, and said he’s heard similar comments from the musicians who have played there.

“So far all the people who come in and play there said they love it as an option,” he said. “People come in to see the music, they don’t have to go downtown, don’t have to go into an environment with alcohol or dress up for the bar scene.”

The Boiler Room’s music vision began with an open-microphone night one Friday night a month. It started out, McShea said, as a “few kids, but it’s gathered momentum,” with noted local musicians such as singer Billy Angel and cellist Lee Zimmerman getting on stage.

Gigs also are set up for the future with the Allison Stayer Band, Luke Dowler (previously of the contemporary Christian rock group Three Minutes From Home), and Skeeterhawk of Polson, a band that McShea describes as being in the style of The White Stripes.

McShea said they envision catering to all ages — a place for “pensioners, toddlers and everything in between” — and helping artists out in the process.

“It can be a spot where good music can be played at a reasonable cost,” he said. “We don’t want to cheapen the music. These people are artists, they have to play bills.”

Parkison said he was given the option whether to charge at the door and make the money from admission.

“It’s a good way to motivate artists who are just used to booking gigs and expecting people to be there,” he said. “I think it’s a great option to give to musicians whether they’re going to make money or not.”

David Boone’s April 2 show is at 7 p.m. Tickets will be $10 in advance and can be purchased at the Boiler Room, or $12 at the door. Visit www.boilerroombrew.com for more information about upcoming events.