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Independent Venue Week Returns In 2022 With Artist Ambassador Big Freedia
Independent Venue Week returns for its fifth year July 11-17, with New Orleans “bounce” rapper Big Freedia as 2022 Artist Ambassador.
The week-long series of programming celebrates the spirit of independence, crediting support from the National Independent Venue Association and See Tickets.
The 2021 edition featured 450 shows throughout all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. More than 270 venues across 167 cities are already signed up to participate in this year’s event.
Big Freedia joins past IVW artist ambassadors Bartees Strange (2021), The Kills’ Alison Mosshart (2020), Fantastic Negrito (2019), and Prophets of Rage/Public Enemy’s Chuck D (2018), along with ambassadors for the event’s UK component including Wet Leg (2022), Nadine Shah and Portishead’s Adrian Utley (2018), Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood (2014) and more.
“I wouldn’t be here without the independent venue. After performing in local clubs for years, it was the independent venues that were the first to book me to play for audiences beyond New Orleans,” explains 2022 Artist Ambassador and independent music icon Big Freedia. “Live music is still recovering from a tough few years. We need to support independent venues now more than ever.”
“There are no global artists without independent venues providing the first opportunity for them to shine,” states Cecilie Nielsen, senior director of special projects at Marauder, which runs Independent Venue Week in the U.S. “These businesses are the cultural touchstones of their communities and essential to the global music industry.”
Participating venues include First Avenue in Minneapolis, The Rebel Lounge in Phoenix, The Masquerade in Atlanta, Troubadour in West Hollywood, Tipitina’s in New Orleans and hundreds more.
Venues and promoters interested in participating can sign up at this link.
“Independent Venue Week is a celebration and an important event that First Avenue and our associated venues are proud to be a part of,” says Ashley Ryan, VP of Marketing at First Avenue (Minneapolis, MN). “Independent Venue Week recognizes the thousands of independent venues across the country that are an integral part of the live music scene in the U.S. These venues are launching pads for artists, they are creative incubators in their communities, and they offer a stage and a microphone for diverse voices in cities around the country. Without independent venues, your favorite superstar artists may not have a place to start, and we need to celebrate and cherish these spaces.”
“Independent Venue Week means more today than ever, it is a celebration of the magic that only happens between artist and audience at a live concert,” says David M Mayeri, CEO of The UC Theatre (Berkeley, CA) “It takes on a new meaning today because Independent venues pulled together to create community and partnership to survive and thrive again… the yearly t-shirt has come to symbolize a special badge of teamwork we all wear with pride.”
2022 IVW Participating Venues (with more to be announced)
Koot’s (Anchorage, AK)
Williwaw Social (Anchorage, AK)
The Camp (Huntsville, AL)
Druid City Music Hall (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Six Twelve Coffeehouse & Bar (Fayetteville, AR)
Jeremy’s Juke Joint (Havasu City, AZ)
Cellar Door Wine Bar (Kingman, AZ)
The Neighborhood Comedy Theatre (Mesa, AZ)
The Nile Theater (Mesa, AZ)
The Rebel Lounge (Phoenix, AZ)
Marquee Theatre / Lucky Man Concerts (Tempe, AZ)
UC Theatre (Berkeley, CA)
1720 (Los Angeles, CA)
Catch One (Los Angeles, CA)
Don Quixote (Los Angeles, CA)
EL CID (Los Angeles, CA)
Gold Diggers Bar (Los Angeles, CA)
Los Globos (Los Angeles, CA)
St Felix Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA)
The Paramount (Los Angeles, CA)
The Sardine (Los Angeles, CA)
The Virgil (Los Angeles, CA)
Jefferson Center for the Arts (Mount Shasta, CA)
PianoFight Oakland (Oakland, CA)
Starline Social Club (Oakland, CA)
The Glass House Concert Hall (Pomona, CA)
The Dip (Redding, CA)
Sacramento Comedy Spot (Sacramento, CA)
The Russ Room (Sacramento, CA)
Soda Bar (San Diego, CA)
The Casbah (San Diego, CA)
Amado’s (San Francisco, CA)
August Hall (San Francisco, CA)
Bimbo’s 365 Club (San Francisco, CA)
Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
Mr. Tipple’s (San Francisco, CA)
PianoFight (San Francisco, CA)
Art Boutiki Music Hall (San Jose, CA)
Grand Vision Foundation / Grand Annex Music Hall (San Pedro, CA)
Belly Up (Solana Beach, CA)
Doug Weston’s Troubadour (West Hollywood, CA)
Mishawaka Amphitheater (Bellvue, CO)
Boulder Theater (Boulder, CO)
Fox Theatre (Boulder, CO)
100 Nickel (Broomfield, CO)
The Black Sheep (Colorado Springs, CO)
Monkey Barrel (Denver, CO)
Roxy on Broadway (Denver, CO)
Swallow Hill Music (Denver, CO)
Universe (Denver, CO)
Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College (Durango, CO)
Concert Hall @ Smiley Cafe (Durango, CO)
Concert Hall @ The Park (Durango, CO)
830 North (Fort Collins, CO)
2454 West (Greelwy, CO)
The Cellar on Treadwell (Hamden, CT)
The Midpoint (West Hartford, CT)
Arden Gild Hall (Arden, DE)
Jack Rabbits (Jacksonville, FL)
Murray Hill Theatre (Jacksonville, FL)
North Beach Bandshell (Miami Beach, FL)
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (Sarasota, FL)
Bradfordville Blues Club (Tallahassee, FL)
Crowbar (Tampa, FL)
The Masquerade – Heaven (Atlanta, GA)
The Masquerade – Hell (Atlanta, GA)
The Masquerade – Purgatory (Atlanta, GA)
Eddie’s Attic (Decatur, GA)
High Dive Bar & Venue (Gainesville, GA)
Grant’s Lounge (Macon, GA)
Hargray Capitol Theatre (Macon, GA)
Hawaii Theatre (Honolulu, HI)
ProArts Playhouse Maui (Kihei, HI)
Surf Ballroom (Clear Lake, IA)
Wooly’s (Des Moines, IA)
xBk (Des Moines, IA)
East Of Omaha (Griswold, IA)
The Englert Theatre (Iowa City, IA)
Egyptian Theatre (Boise, ID)
Lounge at the End of the Universe (Boise, ID)
Hey Nonny (Arlington Heights, IL)
Annoyance Theatre & Bar (Chicago, IL)
Beat Kitchen (Chicago, IL)
Lincoln Hall (Chicago, IL)
Schubas Tavern (Chicago, IL)
Spybar (Chicago, IL)
Subterranean (Chicago, IL)
The Hideout (Chicago, IL)
The Lincoln Lodge (Chicago, IL)
The Promontory (Chicago, IL)
Winter’s Jazz Club (Chicago, IL)
Egyptian Theatre (DeKalb, IL)
Mojo’s BoneYard Sportsbar and Music Venue (Evansville, IN)
HI-FI Annex (Indianapolis, IN)
HI-FI Indy (Indianapolis, IN)
Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts (Salina, KS)
The Cotillion (Wichita, KS)
Wave (Wichita, KS)
Alhambra Theatre (Hopkinsville, KY)
Headliners Music Hall (Louisville, KY)
Old Forester’s Paristown Hall (Louisville, KY)
Renfro Valley Entertainment Center (Mount Vernon, KY)
The Southgate House Revival (Newport, KY)
The Wurst BierGarten (Lafayette, LA)
Carnaval Lounge (New Orleans, LA)
Howlin’ Wolf (New Orleans, LA)
Tipitina’s (New Orleans, LA)
Regent Theatre (Arlington, MA)
ONCE (Cambridge, MA)
Narrows Center for he Arts (Fall River, MA)
The Center for Arts in Natick (Natick, MA)
Electric Haze (Worcester, MA)
Rams Head on Stage (Annapolis, MD)
The Crown (Baltimore, MD)
Merriweather Post Pavilion (Columbia, MD)
Portland House of Music and Events (Portland, ME)
Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre (Detroit, MI)
The Magic Bag (Ferndale, MI)
Kalamazoo State Theatre (Kalamazoo, MI)
Up North Grill (Kalkaska, MI)
20 Front Street (Lake Orion, MI)
The Acorn (Three Oaks, MI)
Elision Playhouse (Crystal, MN)
Fine Line (Minneapolis, MN)
First Avenue & 7th St Entry (Minneapolis, MN)
Granada Theater (Minneapolis, MN)
Palace Theatre (St. Paul, MN)
The Fitzgerald Theater (St. Paul, MN)
Turf Club (St. Paul, MN)
The Parkway Theater (St. Paul, MN)
Grinders KC (Kansas City, MO)
Knuckleheads Kansas City (Kansas City, MO)
Lemonade (Kansas City, MO)
miniBar (Kansas City, MO)
recordBar (Kansas City, MO)
Duling Hall / Ardenland (Jackson, MS)
Rick’s Cafe (Starkville, MS)
Link Centre (Tupelo, MS)
KettleHouse Amphitheater (Bonner, MT)
The ELM (Bozeman, MT)
The Wilma (Missoula, MT)
Fleetwood’s (Asheville, NC)
White Horse Black Mountain (Black Mountain, NC)
Evening Muse (Charlotte, NC)
Neighborhood Theatre (Charlotte, NC)
The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop (Raleigh, NC)
Laughing Sun Brewing Co. (Bismarck, ND)
Slowdown (Omaha, NE)
Bank of New Hampshire Stage (Concord, NH)
Chubb Theatre (Concord, NH)
The Word Barn (Exeter, NH)
Newark Symphony Hall (Newark, NJ)
The Newton Theatre (Newton, NJ)
The Liberty (Roswell, NM)
Backstage Bar & Billiards + Fremont Country Club (Las Vegas, NV)
QED New York (Astoria, NY)
Brooklyn Made (Brooklyn, NY)
ISSUE Project Room (Brooklyn, NY)
Littlefield (Brooklyn, NY)
Purgatory (Brooklyn, NY)
The Jalopy Theatre & School of Music (Brooklyn, NY)
The Muse Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY)
Point of the Bluff (Hammondsport, NY)
Drom (New York, NY)
Le Poisson Rouge (New York, NY)
Stand Up NY (New York, NY)
6 On The Square (Oxford, NY)
Patchogue Theatre (Patchogue, NY)
Jilly’s Music Room (Akron, OH)
Beachland Ballroom (Cleveland, OH)
Beachland Tavern (Cleveland, OH)
BOP STOP (Cleveland, OH)
The Happy Dog (Cleveland, OH)
Grog Shop (Cleveland Heights, OH)
Ace of Cups (Columbus, OH)
Phenix (Columbus, OH)
Woodlands Tavern (Columbus, OH)
Stroede Center for the Arts (Defiance, OH)
Kent Stage (Kent, OH)
The Outpost (Kent, OH)
Mahall’s (Lakewood, OH)
Peoples Bank Theatre (Marietta, OH)
Robins Theater (Warren, OH)
Cedar’s (Youngstown, OH)
Cain’s Ballroom (Tulsa, OK)
Afrodaddy’s Jazz (Portland, OR)
Alberta Abbey (Portland, OR)
Mississippi Studios (Portland, OR)
Polaris Hall (Portland, OR)
Revolution Hall (Portland, OR)
Show Bar (Portland, OR)
The Old Church Concert Hall (Portland, OR)
The Siren Theater (Portland, OR)
Ardmore Music Hall (Ardmore, PA)
ArtsQuest (Bethlehem, PA)
Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks (Bethlehem, PA)
XL Live (Harrisburg, PA)
Mr. Smalls Thatre (Milvale, PA)
The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls (Milvale, PA)
Chris’ Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia, PA)
Mann Center for the Performing Arts (Philadelphia, PA)
MilkBoy Philly (Philadelphia, PA)
The Fire (Philadelphia, PA)
Underground Arts (Philadelphia, PA)
World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, PA)
Thunderbird Music Hall (Pittsburgh, PA)
Sellersville Theater (Sellersville, PA)
Sherman Theater (Stroudsburg, PA)
118 North (Wayne, PA)
Greenwich Odeum (East Greenwich, RI)
Comedy Connection (East Providence, RI)
The Cave Collective (Rapid City, SD)
The Mulehouse (Columbia, TN)
The Concourse (Knoxville, TN)
Overton Park Shell (Memphis, TN)
3rd & Lindsley (Nashville, TN)
EXIT/IN (Nashville, TN)
Rudy’s Jazz Room (Nashville, TN)
The Basement (Nashville, TN)
The East Room (Nashville, TN)
The Listening Room (Nashville, TN)
Third Coast Comedy Club (Nashville, TN)
The Listening Room (Pigeon Forge, TN)
Giddy Ups (Austin, TX)
Hotel Vegas (Austin, TX)
The Hole in the Wall (Austin, TX)
Deep Ellum Art Company (Dallas, TX)
Granada Theater (Dallas, TX)
Sundown at Granada (Dallas, TX)
Bass Performance Hall (Fort Worth, TX)
Rise (Houston, TX)
Warehouse Live (Houston, TX)
The Bugle Boy (La Grange, TX)
The Marc / AfterDark Group (San Marcos, TX)
Rattlesnake Ballroom (Walnut Springs, TX)
The State Room Presents (Salt Lake City, UT)
The Birchmere (Alexandria, VA)
The Renegade (Arlington, VA)
CSz Richmond Theater (Richmond, VA)
The Canal Club (Richmond, VA)
Martin’s Downtown (Roanoke, VA)
The Spot On Kirk (Roanoke, VA)
Bright Box Theater (Winchester, VA)
Stone Church (Brattleboro, VT)
The Crocodile (Seattle, WA)
Central Saloon (Seattle, WA)
El Corazon (Seattle, WA)
The Funhouse (Seattle, WA)
High Dive (Seattle, WA)
Nectar Lounge (Seattle, WA)
The Factory Luxe (Seattle, WA)
Tractor Tavern (Seattle, WA)
Vermillion (Seattle, WA)
Spokane Valley Summer Theatre (Spokane Valley, WA)
9:30 Club (Washington, D.C.)
DC9 Nightclub (Washington, D.C.)
Lincoln Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
Pearl Street Warehouse (Washington, D.C.)
Pie Shop (Washington, D.C.)
The Anthem (Washington, D.C.)
Gibson Community Music Hall (Appleton, WI)
X-Ray Arcade (Cudahy, WI)
Cavalier Theater (La Crosse, WI)
Pump House Regional Arts Center (La Crosse, WI)
Warehouse (La Crosse, WI)
The Cooperage (Milwaukee, WI)
Weill Center for the Performing Arts (Sheboygan, WI)
The Grand Theater (Wausau, WI)
Purple Fiddle (Thomas, WV)
The Lincoln Cheyenne (Cheyenne, WY)