Echoes of accordions remain at the former Croatian Liberty Hall turned Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, says singer-songwriter Alex Bevan. Unfortunately, so do the original pipes, carpets, floors, curtains and other remnants of a building constructed in the late 1940s — projects that prove difficult for a business teetering on a tight profit margin.
This Friday, Bevan and classic rock band HearAfter opens a show headlined by Abbey Rodeo, a tribute to the ’60s featuring Jim Bonfanti of the Raspberries. All proceeds from the show go to the Beachland Building Fund, which is dedicated to helping finance the necessary renovations and updates at the Waterloo music venue.
“The Beachland Ballroom is one of those rare jewels that supports so many different kinds of music, from alternative rock to trance to folk, and it gives our peers and influential national touring acts like Guy Clark and James McMurtee an intimate 400-seat venue to play,” says Bevan. “[Co-owners] Cindy Barber and Mark Leddy have defied the odds with their vision of creating an arts district. The building has been working real hard for our music community, and it needs some TLC.”
In April, we wrote about the struggles facing local grassroots music venues such as the Happy Dog and Beachland and about how these venues occupy a space in between for-profit music venues and non-profit art spaces. In it, we also mentioned that the roof of the Beachland Ballroom was in serious need of repair — a project that would carry a six-figure price tag when all was said and done.
Luckily, since then, the venue has had some help. Philanthropist and partner Nick Amster, who also bankrolled the career of legendary blues singer — and quasi-stepson of Robert Johnson — Robert Lockwood Jr., paid for the majority of the renovation, while Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney and Chris Butler of experimental ’80s new wave band Waitresses pitched in.
But from repairing damage caused by the 20-year-old, leaking roof to minor updates to the bathrooms and kitchen, plenty of work remains on the docket. Barber hopes a new local governance structure, input from the Greater Collinwood Development Corporation and continued support can help the venue get through hard times, like it experienced in September when attendance was low.
Additionally, the Beachland Ballroom, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in March, remains a vital anchor for the up-and-coming Waterloo Experience District that is seeing the expansion of tenants like Six Shooter Coffee and a successful arts scene.
“When we started, we wanted to slowly build some arts scene around us, and we’re still in the process of doing that,” says Barber, who bought the building in 2000. “I don’t want to lose the Beachland as the anchor when it’s finally starting to take off here.”
Bevan says this Friday’s show is a taste of the Beachland’s magic. If you can’t make the show, the Fund is accepting Pay Pal donations on the music venue's website. You can also buy a gift card or come to brunch, says Barber.
“The thing about the Beachland is you can walk in there on any given night and see something that’s going to take your attention,” says Bevan. “It’s not going to get my dopamine fix. It’s seeing something that I never thought of that makes me say ‘How’d they get there?’ and then it inspires you to go do something else, even if it’s not a musical endeavor. That magic, you’ve just got to witness it.”
$10. Jan. 10, 7:30-11 p.m., Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland, beachlandballroom.com
Alex Bevan, Abbey Rodeo Concert Benefits Beachland Ballroom
Along with HearAfter, the Friday night show hopes to make a dent in the renovation costs facing the Beachland Ballroom and Tavern. We take a look at why the venue needs support.
