Urban Lounge
| Urban Lounge | |
|---|---|
 Urban Lounge in 2008 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Bar, live music venue |
| Location | Edmonton, Canada |
| Address | 8111 105 St (1996-2005) 10544 82 Ave (2005-2012) |
| Coordinates | 53°31′06″N 113°30′09″W / 53.518371°N 113.502378°W |
| Opened | 1996 Relocated 2005 |
| Owner | Tim Fuhr[1] |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 600 |
Urban Lounge was a historic live music venue in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Background
Urban Lounge first opened at 8111 105 St in 1996. Beginning in the late 1990s, Urban Lounge became a prominent music venue in Edmonton with a weekly open mic and one of the largest stages for the city's local music scene.[2][3][4] The venue was owned by Edmonton entrepreneur Tim Fuhr.[5]
Construction and specs
The initial 8111 105 St building was a standalone west-facing structure with a patio. In 2005, Urban Lounge relocated to the second floor of Old Strathcona's 10544 82 Avenue building.
The venue's original location was not as well-equipped for live music as the second location.[6] For example, in December 2000, Canadian band Our Lady Peace was scheduled to perform at Urban Lounge as part of a "small club tour" promoting their album Spiritual Machines; several days before the concert however, the Edmonton Journal wrote that "according to Sony, the Urban Lounge was too small to accommodate the band's equipment and stage gear," so the concert changed venues.[6]
The 10544 82 Avenue building was made of reinforced concrete and had four tenant businesses on the main floor. In March 2007, the roof of Urban Lounge collapsed requiring extensive repair and renovation.[7] When Urban Lounge reopened in 2007 following renovations, owner Tim Fuhr stated "we brought in a $300,000 sound-and-light show. It's all state-of-the-art production. It'll probably be the best live room of its size in Western Canada, if not all of Canada."[8]
Concert history
In the late 1990s, Urban Lounge hosted performances by Alannah Myles, Lawrence Gowan of Styx, and Alfie Zappacosta amongst others.[9] The early 2000s saw performances from artists such as Joel Plaskett, Wide Mouth Mason, Nick Walsh, Rich Hope, Ann Vriend, Robin Black, Thornley, and Mocking Shadows.[10]
Following the roof decay in March 2007, the venue hosted a grand reopening in October 2007.[8] For the grand reopening, the venue booked a week of concerts featuring Danko Jones, Marianas Trench, Sloan, Default, and Ten Second Epic.[8] In 2008, Maceo Parker closed the Edmonton International Jazz Festival at Urban Lounge.[11]
From 1998-2008, Urban Lounge was a venue at Edmonton International Fringe Festival.[12][13] In 1999, the Edmonton Journal ranked Urban Lounge as one of the "worst venues" at the Edmonton Fringe because "bar noise distracted from the productions.[14] In 2005, the Edmonton Journal rated Urban Lounge Edmonton's "best place for loud, live music."[15] In November 2005, the venue was fined $4000 CAD for overcrowding.[16]
Partnerships
Throughout the early 2000s, Calgary's CJAY-FM party bus regularly took patrons to Urban Lounge.[17]
Notable patrons
Aftermath
The Old Strathcona Rack (2012 - 2017)
In 2012, Urban Lounge was sold and renamed The Old Strathcona Rack, under the management of Oil City Hospitality Group.[20][21]
Beercade (2017 - present)
As of 2017, the establishment has been rebranded as Beercade.[22] Unlike Urban Lounge, Beercade follows the barcade format and features many arcade games.[23]
References
- ^ Gold, Marta (July 15, 2001). "Bouncers Work Hard At Reshaping Their Image". The Victoria Times-Colonist. p. B10.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Sperounes, Sandra (March 28, 1999). "So, You Wanna Be A Rock Star: Pick A Stage, Any Stage". The Edmonton Journal. p. A1.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Sperounes, Sandra (March 28, 1999). "See The (Aspiring) Star In The Spotlight". The Edmonton Journal. p. C1.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Thorkelson, Erika (October 8, 2005). "Live Venues". The Edmonton Journal. p. 10.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Faulder, Liane (April 24, 1999). "Brawling Bylaw Not The End-All, Be-All To Boozy Business". The Edmonton Journal. p. B1.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Our Lady Peace Switches To Dinwoodie For Sunday Gig". The Edmonton Journal. November 28, 2000. p. C3.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Nightclub's Roof Collapses". The Red Deer Advocate. March 10, 2007. p. A8.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c Sperounes, Sandra (October 17, 2007). "Urban Lounge Rises Again". The Edmonton Journal.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ For Lawrence Gowan, see Sperounes, Sandra (March 4, 1999). "Gowan Needn't Worry: It Really Is Happening". The Edmonton Journal. p. C4.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)- For Alannah Myles, see "Alannah Bringing Her Black Velvet To Town". The Edmonton Journal. June 9, 1999. p. C6.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - For Alfie Zappacosta, see "Jazz Notes: In The Clubs". The Edmonton Journal. June 25, 1998. p. C3.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
- For Alannah Myles, see "Alannah Bringing Her Black Velvet To Town". The Edmonton Journal. June 9, 1999. p. C6.
- ^ For Joel Plaskett, see Sperounes, Sandra (October 10, 2001). "Gigs On The Go". The Edmonton Journal. p. C4.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)- For Wide Mouth Mason, see Sperounes, Sandra (March 16, 2004). "Concert Calendar Filling Up". The Edmonton Journal. p. C2.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - For Nick Walsh, see "Urban Lounge". The Edmonton Journal. April 29, 2005. p. WO3.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - For Rich Hope, see North, Peter (February 24, 2000). "Roots Rocker Keen To Play On His Old Turf". The Edmonton Journal. p. C4.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - For Ann Vriend, see North, Peter (February 17, 2001). "A Vriend Indeed". The Edmonton Journal. p. C6.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - For Robin Black, see Sperounes, Sandra (August 28, 2001). "Take A Prozzak And Call Bif Naked In The Morning". The Edmonton Journal. p. C2.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - For Thornley, see "Thornley". The Edmonton Journal. June 10, 2006. p. 15.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - For Mocking Shadows, see Levesque, Roger (September 14, 2006). "Original Material Popping Out From The Shadows". The Edmonton Journal. p. C3.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
- For Wide Mouth Mason, see Sperounes, Sandra (March 16, 2004). "Concert Calendar Filling Up". The Edmonton Journal. p. C2.
- ^ Levesque, Roger (June 29, 2008). "Final Day at Jazz Fest". The Edmonton Journal. p. B5.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Sperounes, Sandra (August 21, 1999). "Getting Slightly Bent And Resting My Head". The Edmonton Journal. p. C2.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Remington, Robert (August 21, 2002). "Trying to Paint the Town Red on Whyte Avenue". The National Post. p. AL5.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Sperounes, Sandra (August 21, 1999). "Getting Slightly Bent And Resting My Head". The Edmonton Journal. p. C2.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Best of Summer". The Edmonton Journal. June 4, 2005. p. 6.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Night Club Fined $4000 For Overcrowding". The Edmonton Journal. November 10, 2005. p. B5.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ McCoy, Heath (March 10, 2002). "Dope, Booze, Heavy Metal". The Calgary Herald. p. C2.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Cudmore, James (July 3, 2001). "It's A Riot. I Don't Have Time To Talk". The National Post. p. A4.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Lees, Nick (April 3, 2004). "You're Never Too Old To Rock". The Edmonton Journal. p. B5.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Sperounes, Sandra (June 10, 2012). "It Takes Much More Than A Liquor License To Be Successful". The Edmonton Journal. p. C6.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Whoopin' It Up On Whyte". The Edmonton Journal. June 10, 2012. p. C7.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Fashion and Beauty Show". The Edmonton Journal. October 11, 2018. p. B3.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Huculak, Chad (May 4, 2018). "Alberta Aviation Museum To Host Pinball Wizards". The Edmonton Journal. p. A7.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)