New music venue creates competition for Velour

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On Nov. 15 The Stereo Room opened its doors to the public. Although it has the same audience capacity as the Velour and the Muse Cafe, Stereo Room offers something fresh to the music scene.

The Stereo Room hosted a few rap groups on Nov. 18. Pictured are FrankZoo and House of Lewis. (Photo courtesy Stereo Room)
The Stereo Room hosted a few rap groups on Nov. 18. Pictured are FrankZoo and House of Lewis. (Photo courtesy Stereo Room)

The owner, David Devaney, previously ran a recording studio in Provo. As he got to know the local music artists he continuously heard one common thread in their feedback: musicians want more places to play.

“It’s good to play new places,” said rapper Adam Hochhalter, from the House of Lewis, one of the bands that played opening night at The Stereo Room. “Every venue can kind of bring out something different in your performance, so I find it interesting to see how each place will color your set.”

The Stereo Room was purposefully designed to stand apart from the other local venues. The layout of the room is a wide setup rather than the long, skinny space at the Velour and has a 20×12-foot stage. There are not many decorations on the walls, giving the room a clean vibe, while the lighting and sound are designed to direct the audience’s attention to the stage.

“We definitely went for a more modern, high-tech kind of feel, where the Velour is more of a vintage/indie feel,” said Stereo Room owner David Devaney. “So ours is more clean and simple.”

The intent for starting this venue stemmed from Devaney’s desire to open a new recording studio. He called it Audio West, and when there was extra space in the building, he decided the next step in his music career would be to take the venue route.

“I grew up playing in bands, and I play a couple of different instruments,” Devaney said. “I sing, I write, I perform, and from there I got behind the scenes of it all. It’s kind of like a father-son relationship where I get to go to the concerts and hear them play songs that I helped them write or record, and it gives me that ‘proud dad’ mentality.”

The Stereo Room is booked up every Friday and Saturday night until New Year’s and has had an impressive turnout thus far.

“We haven’t had a sellout yet, but we’ve come pretty close each night,” Devaney said.

Each night consists of a different theme and allows musical groups of all genres to perform. But the venue will offer more than concerts. Devaney created the space to cater to varying demographics by hosting dances, movie nights and open mic nights.

“When it’s a studio Monday–Thursday and a venue on the weekends, it has more potential to grow,” said John Allred, who works and performs at The Stereo Room.

The Stereo Room’s purpose is also not just for local musicians to get exposure but to allow national bands who are passing through on tour to greet the fans of Utah County.

“I would like it to be a staple of the city,” Devaney said, “to be a destination spot for artists to want to come play here.”

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