The Gramophone switching to new format in 2015

The Gramophone, which nearly seven years ago became one of the first live music venues in the now-burgeoning Grove district, will step back from presenting live music and switch to a new format in 2015.

According to a message posted Friday on the venue's Facebook page, The Gramophone (pictured) will close for remodeling in January, and then reopen in February as "your 6 day week stop in anytime for a bite and a beer spot in The Grove."

"We will have regular hours (11-3 Tues-Sun), more beers, more cocktails, more food, more seating and NO COVER EVER," the message continued. "We will have some live music and some DJs on the weekends but most of the time we will have a great hand picked soundtrack on our new stereo at a level that you can talk at without yelling."

Although the club's live music offerings have been mostly indie rock, Americana, and hip-hop, occasionally touring jazz acts including Rebirth Brass Band and Kermit Ruffins also have been part of the mix, along with a few locals such as Tommy Halloran, Jeff Riley, and the Funky Butt Brass Band. During the first year of its existence, The Gramophone also presented local jazz musicians weekly on Tuesdays, even enlisting Jazz St. Louis as a co-sponsor of some shows, but that venture lasted only a few months.

You can see the complete text of the message after the jump...

"We have some pretty big news everybody and we wanted to tell you guys first. After almost 7 amazing years throwing over 1800 concerts here at The Gramophone, we are changing our format next year. Since we showed up on Manchester in 2008 we have been a ticketed destination concert club. Starting in February 2015 we are going to be your 6 day week stop in anytime for a bite and a beer spot in The Grove. We will have regular hours (11-3 Tues-Sun), more beers, more cocktails, more food, more seating and NO COVER EVER. We will have some live music and some DJs on the weekends but most of the time we will have a great hand picked soundtrack on our new stereo at a level that you can talk at without yelling. We will be closed in January for remodeling and are going to reopen in early February. We very much understand that this is going to be upsetting for some of you, and it was not an easy call on our part but we know it's the right thing to do for us. To everyone who has supported us as a music venue and to all the bands who have ever played the stage, we just want to say thank you and we hope that you will give us a chance to earn your business in 2015. Also Scott says that our sandwiches will soon take over the world.

Roo
Scott"