“I really love it, to be honest,” said Wes Dickson, vocalist and guitarist for Jeramiah Red. With the added benefit of having the Constellation Room to host local band showcases or month-long residencies, with acts such as Railroad to Alaska, Hell or Highwater, Polaris at Noon and Jeramiah Red, Reiser says that he has numerous local artists reaching out to him, wanting to perform on the smaller stage. as a live music and cultural destination rather than just a secondary market.” and the more routed shows that are presented locally, the better it is for our local music scene,” she said. “I think to do things that leave some sort of mark is great and we want to add value to Orange County and bring bands here that wouldn’t normally play here and allow people to have that experience in a venue this size and I hope that’s what we’re already doing.”įor OC Music Awards producer and ACE Agency owner Ashley Eckenweiler, having another well-run venue simply equals more opportunity for growth in the scene. “That’s what I was hoping we would build over time is some sort of legacy,” he says. On June 18-19, the Observatory will host the final two shows of O.C.-based rock outfit Thrice’s farewell tour, something Reiser is happy to add to the new establishment’s history. In the coming months the venue will see performances by an array of artists such as Jenny Lewis, Sea Wolf, Nipsey Hussle and the Meteors.
That’s just the way this business works.” If bands weren’t having positive experiences here, we wouldn’t be having any shows. “Edward Sharpe, who have played in front of 6,000-8,000-person rooms, they had such a great time and the feedback was so positive, part of that was the reason we were able to book Silversun Pickups. “From the perspective of the bands, we’ve gotten a pretty positive response and word has spread pretty quickly,” he said. Dog, Girls and Crystal Castles were also big hits as well as spectacles like new hip-hop artist Tyga and even breaking Coachella band Grouplove got a great reaction. “Like a band that’s from New Zealand, like the Naked and Famous, they get a hit on the radio and they’re able to skip doing those tours where they’re playing to those capacities and they’re playing 1,000-2,500-capacity venues on their entire tour.”Īfter taking over the Galaxy in August, Reiser immediately pressed on and booked Young the Giant for a couple of dates, brought back Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, was able to accommodate Silversun Pickups and even got Devo on board for a sold-out gig. “I’ve noticed a shift as radio has started to play indie bands and breaking bands much more often, so the bands that used to tour and would play the 250-350-capacity rooms aren’t doing that anymore,” he says. Once those band’s songs began to make it off of KROQ’s “Locals Only” list and into the regular rotation, Reiser realized there was no way that he would ever be able to book them again if he stayed at Detroit. acts such as Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and the Airborne Toxic Event – which at that time were barely filling Detroit Bar. The same goes for the Cold War Kids, Delta Spirit and Local Natives. Reiser had also been responsible for booking and giving a boost to Irvine-based act and current success Young the Giant early on in its career. 12 and was headlined by Los Angeles-based rising indie act Foster the People, a band Reiser had previously helped develop in the area during his time booking talent at the 250-capacity Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. The first show under the new management took place on Sept. After purchasing the business from former owner Gary Folgner, who still owns the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, Reiser completely turned the quality of acts coming through the venue around by incorporating an eclectic mix of talent, whereas in years past the lineups had featured more cover bands than actual artists. In the coming months the building, which Reiser and Michaelis are in escrow to purchase, will be repainted and its old maroon awnings will be torn down.ĭespite the obvious physical changes in the venue, the biggest difference is the more robust concert calendar.
The marquee still reads the Galaxy Concert Theatre, though it is covered by a small banner with the new Observatory logo, Reiser says that is just one of many outside renovations yet to be finished. They also created a smaller venue-within-a-venue, a 300-capacity space with a substantial stage dubbed the Constellation Room, where smaller touring acts and local bands perform. Since then, the owners have repaved the parking lot, repainted walls, replaced floors, reupholstered booths and cleared out free-standing tables to provide better visibility of the stage.