Live Performance and Music Venue Planned For Amherst

Source: Amherst Business Improvement District

The Amherst Business Improvement District (BID) and the Downtown Amherst Foundation (DAF) have launched a new project to promote arts and culture in the downtown area. As a first step the groups plan to re-open the former High Horse as The Drake Live Performance and Music Venue by the winter of 2022. The Drake was a neighborhood bar that closed in 1985, the memory of which lives on in the “Save the Drake!” graffiti preserved on the side of the Amherst Coffee building.

The new Drake is expected to seat 200 people and to serve as a hub for acts ranging from classical to funk to jazz to rock and roll and everything in between. The Drake will also host community events, science nights, open mic nights and other non-music events. According to the BID, The Drake will respect musicians and artists. It will be a place to generate connections and inspire collaborations. 

The DAF has secured a long-term lease for The Drake with funds from a state grant. Kuhn Riddle architects have done the design work and are working with Klondike Sound for state-of-the-art sound, staging, and lighting. The DAF now needs to raise an additional $250,000, which it hopes will be matched by grants.

Donations will enable the organizers to finish the build-out, meet equipment needs, and allow advance booking for performers and events. Donations can be directed here or can be made in person at the DAF office at 35 S Pleasant St. All donations are 100% tax- deductible.

The DAF will oversee the operation of The Drake and will work as the fundraising arm for the venue. The BID’s Events and Marketing director, Ann Tweedy, will be responsible for programming local and regional music, and other performances such as comedy, poetry, theater, under-21 open mic nights, art-exhibits, and more.

The launch of The Drake will involve a number of local partnerships with deep roots in the local music scene. Laudable Productions of Easthampton, will work with the DAF to book and program the performance space. Klondike Sound LLC is providing the audio, video, and lighting system design and integration. Lincoln Allen, formerly of Amherst Coffee, will be managing the operations of the bar and space.

Plans for The Drake were launched after surveys of downtown patrons and focus groups and discussions with downtown stakeholders, residents, and town officials. While Amherst has a number of museums and performing arts venues, most reside on the campuses of UMass Amherst and Amherst and Hampshire Colleges. Overwhelmingly, conversations and interviews revealed a demand for a downtown music venue. With the availability of space and pandemic economic assistance funds, the BID is seizing the opportunity to build and program The Drake.

“The Drake is exactly what residents and visitors alike have asked for in downtown Amherst,” said Gabrielle Gould, the executive director of the Amherst BID and Downtown Amherst Foundation. “This is tailored to the BID’s mission of creating economic vitality and opportunity that will benefit our downtown businesses and Amherst as a whole. We believe in the power of music and the arts to build community and bring new audiences into downtown.”

The initial $175,000 for the project was awarded to the BID in April 2021 by the Massachusetts Regional State Pilot Grant through the Massachusetts Office of Business Development. The BID is supporting the project with a lead gift of $75,000 as a match to the fundraising campaign. 

For more information on the BID, please visit www.amherstdowntown.com.