When I think of Gobles, Mich., there are only two things that come to mind: Timber Ridge and Klassic Arcade. Neither of which I have ever been to (although made plans to) and to be honest, if you asked me where it was, I couldn't point it out while holding my hand up. Yet there is soon to be another reason to venture to the town: a new music venue. With the closing of a few venues in Kalamazoo over the last couple of years, a trip west of town should be enticing for music fans around the area.
Coined The Depot, the venue was opened and is being run by college student and musician Kurtis Edwards. As a music business student at Anderson University, Kurtis grew up in Gobles and "wanted to open a venue in Gobles because I saw it as something that was lacking. During high school I put on a few shows here and there and I loved it and so I thought why not bring something more to Gobles and open up a venue."
From the experience of renting a hall once for a show and having a few bands play in my basement, I can't really imagine what it would be like to open an actual venue. According to Kurtis, it certainly wasn't easy.
"The process for setting up this venue was actually quite difficult; nothing like this has happened in Gobles, many people were reluctant to allow this to happen so there was some friction," he said. "After much talking and persuasion, they were able to see the positive opportunity that could arise from such a venture."
The Depot is actually in the same building as the Kal-Haven Community Church, so I'm sure wild teen rock and roll shows didn't sit well with the venue's better half. But fear not devil haters, the venue's first shows will most likely have a faith-based influence as Kurtis explained.
"The shows will have a Christian influence, but we are hoping to steer clear of any genre bias," he said.
Unfortunately, The Depot is only going to remain open for the summer to see how things go. Not only does Kurtis have to return to college in the fall, but the building is currently not equipped with the necessary construction to keep it warm enough through the winter.
"Right now, it will remain a seasonal venue, but I'm hoping in the future that it will turn into a year-round thing."
So far, there are two shows booked for the month of June at The Depot. The first being held on June 11th with Please Promise, Uncommon Road, Mid-American and Trinity FTL. So get out there kids and show ‘em what you got.
If you are interested in setting up a show at The Depot, you can e-mail Kurtis at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or hit him up at the venue's MySpace page.
