PRESS RELEASE: “New Chattanooga Music Venue Track 29 Set to Open This Summer”
CHATTANOOGA, TN (Track 29) June 7, 2011 – Local developers will soon unveil Track 29, a new state-of-the-art performance venue to be located on the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo campus that will feature national touring acts in an intimate setting.
“We want to offer Chattanooga a higher level of entertainment in the form of national touring acts that typically overlook the area due to the lack of a proper performance facility,” said Track 29 developer Adam Kinsey. “Other southeastern cities attract current bands and larger crowds because they have facilities similar to Track 29.”
Track 29 was designed to provide an intimate concert experience for national acts of various appeal, from up-and-comers to larger bands. The stage and sound and lighting rigs can be moved back and forth within the facility’s 22,000 square feet to scale the room to match the size of each show’s crowd – anywhere from 1,000 up to 1,800 attendees.
“We’ve done a lot of research on similar facilities in cities as big as Atlanta down to towns the size of Asheville,” said Track 29 developer Josh McManus. “They are all having tremendous success not only booking bigger and better bands but also attracting tourists due in large part to the exceptional experience that can be expected from the performance venue. If you can see your favorite band in an intimate setting with great sound and lighting, a 100-mile drive and overnight stay isn’t a problem. And that’s good for Chattanooga’s economy.”
In researching Track 29, developers Kinsey and McManus spent 18 months getting input from touring performers like Drive-By Truckers front man Patterson Hood and studying like-facilities such as the Tabernacle in Atlanta, Valarium in Knoxville, WorkPlay in Birmingham and The Orange Peel in Asheville, recently named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best live venues in America.
“In addition to a great concert experience for the fan, we found these venues are able to attract bands in part because of what they offer a hard-working touring act as well,” said Kinsey. “Track 29 will have comfortable dressing rooms with couches, showers, washers and dryers, Internet access and other perks to encourage bands to ask their booking agents to stop here. Word spreads fast in the touring community and we don’t expect getting good entertainment to be a problem at all.”
Kinsey and McManus selected TicketBiscuit as their ticketing and event marketing partner. “We chose TicketBiscuit due to their dedicated ownership and management team, experienced technical and marketing staff, innovative social media tools and evidence that they are able to adapt with the ever changing online and physical ticketing landscape.”
Bonnaroo organizers AC Entertainment will be enlisted to book national touring acts. Bonnaroo veteran Paul Gussack and DV Communications will provide sound and lighting services.
“Chattanooga is long overdue for a professional performance venue of this caliber,” McManus said. “We’re sure Track 29 will set the new gold standard.”
