Culture Club: Warren Dewey (right), owner of Golden State Theatre, says of his partnership with Alternative Cafe owner Scott Grover (left), “The planets are lined up.”
Losing My Religion
A worldly revival is poised to hit Monterey’s Golden State Theatre.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
That hot little fire that combusted from cleaning products in a closet of the Golden State Theatre on March 17 might have been the spark for a music and culture revival in downtown Monterey. It knocked out the theater’s electricity and caused months-long repairs, which compelled the tenants, Monterey Church, to leave.
Golden State Theatre proprietor Warren Dewey and Alternative Cafe owner Scott Grover are partnering to reopen the doors to live music. The first volley is an Aug. 24 visit by members of Mumford and Sons, a supplement to the group’s Aug. 25 show at Monterey County Fairgrounds.
Grover says they will work with promoters Britt Govea of FolkYeah! (who just booked Alanis Morissette at Henry Miller Library) and David Lefkowitz of Goldenvoice (who’s bringing Mumford and Sons to Monterey and hosted the HML fundraiser with Philip Glass at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater).
“[We’ll do] two to three main stage acts a month,” Grover says. “Things you can’t bring to Big Sur [where] The Flaming Lips sold out in 30 seconds [and] when Arcade Fire played, people flew in from Europe.”
Between those main-stage shows, there will be smaller shows possibly booked by Alternative Cafe booker Matthew Hable. Grover would phase out music shows at Alt Cafe in Seaside, possibly sell it, and devote his energy to GST. No official re-opening date is set for the 1,000-seat Golden State Theatre, though both men say the city of Monterey is helping the process of permits, inspections and the alcohol license.
The church may be gone, but the religious vibe lives:
“I like the bustle of a really active venue,” Grover says. “It will still be a place to worship creators.”
“The church of what’s happening,” Dewey adds.
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