Bands like Diamond Rio, the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Shenandoah and other 70s and 80s pop, rock and country acts will soon have a Gainesville venue to play at.
An entertainment company called Notes Live is building a restaurant and concert venue in downtown Gainesville Square. Bourbon Brothers Smokehouse and Tavern and its associated venue the Hall at Bourbon Brothers (powered by Boot Barn) are under construction.
President and chief operating officer of Notes Live Bob Mudd said Gainesville needed a high-quality music venue.
“What we look for are communities that don't have the assets that are included in our project,” Mudd said. “So when you look at the Hall at Bourbon Brothers, it is obviously a concert hall. In Gainesville there are some places where you can get live music, but not of the quality and nature that we're going to be bringing to town.”
With Gainesville’s convenient location between music hotspots like Atlanta and Nashville, Mudd said it will be easy to program big-name acts.
“We have the ability to route artists,” Mudd said. “If you look at our slate of artists in Colorado Springs, which would include Shenandoah, Diamond Rio, Orleans, Atlanta Rhythm Section, those types of artists… It's much easier to program those artists if you're next to major thoroughfares in between major cities.”
The Hall at Bourbon Brothers is one of several of Notes Live’s dual restaurant/music venues. The entertainment company opened its first Boot Barn Hall music venue in 2019 at Colorado Springs.
Mudd said the Gainesville location will place the same emphasis on sound quality, and the Hall at Bourbon Brothers is investing $2 million in sound equipment.
“Our partner, Diversified Acoustics, designs all of it for us,” Mudd said. “And we have a world-class system inside of Boot Barn Hall that includes the capacity for live streaming. So this facility is very flexible.”
The venue can also host corporate events, weddings and simulcast these events to other locations.
The venue and restaurant are being built on the corner of Jesse Jewel Parkway and Academy Street, where the Midland train was once located. It will incorporate an 18,000-square foot music venue and an 8,500-square foot restaurant in addition to a 6,500-square foot patio.
Bourbon Brothers Tavern and Smokehouse will also be one of the few restaurants downtown to have its own designated parking.
Construction is currently underway, and Caroll Daniel Construction has installed electricity and plumbing so far.
“You're gonna see it going vertical over the next number of weeks,” Mudd said.
Notes Live hopes to have the restaurant and venue completed by early 2023. It will help Gainesville grow, as Mudd expects visitors from several different cities.
“Gainesville is a growing city, but it also serves as a healthcare hub,” Mudd said. “So a lot of people come from the mountains of Georgia or even down from Lawrenceville and Cumming up here. We anticipate showing those markets for people that want to see music that they grew up on and are familiar with, but may not necessarily want to go fight the traffic and get into downtown Atlanta.”
