The venue owners bring years of experience to the table. The Foundry’s Rae Gentry has worked in various roles including booking and promotion, artist management, hospitality management and touring artist. Gentry acquired the club two years ago and has turned it into a venue for both local and emerging artists.
The Winchester Music Tavern’s Shane Motolik discovered the Winchester in his early 20s while out with friends. When Molotik, who lived and worked in Los Angeles for four years, relocated to Lakewood, he looked to purchase a bar and wound up buying the Bevy in Birdtown (formerly the Winchester) with a close friend and his brother. They brought back the club’s old name in the process.
“Gentry and Molotik initially crossed paths while attending shows at their individual venues, fostering a friendship that evolved into co-producing and mutually referring shows,” reads a press release about the new partnership. “With a solid foundation of collaboration established, the next natural progression towards forming a formal business led to the creation of MFW Productions. This strategic partnership between two pillars of the local music scene is set to elevate the live music experience and offer music enthusiasts an unparalleled entertainment destination.”
The Foundry Concert Club is known for metal and rock acts and the Winchester Music Tavern books a diverse range of genres.
“The Mercury Music Lounge, with its spacious capacity, presents a prime opportunity for the Foundry and the Winchester to expand their reach and offer a diverse array of live music experiences to a larger audience,” reads the press release.
Molotik says weekly events will commence at the club in October; a grand re-opening party with local bands and DJs takes place on Oct. 11 and 12.
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This article appears in Sep 11-24, 2024.