A bit of news this week from the Granada Theater folks: according to a release from the popular Dallas venue, owner Mike Schoder has created a new booking agency, Serenity Presents.
On top of that, Serenity Presents will be booking bands in a "smaller, intimate setting ... with no cover charge, seven nights a week," according to the release. Schoder isn't revealing where that space will be just yet -- the announcement will be made next week -- but he says in the release that this new, mystery room will have "state-of-the-art sound and openhearted friendly staff, just like the Granada." Schoder expects to bring the same mix of local, regional and national acts that have crossed the Granada's stage to this new venture, which is an admirable ambition, particularly considering the crowded field of venues, shows and promoters currently active in the DFW area.
"It's been a dream of mine to book a small, intimate room that feels like home and welcomes local and national bands and doing all this with arms wide open and no cover charge," Schoder says in the statement. "Music should be free, but cannot always be. Music is like love, like exercise, like finding an orange tree on a hike in the wild ... precious experiences like these enhance our lives and get us high with no repercussion."
A busy year (Granada opened up a companion beer garden/eatery called Sundown at Granada earlier this year) becomes more so for the Granada folks. I'll follow up next week with more details on this new addition to DFW's music scene.