There are certain music venues that, no matter how long you go between visits, just feel like home. These are the types of spaces we’re celebrating with Hometowns of Consequence, and that sentiment is exactly why UPSAHL has chosen Phoenix, Arizona’s Valley Bar as her favorite hometown venue.
The Phoenix native has a long-standing history with Valley Bar, dating back to the very beginning of her performing career. It was UPSAHL’s father who started booking her gigs at the Central Avenue hotspot, working with a local promoter called Psych Steve. In fact, Valley Bar played host to UPSAHL’s first-ever album release show back when she was was still in high school, a sold-out event she still cherishes.
“I was 17, and had been building up to that show for months,” she recalls of the “magical” concert. “I promoted the shit out of it around PHX, so getting to sell it out was really special for me. The guest list was maxed out and the show had been sold out, so I ended up sneaking a bunch of friends in through the back – security didn’t love that, but luckily they’ve let me back to play at Valley Bar since!”
Opened in 2015 by Charlie Levy, local concert promotor and co-owner of the neighborhood’s Crescent Ballroom, Valley Bar is literally an underground club. It’s situated on the lower level of a three-story building constructed in 1949, which just so happens to also house the offices of Levy’s Stateside Presents. The structure used to play home to The Hub and Sub Cultural Arts Center, and now features the 250-cap Valley Bar along with the attached Rose Room lounge (named after Arizona’s first female governor, Rose Mofford) and a game room stocked with billiards, shuffleboard, skee-ball, and more.
In addition to putting on shows for local Phoenix acts, Valley Bar has welcomed Wolf Alice, Mac DeMarco, Big Thief, Empress Of, Car Seat Headrest, and more. Just over the last few months, Avey Tare, Olivia Jean, The Nude Party, OFF!, METZ, and others have stopped by.
Read what else UPSAHL has to say about Valley Bar below, and then vote for you own favorite local venue at Hometowns of Consequence. You can also snag tickets to UPSAHL’s upcoming tour dates here.
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