Meet Me in Music

Brian McCormac - Building Mr. Meyers, STL's First Hi-Fi Vinyl & Improv Jazz Lounge

• Neil Salsich

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On this episode of Meet Me in Music, host Neil Salsich sits down with Brian McCormac — longtime St. Louis talent buyer and the founder behind Mr. Meyers Live & Vinyl Lounge, a hi-fi vinyl and improv jazz concept opening in downtown Clayton.

Brian traces his path from picking up a mandolin at 16 and booking his first 600-person sellout in college, to cold-calling his way into the St. Louis scene, to landing the job running Old Rock House at just 24 years old. He shares the stories behind six years of buying talent there — booking Sturgill Simpson's first three St. Louis shows before anyone knew his name, catching Alabama Shakes a week before their Rolling Stone cover, and the outdoor bluegrass festival that lost $12,000 but drew Paul Simon to the crowd.

The conversation turns to what Brian learned after leaving St. Louis to work for Red Bull Music in Minneapolis — where he saw an artist-development infrastructure St. Louis has never had — and how a Sound Diplomacy study confirmed the gap: St. Louis lacks both a music identity and the creative spaces to build one. Brian explains how the loss of his best friend, Jack Meyer, became the spark for Mr. Meyers: a venue built around a resident house-band program, soundboard recordings artists can take home and build on, and a mission to keep St. Louis talent from getting poached by LA, Nashville, and Chicago.

It's a conversation about grief turned into purpose, and what it takes to finally build the infrastructure a music city has been missing.

They discuss:


 - Growing up on drums and mandolin, and discovering bluegrass through Prairie Home Companion

 - Booking a 600-ticket sellout as a college student in Missoula, Montana

 - Cold-calling his way into the St. Louis scene and working with Josh Loyal and Pat Hagan

 - Booking the Webster University jazz crowd — Elastic Soul, Ryan Marquez, Fresh Air, Phonics

 - Losing money on early shows and borrowing from a weed dealer to cover a deposit

 - Getting hired to run Old Rock House at 24 and turning the job into college credit

 - The outdoor bluegrass festival that lost $12,000 but drew Paul Simon to the crowd

 - Booking Sturgill Simpson's first three St. Louis shows before his breakout

 - Catching Alabama Shakes at 157 tickets, a week before their Rolling Stone cover

 - What St. Louis' music scene has always been missing: artist development and management

 - Comparing St. Louis to Minneapolis and Denver/Boulder's built-out music industries


This episode is brought to you by our amazing sponsors — Swade Dispensary, Brick City Yoga, Kuva Coffee, and 4 Hands Brewing Co. 


Intro & Meet Brian McCormac

SPEAKER_04

One of my best friends, Jack Meyer, uh passed away. He was my my music guy, like you know, went to hundreds and hundreds of concerts together, always sharing music with each, like pushing each other outside of our comfort zone for music discovery. And it like kind of clicked, and I was able to channel my grief and start putting it into this project. And so someone made a sticker like thank you, Mr. Meyer, like at his funeral, and like I picked it up. I was like, that's the name, you know, Mr. Meyer. That's that's gonna be the name.

SPEAKER_03

All right, St. Louis and Beyond, welcome back to Meet Me in Music. I am your host, Neil Salzek. I'm so pleased to have our first industry guest today. All right. He's not a musician, but he's been in the music industry and the music game in St. Louis for a long time. He's got lots of stories to share and an amazing, amazing new project that I'm really intrigued about. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Brian McCormick. I was a musician.

SPEAKER_04

Okay. And then I realized I wasn't good enough. So then I started booking shows instead.

SPEAKER_03

So wow, okay, let's start there because that was the first. Okay, so also it's weird to say Brian McCormick.

SPEAKER_04

You could call me B Mac.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. B Mac. Now, a lot of a lot of young musicians, or well, we're all old now, but a lot of the uh of my generation of musicians knew the knew the term B Mac because you were uh before I knew you, you were kind of a gatekeeper. And that sounds that sounds kind of shitty. That sounds kind of shitty, but you you were the man in charge. You were you we had our band had to convince you that that we could uh you know that we deserved the stage at the old rock house back in the day. So tell let's let's take a walk down memory lane. Talking about tell me about your talent buying days.

Drums, Mandolin & Bluegrass Roots

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, so I was a uh a musician growing up, um, got my first drum set when I was five years old, uh, played in the school band. And when I was in middle school, young high school, um, I started picking up on bluegrass. And I was exposed to bluegrass because my mom would listen to Prairie Hope, Prairie Home Companion every Saturday. And you know, you hear Dell and Ricky Skags. Oh yeah, the glory gaze. Yeah, and like so I was I I just loved the energy, the sound, the the the baritone voice. Um, and so I picked up the mandolin when I was 16 years old. Wow. And I was also getting into Yonder Mountain string band, string cheese, like going into that jam side of bluegrass as well. Um, and so I was like mesmerized by Jeff Austin and the way he played the mandolin. And like he he made it punk rock, you know, and and he could just totally own a crowd. And it was kind of like a drummer playing a string instrument. And so picked that up, took some lessons, and uh went to college in Missoula, Montana, University of Montana, and was just playing with some guys, some friends, and and we ended up we're like, eh, we should book a show.

First Sellout Show in Missoula

SPEAKER_04

And uh nobody knew how to do it. Um, but at the time I was in the entertainment management program at Montana. Ah, okay. Um, and so I was like, I'll do it, you know. And and so booked the venue, booked a 600-person venue, booked our buddies on it, and sold it out.

SPEAKER_03

When I would probably know the name of this place. Uh is it still around?

SPEAKER_04

No.

SPEAKER_03

Because I the other side? Okay. Well, from my days of of booking my own shows as well, yeah. You get you kind of start to memorize every venue across the country.

SPEAKER_04

So it was the top hat and then the other side. Okay, the other side closed down years ago. Top hat's still there. Um, so play the show, sell it out, 600 tickets, and I'm just sitting there counting.

SPEAKER_03

This is your this is your group? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04

It was I don't know how we did it. Yeah. Um we're not, we weren't that good. Um, and our buddies' band was a bluegrass band, and and they they were good. But I'm just sitting there counting all this cash at the end of the night, and I'm like, man, this is this is you know, I think I can do this. Yeah. And so uh that summer I came back to St. Louis. Uh, I think that was my after my sophomore year, uh, technically sophomore year, and just started picking up the phone and calling people and trying to get my foot in the door. Wow. Um, called Josh Loyal, called Pat Hagan, called I think Mississippi Knights was yeah, I don't think Tim answered my call then. Uh, but

Cold-Calling St. Louis Venues

SPEAKER_04

we worked together.

SPEAKER_03

This is a who's who, folks, of uh of the St. Louis booking, you know, we call it talent buying. I thought I don't think a lot of uh listeners might know that, but that's that's what B Mac did for many years was book the shows.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, so I I mean I was uh very overzealous and I was like pitching these ideas that made no financial sense. And so I I kind of ranked it. It's beautiful though.

SPEAKER_03

I love that overzealous, that's a good thing to be. Yeah, you know, bring it down to reality. Um, so did do you have people that that brought you down to reality or Pat Hagen?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, uh, you know, he's always good for that. Okay, so and Pat Hagen is the longtime managing partner of the pageant of Delmar Hall. And he he's an old school OG. He's been here, you know, he he had miss he was booking Mississippi Knights before the pageant, uh very well respected guy, and and um was the top five ticket seller in the world for many, many years.

SPEAKER_03

Uh and it's a premonition of of someone that I hope will be sitting in in this seat uh in the future. With each guest I have, we start we start dropping names, and then I go, okay, that's gonna be a whiteboard.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah. Um so that you know, I was 20 years old. Uh I think I convinced uh John Johnson to let me book a show at the the Oyster Bar, and I wasn't even old enough to be in there. Uh he didn't know that. Um, and so started working with uh some of the Webster University

Cutting Teeth on Webster Jazz Scene

SPEAKER_04

like guys like uh Pete Lombardo just started Elastic Soul. Nice Brian Marquez and Nick Savage and Desi had Fresh Air, and Ilphonics was just starting up out of it, like all these bands um were coming out of this Webster jazz program, and that Webster is where I ended up finishing school.

SPEAKER_03

Um and what's our what's our timestamp here?

SPEAKER_04

Because I remember all these bands 2006. Okay, 2006. Wow. Um, and so that's kind of where I cut my teeth was like working with my my peers and helping them get on gigs. And uh, you know, gradually started stepping up, you know, to regional bands and um, you know, would book bands from Chicago at Oyster Bar. Uh was doing stuff at Lucas Schoolhouse. That's right when that had opened. And um so yeah, I I was um doing it with no idea how to run a business, no idea about anything. I just knew how to put an offer in, put it on sale, try to sell tickets.

SPEAKER_03

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SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um, so you're you're you're coming home from college. I'm kind of still in wrapping up high school, but all these all these bands you're naming and the venues at Lucas Schoolhouse and Fresh Air. And were you with the Messi Jiverson guy?

SPEAKER_04

So I booked and managed them for a couple for a year or two as well.

SPEAKER_03

Um I think, in my opinion, the greatest uh unknown legend of the St. Louis music scene.

SPEAKER_04

I love going back and listening to their albums like once a year just because they're they're so good.

SPEAKER_03

I've been listening, I've been re-listening literally uh the last couple days to uh Rivers Growth. How do you say that?

SPEAKER_04

River's Growth, the old clip.

SPEAKER_03

It's

Messy & a Weed-Dealer Loan

SPEAKER_03

kind of funny how I know that album so well and I can't even pronounce it. Acronym, dude. Um don't even get me started, by the way, because that's gonna be a whole tangent. But but that's probably part of part of your legend in my head was I remember because I never even knew you. I just would used to email you B Mac.

SPEAKER_04

So B Mac. I almost like gave up on the music thing before Messi. Like I uh I think I booked Hot Buttered Room, Two Nights, uh Mojo's in Columbia, Lucas Schoolhouse, and borrowed five grand from a weed dealer to to get the deposit.

SPEAKER_03

This is way before uh legalization.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, lost my ass on both shows. And my mom had to cut a check to my weed dealer to cover the loss. And that's when I was just like, oh shit, what am I doing? And and I was like, maybe this isn't for me, you know, maybe I'll go work for the family business. And uh yeah, and so I was like 22 during at that time, and so the messy guys convinced me to help them uh try to get outside of St. Louis and start routing some shows. And um I I can't remember if it took convincing, but I knew I loved the band, so I I decided to do it. And during that time, I was just finishing up at Webster and I booked Messi to open for the Numa Trio at Old Rock Office.

SPEAKER_03

I man, these names, all these names you're dropping, I still have that poster.

SPEAKER_04

This is this was my life at this time, and so this was right after Tim Weber uh came on board to Old Rock House after he was with Mississippi Knights. Um, they were uh re reworking, reconfiguring the the music side of Old Rock House, because I don't know if you remember, but it it used to be like a restaurant that was open lunch, happy hour, dinner. Yeah. Uh I vaguely remember that. This is so much fun to go down memory line. They're like, yeah, it was like high-end food and and uh yeah. Oh my god. And so it wasn't working. And so through like the security guys, they were like, you should talk to Tim. And and so they brought him on. So I booked Messi to open that show for Numa, and the show underperformed, and he uh Tim had reached out to me, he was like, you know, I was hoping for more tickets. Like, why do you why do you think this show didn't do

Hired to Run Old Rock House

SPEAKER_04

well? And so I kind of went through the marketing plan and and called out where I thought some misses were. And uh he called me in to a meeting like right after that. And and try he he offered me the job and uh I was like, man, I got like six hours left or something like that to to graduate. I know if I do this, I won't finish those six hours. So I ended up like turning my first six months of my job at the rock house into an internship to get to get credits to to graduate. And then uh yeah, that was uh 2010. And um I was 24 years old and got handed the keys to the to the joint and wow, and then we kind of went from there.

SPEAKER_03

Were you involved with loyal family or was that just tangential?

SPEAKER_04

A little bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Not a like, I mean loyal family is like a is is you know, I was helping Josh do shows, but um loyal family like was just like Josh and no one in that crew, but I didn't know we were crossing over so much with the genres we were looking at that rather than outbidding each other and driving the price up on the bands on each other, we we worked together and um yeah, did that for a couple of years, did the Loyal Earth Festival because I was in I was an intern for I was as well had my internship in the music industry in air quotes, by the way, with Loyal Family, which was I think uh mo mainly consisted of like cleaning out the basement of 2720 uh before it had been painted and finished. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, because that's right when they got in there, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, and and uh internship with strong air quotes, but but uh shout out to those guys for yeah just taking me on. And I somehow that was I I re relay that into official college credit or something, right?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, so so speaking of the uh the like the gatekeeper, like Josh is like the most anti-gatekeeper of St. Louis, yeah, because he was always like open arms, you know. Again, I was like 21, 22, doing that.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, probably shouldn't

St. Louis' Gatekeeper Problem

SPEAKER_03

have said gatekeeper.

SPEAKER_04

That was the first thing that came. But you were just we are a city of gatekeepers, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, but the music industry is is inherently all the way up to our politicians.

SPEAKER_04

It's like it's it's uh it's a sick anyway. It's like it's it's a sickness we have, you know.

SPEAKER_03

But you were just the the infamous B Mac, the powerful, the wizard of Oz, you know. No, I mean because as a young musician, you don't really know these. You're just a name at the end of an email, and you're but you you have the power, you hold the keys, you know, and that's a special privilege as a talent buyer.

SPEAKER_04

So yeah, I mean I you know I don't think I was the good job, the greatest talent buyer. I don't know about that, uh, but I knew like I knew how to look at numbers and and and translate them to ticket sales, and I knew how to reply to emails very fast, and that's a very important thing because if an email if an agent emails three or four promoters in one market, you know, it could be the first one that replies that gets the date, or you know, yeah, it's a very uh bang, bang, bang um type of communication. But uh yeah, I mean the I was I was a jam kid, um, you know, so that's where my strength

Owning the Jam Band Scene

SPEAKER_04

was, and we kind of owned that section of the market for you know, 500 tickets and down for six years, probably. And um yeah, we had that place buzzing, man.

SPEAKER_03

And those were the glory days. I can't tell if it's I think I know it was because it was successful and you had a great run. It was always when it was also when I was in my 20s, my early 20s. So yeah, it was a very, very special, exciting time when uh me and my friends would be seeing uh random live music on a Tuesday night, you know, and and raging.

SPEAKER_04

We like when you when you kind of own that genre or that that scene, you know, you start to build the family and relationship through the venue. And so, like, you know, everyone becomes a familiar face, and the the ticket buyers know our are bartenders and they're talking about what shows they got coming up. And we did a really good job of hiring music fans to work in customer-facing positions there um because you want those people to be as excited as the the the folks who just spent twenty-five-thirty dollars to to walk in the door. Yeah. Um so yeah, so the rock house was uh, you know, it was a blur.

SPEAKER_03

No, it's a beautiful blur. So what what do you think was maybe your um your your crowning achievement there if there was one show that stands out or one achievement? I don't know. I'm curious what really sticks with you as a proud moment. Uh

$12K Bluegrass Fest & Paul Simon

SPEAKER_03

among many, probably.

SPEAKER_04

So this is kind of a not proud moment, but if they became a cool moment. So Dell yeah. Outdoor bluegrass festival. Never should have been an outdoor bluegrass festival.

SPEAKER_03

Why is that?

SPEAKER_04

Because Dell, the our main our headliner has a uh baby boomer crowd that wants to sit in a seat.

SPEAKER_03

And and they're in the pavement parking lot at the rock house. I think I was there. Um and I remember a very uh special guest, which you're probably alluding to.

SPEAKER_04

So I was walking around like my dog just died because I think I lost like $12,000 for the business that day, and that's not a good feeling. Um, and I I I remember I was just like walking around like looking down. Uh I was like not enjoying myself. And uh Tim, the owner, came up to me. He's like, You know, I'm gonna kill you for this, right? And I was like, Yeah, whatever. He's like, he's like, but enjoy it because you just put on a concert that Paul Simon thought was cool enough to show up to. And sure enough, Paul Simon and his son were doing like a major league baseball stadium tour that summer, and so they were in town for the not a musical tour, no, no, like a personal baseball fan tour. Yeah, they were hitting different stadiums every weekend, and he wasn't touring that summer. And so uh he saw Dell was in town and through his contacts got in touch with us, and uh yeah, that was pretty cool. Um, it wasn't my proudest moment, but again, pretty cool through a cool enough show that Paul Simon showed up to it.

SPEAKER_03

That's pretty special. I have a vague memory of being there and and and and there was the chill. Yeah, there was buzz. I think I remember seeing him. I don't know, but this was before his smartphone, so I just don't no one no one took a picture of him, you know, which he wouldn't be happy about, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, the other one I would say like the the positive one is uh we did the first three Sturgeil Simpson shows in St. Louis. Um Wow. Four maybe three for sure.

Sturgill Simpson's First STL Shows

SPEAKER_04

Like the first one, I think seven people showed up to at the gramophone on like a Sunday night. And uh and you know, what you're getting those emails from from an agent where they're like, Hey, I need you to do me a favor. I got this this new band I just signed. Like, can you can you give me something? You know, and you never know if those artists are gonna be something, or you know, you you can listen to them and say, Okay, there this this might be a big artist someday, but I don't think you can ever expect like what Sturgeil did because the next show he opened for Cornmeal at the Rock House, and then this is nine nine months later, uh sold out 500 tickets in like 50 minutes or something like that. At the rock house, as a rock now. And he easily could have sold out the pageant that show.

SPEAKER_03

I think I was there for that that rock house show.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and and we were and and the the agent was like who who was a guy that I came up with was like, you know, we could move the show, but we're not going to because you know you gave Sturgil a chance. It's funny saying that. Um, and and you were our you know, you could gave Sturgeil a chance, yeah. You know, and you you were our guy, and so you're gonna keep the show. And then his next show was supposed to be uh the arena tour. Or no, his next show is a fox show. So he went rock house to fox theater, and the reason he could have played Sheafitz, but they didn't want him to make the jump from rock house to arena, they wanted to do another play, like venue play, like a theater play in between that. Because and that's like where his trajectory was at that moment. Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

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Alabama Shakes Before Rolling Stone

SPEAKER_03

is long.

SPEAKER_04

Alabama Shakes was on the cover Rolling Stone the week after uh Nathaniel Ratliff played, got on a plane the next day, was on the Tonight Show the next day.

SPEAKER_03

Like those like three Wow, yeah, you caught them.

SPEAKER_04

Like Alabama Shakes had 157 tickets. I still remember that number. And then like the next week they were on the cover Rolling Stone. Like it's kind of crazy how it how it could happen that quickly.

SPEAKER_03

It's pretty special. So what do you so how many years were you doing that at the Rock House? Six. Okay, so um what was your impression of this? Of here's a it's a kind of a two-pronged question, maybe. What was your impression of like the St. Louis music scene over those six years? Maybe like what stood out in any stars? And also like, maybe more broadly, what did you um learn about St. Louis when or as a St. Louis and what did that mean to you to be like involved in that position for that time?

SPEAKER_04

I'll answer that one first. Um you know, I I have this philosophy, I guess you could call it, that I just want to leave this place better than I found it. And that was like the first time in my life that I felt like tangible, yeah. Like, you know, that we were doing something special and and creating something. something that was meaningful to people and they'd spend their money and show up and and um yeah and so that you know what I learned about St. Louis was uh

Leave It Better Than Found It

SPEAKER_04

there's there's a lot of different people in St. Louis and and you start when you when you're promoting concerts you are basically building a new marketing plan every night and it's because your audience changes and you gotta figure out how to reach them and their buying patterns are different. And um so it it just taught me a lot about um how people think in purchasing powers and and stuff like that, which kind of lent itself to to the marketing work I would do after that. But my impression of the St. Louis scene was we had like and it's been the same it's the same to this day. Like we have an incredible pool of talent here. But there wasn't the support or guidance like I don't think anyone had the artists backs back then. And what I mean by that is there the the infrastructure that existed in St. Louis was the venues and a couple studios like a couple boutique

What St. Louis' Scene Was Missing

SPEAKER_04

studios. And so um who was helping develop those original bands like who is telling them what plays they need to do or how often they need to play like I don't think there was the guidance to push artists outside of St. Louis like you know you you guys toured like it's that leap of faith you you realize that you have an audience outside your hometown.

SPEAKER_03

But some of that was luck. It's funny you say that I I it some of it was luck. I call it luck because Drew Jameson was on our band. Yeah and Drew Jameson in my mind is like a protege of you or at least he was following in your footsteps whether you know it or not you know yeah like and and he he had that vision but it was just that feels like such a that felt so rare. And I don't think we would have the Mighty Pines wouldn't be who they are today if we weren't touring in those earliers and if he wasn't in the band and if he didn't and if he wasn't a talent buyer so that's why I say luck.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah and and like my experience with the Bessie guys it's like they didn't want to do it. They didn't want to book they they weren't they didn't want to grind it out and and so you know I think the this is a really good lead into the the later part of this conversation. So what I noticed when I left St. Louis when I moved was there the industry in other markets like Denver Boulder Colorado or Minneapolis St. Paul or I was not Nashville is not a good example but there was an industry built out of necessity for the artist

Denver, Boulder & Minneapolis Compared

SPEAKER_04

growth. So um I'll use an example uh like string cheese incident you know they yeah were road warriors they were doing like 250 shows a year and they built their own industry in Madison House their company and there was their their booking agency their management company their record label their merchant I forget that Madison House started was came from them and they were the first 360 artist deal before those were a thing where like uh you know one entity controls all revenue streams of the band you know so um that they they did it so I I actually interned at Madison House in uh some some year college so I got got to see that um and then in Minneapolis there was uh there was like Rhyme Sayers the hip hop group there's Doom Tree Records the like uh they're a hip hop group um Justin Vernon's crew and uh totally gross national product label and it was guys who were our artists who were figuring out the business side because they had to because they were seeing this growth um they had to figure out how to tour and so the you know doom tree's managers laser beak their DJ you know and and so the it's like they they kind of stepped up to do it and then the professional side of it had built out around that you know it's like they they were very grassroots but then you get to the point where you're playing Bonnaro you're playing Austin City limits like those are real deal um opportunities and and so I think I'm answering your question but I think like what I didn't see here was there wasn't that groundswell of of we got to get this shit done um so we can go move outside of St. So we can tour outside of St. Louis.

SPEAKER_03

So there's a there's plenty of musicians there's venues but yeah what I'm hearing you say like uh when there's no one in the artist's ear telling them giving them strategies advisors. Yeah I mean that's that's that's what a great manager does. And I've always noticed uh in in my time here that they're I'm literally always like where are the managers? Because an artist manager uh is maybe is is among the most important things that that any that any successful artist has. And I've known some great ones and have been lucky to work with some but I'm always like where are they?

SPEAKER_04

And I don't that's such a that's kind of a niche career obviously specifically artist management but but it's amazing to me that there's very few where's the next talent buyer like where where's the next Drew like I don't I don't see any young kids kind of yeah that's a good question. Yeah I mean there's you see it like in in EDM world there's some younger cats and then like I don't know about the hip hop really but you know when I was 22 there's a handful of guys my age who were trying to get their yeah like get their start.

SPEAKER_03

And because that came from I think that came from the fact that our generation was doing more like real like live music still like is that you know you don't see that as much anymore like like garage bands and like how like in college we were playing like the best parties literally on campus were were the ones that my band would throw and when kids were getting down to like live music. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

And I don't know is that is that kind of going by the wayside I that's my that's my impression sometimes I think the way people want to experience it is changing. So we're gonna jump ahead. So yeah yeah so the sound diplomacy study uh that rack and and cransbury did cool um so

Sound Diplomacy's Identity Gap

SPEAKER_04

after we built the whole business plan for for Mr. Myers um I was like let's test this against the you know the study and so put in chat GPT and was like analyze our plan um based on what the Sound Diplomacy study says are strengths and weaknesses and gaps. And so um it was pretty eye-opening and the the one that really stuck out to me was that it said St. Louis does not have a music identity right now.

SPEAKER_03

And I believe that um that was what the that was what the study that was in the study. So tell tell folks and me because I remember this a little bit but I'm not really hip on it. What what is this?

SPEAKER_04

So um I think it's an organization called Sound Diplomacy but they do these um it's like a consulting company that does research to determine like where you rank as a music city. Okay. So they're doing any music city across the US so um I it was right when Kransberg was ramping up for music at the intersection um and yeah I think they spent like a year doing it. I I don't know all the details on it but they delivered this this package you know report that said here's how St. Louis compares to other markets and here's what are missing compared to other markets.

SPEAKER_03

And so the one so this was maybe like six years ago this is like right before oh okay okay like maybe it was right around COVID.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah okay yeah I kind of remember this and uh so the the the two things that stood out to me was the identity and the lack of creative spaces and what they mean by creative spaces is like not your traditional venue like a Delmer Hall or Rockhouse. It's more of like a I don't know if it's a studio if it's a if it's a house it's where players can go and just play and and not have to worry about you know any structure it's just not have to worry about selling tickets. Not yeah it's just so freaking stressful it's becoming it's just getting all the creativity out that you can and getting all the roadblocks out of the way. And so this is what I was seeing in Minneapolis these creative spaces um and the identity thing was still killing me. Because how do you how do you crew how do you build an infrastructure for an industry without an identity? You're building it for nothing you know that's kind of harsh but um but even that feels like a tricky question. I'm like what is Minneapolis's identity I don't honestly know or what is I don't know what that means yeah but what my interpretation or or this is my uh feelings were you know I love the voodoo players I love Plydours I love all these bands that are killing it there's so many talented musicians but they're playing tribute so they're playing covers and so I what what I thought was like is that why we don't have an identity because so much effort and energy and sound is going out into playing other people's music um and so this is kind of where my head started turning totally and um

Two Years at Red Bull Music

SPEAKER_04

so so what had what's I actually want to know real quick what what took you to Minneapolis?

SPEAKER_03

What was that chapter?

SPEAKER_04

So I was working I I left the old rock house to work for Red Bull music or work for Red Bull but basically Red Bull music and so I spent a year here and then two years in Minneapolis.

SPEAKER_03

Okay very cool.

SPEAKER_04

And so that was like that was a really cool turning point for for me because when you're a talent buyer like you're focused on how many shows we have on the calendar how many quality shows like it's all about like numbers numbers numbers numbers and now I was able to like take a step back and like really focus on the artist and the storytelling and like hone in on the art versus like I got to book 250 shows this year I gotta you know I gotta sell this many tickets etc etc so that was a a pretty cool moment to where that's when I was like this is what we're missing in St. Louis or or this kind of system or structure or or just like someone taking the lead to to provide it. And so I sat with that for like five years and just like in the back of my head and I would like try to talk to people about it and I couldn't articulate it. It just sounded like marble mouth I'm like let me figure out what I'm trying to say and so it was always in the back of my head. And then here's where I think we're kind of getting to the the where people want to experience things differently. So the sound diplomacy study also said that a majority of the people who are going to ticketed concerts at our normal venues are 50 and up like they're the in St. Louis in St. Louis and that's interesting and so yeah there's this huge gap of Gen Z and you know I guess millennials showed up pretty well there but um I think that's where we're seeing the shift in how we experience it. So is it less big venue, get drunk, you know, rock on or is it now like cool room great vibe comfortable seats good lighting curated music. Yeah and and so in 2023 when I was working for for Suede um we were doing a ton of business in Kansas City and we ended up getting a a corporate apartment in power and light

Green Lady Lounge & A-Trane

SPEAKER_04

district and uh I probably spent I don't know 60 75 nights in Kansas City that summer and fall and it was like an eight minute walk to the Green Lady Lounge in Kansas City. Have you ever been there? I have not I've heard it's legendary you know so for the Green Lady Lounge is this super vibey uh shotgun building and their tagline is a hundred hundred percent original Kansas City jazz. Wow and so they open at 4 p.m close at 2 a.m and there's music playing there's live music all the time and there's people there all the time so I'm sitting there I was like what is going on here like it's young people it's super diverse crowd um it it's like a it's a good date night spot it's like it's it's all these things that that aren't a traditional venue and uh so I was just like you know can could this work in St. Louis and just these thoughts you know kind of happening um that same year I went to Europe and went to Berlin and uh checked out a Train which is like the most legendary jazz club in Europe and like 100 seats and when it was a Monday night and it was sold out and it was all college kids. And I was like what the back in my town fire days like we would see trends happening in Europe and usually it was like in 10 years it'll come here kind of thing. Like that's how long like a music trend can sometimes took we saw just to the states or to St. Louis to the Midwest yeah so then you know it'll get to New York it'll get to the coast quicker you know the bigger but you know that's that's how it was with yeah electronic music for sure. Um so I'm just like there's something there's something here uh and so fast forward like six months

Losing Jack & the Idea Clicks

SPEAKER_04

and uh my one of my best friends Jack Meyer uh passed away he was my my music guy like you know went to hundreds and hundreds of concerts together always sharing music with like pushing each other outside of our comfort zone for music discovery and it like kind of clicked and I was able to channel my grief and start putting it into this project and so someone made a sticker like thank you Mr. Meyer like at his funeral and like I picked it up I was like that's the name you know Mr.

SPEAKER_03

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SPEAKER_04

And so the next day uh started building the business plan and I also had a four month old child

Building the Plan as New Dad

SPEAKER_04

at the time so I wasn't like I'm gonna go open a video right now um because I was doing some stay-at-home daddy but you know I was like I'm gonna start working on this I think I'm like articulate like because I was connecting like this is the new way people I think want to experience music and then this stage can be the nucleus for this creative space. And so the two things just connected in my in my head like at that moment and that's kind of when we just started running with it and with the Mr. Myers thing. And so um I spent the next like 18 months casually looking for a space and uh for for Mr.

SPEAKER_03

Myers lab.

SPEAKER_04

I mean what's specifically for this concept.

SPEAKER_03

And what is the name what is the official name?

SPEAKER_04

Mr. Myers Live and Vinylowns. Okay okay um and in uh August or July or of this past year I found a space that could have worked um and I was like all right now I need to find a partner and Matt Longville and I had known each other for 10 years or so and we had we were uh went to Nashville for a fish show and we were talking about Green Lady Lounge for like a good part

New Partner, First Deal Falls Through

SPEAKER_04

of the trip and and so I called Matt. I was like you ready to open this thing and he's like ah shit you know he's like sure yeah not ready but willing when are you ever ready and so uh I was like all right let's do it and like you found the space you liked you found this first space and I hadn't even told my wife anything about this yet because I knew she was gonna be pissed um oh my god yeah she doesn't want to be married to a club guy again yeah um and so we we started doing the due diligence um on this build this building and it just uh didn't work out with the landlord and it was a blessing in disguise um I was emotionally attached to the venue like I like was use letting my emotion just determine I wanted this space when I shouldn't have because I wasn't looking at all the the cons and like the the bad parts of it um and so the whole thing blew up like as quickly as it was like getting started and uh Matt's like all right well I guess we aren't doing this anymore and not not really but then like called uh another real estate guy and I was like do you have 3000 square feet in the central corridor that would be that would work for like a jazz

Finding the Clayton Basement Space

SPEAKER_04

lounge concept and he's like oh I've got this basement space that we've been wanting to do something like that and that's been sitting in Clayton for uh 10 years and I was like all right and went and looked at it and it was it was like exactly if if I could have like picked what I wanted the the space to be it was like basement space alley entrance 10 foot ceilings like dude yeah I haven't even seen a space but I'm I'm already I I'm walking through it in my head because it's this it's a magical vibe what you're like you're gonna you're gonna like walk down the stairs and like turn a corner and uh you'll you won't feel like you're in St.

SPEAKER_03

Louis I am so excited to I've I've been hearing um little little drips of this from the music communities from people I know. Hey you know B Mac is telling me about this thing and he wants you know and I started hearing more about it and I was like that sounds amazing you know and then and then uh next thing I know St. Louis Business Journal yeah drops the we were texting that day too drops the bomb. Yeah it's so cool. So yeah what so I guess Clayton was because that's just where the space was you know but that's probably a unique thing anyway.

SPEAKER_04

I'm I'm actually betting big on Clayton. Yeah let's talk about that because downtown's a mess uh the city's a mess um getting a liquor

Why Clayton Over Downtown STL

SPEAKER_04

license there is like just like the whole well that's unfortunate to hear the whole process is is just they're they're not inviting. And and also just when we were looking at who our audience is and and we're trying to cast a wide net you know what location pulls from you know outside of 270 regularly and and you know there's a handful of businesses that just or corporations that moved their headquarters to Clayton in the past couple years. So there's more population density. They just built two new apartment buildings that we share now so there's like all these signs of moving in the right direction. And then um they got a new mayor last year um and they surveyed residents and what they got back the feedback was they want more nightlife they want a more vibrant downtown. And so Clayton's response to that was they took all the red tape down on what it takes to open up a bar and restaurant in Clayton. They rezoned it an entertainment district used to have to have 50% of your revenue be food um now you don't have to have those things. So it it kind of was all just kind of hitting at the at the right moment and um went and met with the with the mayor and her team and like they were just super enthusiastic and had their full support and so it's it's cool.

SPEAKER_03

It's it it it's uh one of the many things that's that makes Mr. Meyer stand out. I mean the concept is unique and stands out but the whole Clayton thing just for the St. Louis community, I think people are people are like this culture It it just it grabs people. It's kind of neat. And there's a there's a a certain sleekness uh or um sophistication to to downtown Clayton that that I think will serve that that European jazz club thing, you know? I I I'm seeing it.

SPEAKER_04

It'd be weird, like yeah, you know, the so the first place we were looking at was in downtown Kirkwood. And and that was like one of the things like a jazz club in downtown Kirkwood doesn't feel the same as like in a like mini downtown.

SPEAKER_03

Like, you know, it just feels I wasn't gonna ask yeah where that first location was, but but I did want to know. So I'm glad you brought it up. And because I I didn't want to ask because I didn't want to think to myself, ooh, that would have been like if you had said something that I was emotionally attached to. I would have been but wow, when you say it like that, I'm like, I'm glad that it's working out the way it is, it feels way more natural. So um what is Mr. What is this? Tell us more about the concept. Like, what is it gonna be like?

SPEAKER_04

So Mr. Myers Live and Vinyl Lounge um is marrying the concepts of of a hi-fi vinyl lounge, which are becoming more popular now, um, and like an improv jazz club. Or I don't even jazz for lack of a lack of a better term. Um experimental music, you know, whatever.

SPEAKER_03

We don't think jazz is appropriate though. Like I'm like what else

The Hi-Fi Vinyl & Jazz Concept

SPEAKER_03

could you call it? It's rooted in jazz and it can go anywhere from there. Um and so but it's really more of like the almost like the snarky puppy or Robert Glasper style jazz. Totally, right?

SPEAKER_04

I mean it's more contemporary, it's more um RB fusion type. Yeah um yeah, more yeah, experimental.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

Uh Kamasi Washington, you know, that that kind of uh bad, bad, not good, another uh band that sticks out. Um so when I was working for Red Bull, I got to travel a bunch and got to see a lot of like really cool spaces like this in other places. And and so those two year, three years, I was like constantly just uh anytime I'd go to a new city, I'd always try to like find the spot, you know. And so a lot of the influence on this place is from my experiences of traveling and seeing things or or concepts in in other places. Um and then the the vinyl part is is also a big tribute to Jack because he was a huge vinyl head. Um and we are actually gonna have his collection in-house. Really?

Housing Jack's Vinyl Collection

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, his his sister.

SPEAKER_03

You read in my mind. I was already I was already going, where is that collection? Because I guarantee you it's amazing. And I'm a vinyl junkie myself.

SPEAKER_04

Passing away, like that was like kind of the first I was like, what's gonna happen to his records? Like, because they like everything that like those were so important to him.

SPEAKER_03

And so uh Wow, and it's gonna be that's gonna be the what's spinning.

SPEAKER_04

Part part of it's it's gonna be what we start building our in-house collection. That's super cool, man. That's super cool. And uh, so that's special. And like I've gotten messages from people I've never even met before who knew Jack that they're like, you know, I used to listen to these records with Jack, and this like truly means a lot. So it's like super cool.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, Jack, Jack was a supporter of all the musical things that I did.

SPEAKER_04

I didn't know him well, but he believes in the power of bringing people together through music, yeah. And so that's kind of what drove this this idea was how do we create this place? How can we do live? How can we do vinyl? I wanted to do this hi-fi listening experience, which isn't like your typical, you know, main speakers that you'll see in a uh, you know, we're gonna have like sound zones like embedded into the

Zoned Sound for Every Table

SPEAKER_04

ceiling. So like this table will have its own zone, and that table will have its own zone. So everyone has the same audio experience no matter where what seat they're in. And so then like I'm coming up with all these ideas. I love this, and I'm not fact-checking, I'm not like, yeah, I'm not like asking musicians or sound guys, like, can I even do this? And so uh that sounds like that talent, that 20-year-old talent. We'll figure it out, yeah. Um, and so I was like, I want to do a hi-fi lounge with live with no amplified sound coming from stage all pumping through. So then I like hired a consultant and I was like, Can I do this? He's like, Yeah, you can do it. Uh, but we're gonna have to like address all these situations. And and then we we started mapping out the the house band idea. So taking this inspiration from my time in Minneapolis, and like, how do we build this system in St. Louis? How do we create this creative space? Um, and so that was all starting to come together. And I was like, I better ask a musician what they think

Recruiting the House-Band Artists

SPEAKER_04

about this. And so um the the first handful of of people I reached out to were, you know, Ryan Marquez, who I've known for 20 plus years, who's been around LA, KC here, um, and uh production guy like call Limpert. And I was like, Am I crazy? And he's like, Yeah. And and so this is like kind of this um uh you know, can we do it phase? And uh and and the the artists, the musicians were so stoked about it, and that's kind of what made everything feel right because like if if if we came up with this idea and the artists are like, ah, I don't know about that, then like if you don't have the buy-in, yeah, then you ain't got shit. Yeah, you know, because then we're just gonna put up a bad product and it's not gonna hit like we were supposed to. So um so yeah, so we've we've reached out to 20 local artists um from you know drummers, bass players, keyboard players, horn players. Um, and these are people I knew have relationships with and and knew their style of playing and think that they could work in a heavy improv type scenario or you know, creative off the cup kind of thing. Mostly instrumental music, of what we're thinking. Oh, like I I like love the idea of introducing artist uh or vocalist and like but it's but it's improv music, right? Isn't that like yes and no? Like it the the idea is to to create new sounds, and so so if if they if you know Ryan Marquez Daruba and Frito, you know, do a trio and they play

Free Stems for Musicians

SPEAKER_04

two sets. We're gonna record everything through the soundboard, and so whether that's just something that they improved or if it was like a song structure that one of the three guys brought to the table, they're gonna now have this database of soundboard recordings that they can go back and access and reference. So they can start building on and we're gonna uh edit them down to stems so they can like wow play with them however they want to.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, so it's it's a live experience for the patron to be there listening to uh high quality vinyl on its own, which is cool enough. Then they get to see this this unique special moment, this improv performance, and then but that doesn't stop there.

SPEAKER_04

Then the the musicians take home the recordings, and that might inspire there might be 10 tracks on uh a set, and nine might just get scrapped, but that one could be that's really exciting to hear about. Wow. Um, and and we're gonna build this um servers that they can access directly, like they don't have to come through us, like they can access it directly, they can go in and name songs, like it, you know, the start building like a better recording database um to have access to that doesn't cost them money.

SPEAKER_03

Um and then they're getting compensated to to play that night, you know. That's pretty special, dude. That's like a rich uh that's like a rich deal in a good way.

SPEAKER_04

And yeah, and so like the idea is like can a new project spin off of this? Like and or you know, do those three guys want to play their next like couple shows together and and keep building like we're we're gonna get out of the artist's way as much as possible. Because as soon as you as soon as a suits start sticking our nose in and getting in the way, it's like you're gonna start you know deterring creativity.

Staying Out of Artists' Way

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, like when you start telling someone what they should do, then I I think we're not doing a service to them. So yeah, I I keep telling the guys or anyone that comes through is like this is as much as your venue as it is ours. Like we're gonna let them uh it's gonna be completely backlined. So baby grand, uh three, drum like jazz kit, uh bass amp, guitar amp, etc. And then they're gonna have access to uh rehearse on off hours. So we'll have a calendar set up that they can book one or two hour blocks, and if we're gonna be in their work in the office, they can come in and rehearse.

SPEAKER_02

Wow.

SPEAKER_04

And so again, it's those those that space, that that access, that system, um trying to take as much off their hands from what they need to create.

SPEAKER_03

Wow. This is blowing my mind. Honestly, this is a fresh this is just different. And and we I think I have a good feeling about this. It's it's needed. I think it's just gonna, it's just gonna, there is nothing like it. And it's it's gonna splash in a good way. I feel it. So, but there'll be food,

Food & Partners Longville, Hereford

SPEAKER_03

yes, and you know, high quality stuff, right?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, so uh my partners are Matt Longville, who owns STL Barkeep, uh which has all the bandy.

SPEAKER_03

Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_04

All the stuff at Tar Grove Park.

SPEAKER_03

I'll be ordering a cocktail there, and I can trust it.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and then uh Nate Hereford, um, who owns Chicken Scratch. Um, he was the executive chef at Niche uh back in the day before they closed down. Um and he's also worked uh in kitchens in San Francisco and Chicago.

SPEAKER_03

So um and he's the biggest uh newgrass fan that I am aware of, besides you, I guess. I mean, I mean probably surpasses you.

SPEAKER_04

I mean, yeah, there's the whole crazy backstory us not knowing each other, but living like we both lived in Missoula at the same time. He like did a bluegrass show, like radio show. Like we do all these same people we just like met like this past year.

SPEAKER_03

Wow. Now that's cool.

SPEAKER_04

It's that yeah, it's like all these like weird connections on this project like pop up and we're like it's special.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it's special.

SPEAKER_04

Um so yeah, so uh we're also gonna have a big focus on our non-alcoholic program. Um so 25 to 30 percent of our beverage offerings are gonna be NA. Um looking at doing a more elevated offering and um, you know, not just mocktails, but just like good NA beverages.

Nonalcoholic Program & Tapas Menu

SPEAKER_04

Like uh we were out in LA a couple weeks ago and had watermelon water for the first time that they were serving at the gold diggers uh venue. And it was like stuff like that. Yeah, that's another option. Um because the the trend, the the data shows that the trends are shifting that way. People want more non-alcoholic options. Um, the food will be uh kind of our take on a top of spar. So like 10 to 15 menu items, shareable. I I hate the word small plates, it'll be medium-sized plates.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I don't like that phrase either. Small plates.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and so the whole idea is like if you got a table of four, you get five, six plates, everyone shares together. It's supposed to be communal. Um, it's not, you know, that it's worth noting, this isn't a listening room, you know. You it's not where you go in and sit and you're quiet. Like this is intended to be even with even with the music happening on stage, and with the way we're designing the sound and everything, is you're you'll be able to hear every note, but have a conversation like this at your table. Um so we want it to be a social lounge. Um, and so that's you know, everything from the food and drink is gonna play into that as well.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. This is amazing. I I have one final question, just kind of kind of uh out of genuine curiosity. The the high the hi-fi listening lounge part of it, I've been hearing about these like rec these these uh vinyl clubs in Tokyo and Japan. Is that what you're going for?

Listening Room vs. Social Lounge

SPEAKER_03

And if so, like are people supposed to be listening or talking during I'm just I've never even been in one, and I'm kind of wanna I'm kind of curious about this.

SPEAKER_04

Uh I don't know. Yeah. Um so we I've been to like you remember Takashima.

SPEAKER_03

I do.

SPEAKER_04

So that was like social lounge, like there were you there was it was loudish in there.

SPEAKER_03

Um I never was like feeling like I was like getting the record part of that experience, and I wasn't there very often.

SPEAKER_04

So the we went to a place in Austin in uh February that you couldn't talk. And like we got like we got yelled at for talking because we were talking about like the experiment, like while we were there for R D and we got shushed, and that was kind of weird.

SPEAKER_03

St. Louis is a is a social town and people wanna yeah, people want to yap uh in a good way.

SPEAKER_04

I I I think if we if we do the sound right, you'll be able to have both. You'll be able to it's a listening experience and somewhere you can sit with a table of eight people and and have a good time.

SPEAKER_03

So well, B Mac, uh this has been super uh inspiring. And and honestly, what I'm what I'm sensing, what I love about your story and what I love about Mr. Myers Lounge is that um you're doing something that I think is so important for the music scene here in St. Louis, which is to go out and gather, gather experiences and and perspective and inspiration and like bring it back and infuse it here.

Keeping Talent Home & Outro

SPEAKER_03

And that's um I think gonna yield a lot of amazing uh results.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and and our our goal is to try to build something with the artist and try to build that pipeline so we can keep artists in town and not lose them that way in Nashville and Chicago.

SPEAKER_03

So I cannot wait to see what happens. Uh, folks, go out and support Mr. Myers Lounge. I'll be there hanging out. Uh, I can't, I really can't wait to see it. It's it's it's just so cool. I'm so excited. Thank you for doing this. Thanks for being here today, sharing your story. All right, peace and love. Thanks for listening, folks. Looking to step up your coffee game? Check out Kuva Coffee, a St. Louis Proud owner-operated roaster that's been doing it right since 2003. They roast in small batches, so every cup is fresh, high quality, and honestly, you can taste the difference. You've probably seen them at the Tower Grove Farmers Market where they've been a staple for 20 seasons. The best part, you can order online and have incredible coffee shipped straight to your front door. Head to kuvacoffee.com and upgrade your mornings with Cuva Coffee.

SPEAKER_01

Well, I was born up in the mountain, raised up in a desert town, and I never saw the ocean so I was close to your age now. Ocean and door to see you, hey, hey, hey you run in a river Ocean and door, I long to see you. Only I ever gonna make things right. Only I ever gonna make things right, only I ever gonna make things right. Going back to San Angelo The ground is hard, the earth is dry. But I'm only getting my feel of the water river corn and wheat disguise. Oh shanning door along to see you rolling river Oh Shannon along to see you only you're ever gonna make things right, only you're ever gonna make things right, only you're ever gonna make things right. She remembered all the things we said. What's the chance she'll remember all those nights in the river? Oh Shannon along to see you rolling river. Oh Shannon along to see you only you're ever gonna make things right, only you're ever gonna make things right, only you're ever gonna make things right.