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CLEAR Temp: 55 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 23, 2002 Palamone Picasso break dances for a crowd of teens at VIBES in downtown Medford. Looking for money to replace lost grants, VIBES� management will open the 1,000-person capacity club to concert promoters. Heavy-metal band Ratt plays at VIBES as part of the club’s new focus on live shows By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune In a sign of the times — and a taste of the future — the vibe at VIBES on a recent Friday wasn’t the usual teen-oriented hip-hop but Ratt, a heavy-metal band that roared out of Los Angeles in the 1980s and now draws a 30-something audience. More than 300 Southern Oregonians showed up Sept. 13 for a show that wasn’t heavily publicized. Reeling from the loss of more than $70,000 in grants this year, the teen nightclub on Medford’s Main Street is re-inventing itself on occasional weekends as a venue for rock and other concerts for adults. Director Tom Cole says the move is an effort to keep after-school programs free or low-cost to kids amid budget cutbacks and a tough fund-raising environment. Cole realized this summer that he was sitting on a 1,000 capacity, smoke-free venue with plenty of room to dance. "We saw the potential in music that would appeal to other audiences," he says. "Our best asset is the facility." An upcoming show headlines Jack Russell of Great White, a chart-topping heavy metal band of the 1980s. Cole says coming shows could include popular band Blues Traveler, rockers Quiet Riot and ’50s rock ’n’ roll icon Bo Diddley. "As word gets out, we’re getting more inquiries from promoters," he says. He says he’s been contacted by representatives of country, reggae and world beat artists, in addition to rockers and hip-hop acts. A number of after-school and weekend programs operate at the nonprofit facility, including popular dance concerts for teens. Cole has overseen more than $200,000 worth of improvements to the old bank building, which now boasts light and sound gear in addition to an art gallery and dance studio. VIBES — which stands for Vitality In Becoming Educated Socially — is not going into the concert business itself. Rather, it contracts with presenters such as Rock Solid Productions of Medford, which lease the room for $800 a night and work with light and sound companies such as Oregon Stage Lighting, Wavetribe Productions of Oregon and South-bound Sound of Roseburg. "It’s a great room," says Rock On’s Robert Naylor, who moved back to Medford after a dozen years in Reno, Nev., presenting acts such as Joan Jett, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith and Loverboy. "There’s a big stage and good acoustics," Nayor says. "We had people from 21 to 60 out there dancing for Ratt." Presenters like Naylor must make their own beer and wine arrangements with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission for 21-and-over shows. VIBES has no license and doesn’t want one. The club remains a smoke-free environment. Presenters provide security, catering and cleanup. Veteran concert presenter Chris Borovanksy of the Jackson County Expo says it all sounds viable. "He’s offering them a sweet deal," Borovansky says. "Of course, he’ll have the usual concerns." Borovansky lists parking, security and alcohol management as concerns. Cole says he’s also heard from record labels with touring artists that Medford’s position on the I-5 corridor is an asset that should lure acts in between dates in the San Francisco Bay area, Portland and Seattle. He says the space also may be used to present plays and dance shows. "It’s all to generate money for kids," he says. "So it can be used as a community center." Reach reporter Bill Varble at 776-4478 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S