Deep in the heart of Texas, a new music venue looks to establish itself in an established and currently thriving music scene. Stable Hall has only been open for six months, and already, they have made a name for themselves in a historic San Antonio landmark. The team behind Stable Hall renovated an old horse stable that a brewery most commonly used to house their fleet of horses. Now, Stable Hall looks to carry that legacy by welcoming a colorful cast of musicians ranging from beloved veterans to young acts on the brink of becoming sensations and everything in between.
With their first few months under their belt and a stacked list of upcoming shows lined up, the Stable Hall team is doing as well as they could hope for. They took a break from their busy schedule to speak to Glide about the future of Stable Hall, their inspiration behind the operation, and how they balance major touring acts with local shows. You can read the full interview below.
Stable Hall is a new venue entering a historic music scene. How do you plan on honoring San Antonio’s history, and what are you looking to add to it?
The Stable Hall team was built with intention and includes a solid mix of San Antonio natives, transplants, and folks with decades of experience designing live shows for music lovers across cities of many shapes and sizes. We honor San Antonio’s rich cultural history by showcasing diverse genres and lineups that speak to the extraordinarily talented artist pool that draws inspiration from our history and has a vision for our future.
Ultimately, we know the most important component is creating opportunities for musicians to connect with fans in an atmosphere that manifests new love and appreciation for their art. The more of that we can add to the mix, the more fulfilled we are. Adding San Antonio locals as openers on touring shows and ensuring there are dates on the calendar dedicated to featuring local and regional talent is just a couple of ways we love to do it.
What made you guys go with San Antonio, and what drew you to an old horse stable? What were your initial visions for the venue, and did they change over time?
We recognized the innate passion of San Antonio’s music scene and the fact that there’s headroom to grow. It truly is a spectacular community filled with love and appreciation for the arts. With an “all boats with the rising tide” approach, the programming vision developed with a focus on increasing touring artist traffic to the market and ensuring the venue’s wow-and-delight factor generates positive, cohesive artist and fan experiences, making the developing market more viable in the eyes of the larger music industry. The vision remains steadfast, with an unwavering and deep motivation to succeed.
The stable was a no-brainer for a venue: perfect size, well-preserved, astounding history, and located in a central district with an all-in owner and leadership team.
Stable Hall is housed in an 1894 building. What freedoms did working in an old building give you when putting together your vision for the venue? Do you guys have any fun artifacts or memorabilia from the building’s history?
Our leadership and architecture teams know their way around a hefty historic renovation project, so we had a lot of fun envisioning the space’s transformation. The incredible thought leadership and technical expertise began a journey filled with care, respect, creativity, and passion, driving home a meticulous entertainment and hospitality concept—and, of course, heritage memorabilia is a part of that!
Pearl has done an amazing job collecting and preserving memorabilia dating back to the 1870s—they saved so much. We have the great pleasure of working alongside the preservation team to showcase historical pieces that make sense in a music venue and help tell the story of the building.
Why do you think Texas venues have been able to honor old buildings like Gruene Hall and Longhorn Ballroom so well?
The profound history that exists in these beloved spaces naturally begets a deep reverence. Owners and operators understand the importance of honoring and preserving these spaces while exercising the dexterity necessary to deliver a well-honed mix of historic and contemporary elements that creates sincere experiences for music lovers of all kinds. That Texas pride always shines through.
How were the first shows at Stable Hall, and what was it like on opening night?
Our first six months have been a blast. Memorable performances and great crowds allowed us to position the room as a place artists want to play and fans want to return. This has helped make the fall and winter calendar the strongest part of our first year. We hoped the momentum would lead us into a strong Q4, an objective we’re well on our way to realizing.
Did you go to many shows when you were younger? Are there any venues you’ve frequented that inspired your work at Stable Hall?
Brandt and Erick went to tons of shows growing up and owned and operated Trees and Gypsy Tea Room in Deep Ellum during the 90’s and 2000’s – so lots of inspiration and thousands of shows under their belt. Our GM started attending shows at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe in her teens, then helped launch SATX Music back in 2011, running a comprehensive live music calendar for the city and booking, promoting, and managing hundreds of shows in small rooms around San Antonio for nearly a decade. There’s a small piece of every one of those experiences, whether good or bad, that continues to inspire our work.
Is there any connective tissue between all of the acts you invite to play at Stable Hall? What do you guys look for when booking an artist?
We take great pride in showcasing legacy and emerging artists, along with those who have hit their stride. Ultimately, the tissue that connects them all is their desire to create quality live music experiences for fans and the trust they put in our team to deliver on that. We beam with gratitude and admiration for the artists and teams willing to take a chance on a new, independent room in a historically underserved market.
There’s a pretty holistic approach to our booking, knowing there are a lot of different ways to help build the bottom line. We’ve got a savvy buyer in Kristen Ciani of Soap Creek Entertainment, who spent 16 years at C3. Her experience is complemented by our GM’s market knowledge and strong local relationships. Both women provide a wealth of knowledge in regard to offers, builds, scaling, and marketing to ensure shows pencil more often than not.
Are there any legends that you hope to host at Stable Hall?
We just hosted The Pharcyde back on August 15 and recently announced two nights with Lucinda Williams in October, but hell yeah, we’re always chasing legends. The wish list includes Willie Nelson, The Roots, My Morning Jacket, Don Henley, Nas, Brandi Carlile, Norah Jones, Jack White, Dwight Yoakum, A Tribe Called Quest, Beck, Robert Plant, and many many more. A venue can dream, can’t it?
What is it like trying to balance local events and national touring acts? How would you describe the local music scene in San Antonio? What bands have been most influential in the past and present in the area?
The team gets down on dreaming up creative events that showcase local talent and give people opportunities to check out the venue at a lower ticket price. We go for a healthy mix of the two, knowing our largest impact is delivered through touring shows where local artists have the opportunity to open.
Like every scene, ours has its ups and downs, but it’s been steadily pumping out incredible bands with talent, passion, and grit for a good while now. Album releases abound and there’s been an uptick in the energy the last few years as we all get back on our feet after the community suffered so much loss during the pandemic. Buttercup, Santiago Jiménez Jr, Ernest Gonzales, Vanita Leo, Lonely Horse, Eddie & The Valiants, Mojoe, Pop Pistol, LA 45, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, The Bluprint, Combo Cosmico, Mockingbird Express, Haunter, Dance Like Robots, Third Root, Volcán, Garrett T. Capps, Azul Barrientos, Jknodic, and Andria Rose are just a small sample of the influential bands that come to mind.
What does Stable Hall have planned for the remainder of 2024? Are there any exciting events or shows you can tell us about?
Finishing up summer and heading into the fall, we’ve got some extremely rad shows on the calendar! In September, we’re excited to have Ghostland Observatory, LA LOM, and Joseph, plus our first comedy show with David Cross on September 27, followed by St. Paul & The Broken Bones.
It’s not announced yet, but we’re going to kick off Q4 with our inaugural Oktoberfest, which will host an official qualifying competition for the Texas State Steinholding Championship and a solid local lineup. Trampled By Turtles, Better Than Ezra, Old 97s, and Dawes are some more highlights—and stay tuned—we’ve got more in the pipeline for 2024, and 2025 is already looking like a dream come true!
