Business of the Arts: The Local Scene

To really get a conversation going, you can talk politics, religion, the economy – or, if you’re from Springfield, you can bring up the local music scene.

Johan Collins, who books and promotes acts for The Regency Live, an 850-person venue in the heart of downtown, is outspoken about the Queen City’s identity – and its prospects.

“We’re a D market at best,” he said. “I’ve been begging artists to come to Springfield for 23 years.”

It can be hard to get musical acts to try Springfield, according to Collins, though he said that’s all changing. Collins predicts a strong 2025 for The Regency – which has been open only six months – and for the city. Booking country acts is part of that plan.

“We’re just starting to get the respect that we deserve,” he said. “Looking at the bookings that we’re doing, the conversations that we’re having, the artists that we’re talking to, I truly think that 2025 will be the best year ever for music in Springfield.”

Molly Healey is a prolific performer, with work ranging from solo performances to a role with the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. She remembers Springfield’s halcyon days, which she pegs as the time she arrived in town, circa 1995.

“The music scene around here definitely ebbs and flows,” she said. “There have been many different music scenes in my time here. It’s not the same scene that it was then, and some of that’s good – but some of that is a deterioration.”

In those days, Healey said, it was possible to park downtown and walk from venue to venue, with live music most nights of the week, apart from dark Mondays and Tuesdays.

One by one, many of those venues closed, she said – and the COVID pandemic felt like the barring of the door.

“I don’t think it’s for anybody’s lack of trying as far as why it doesn’t seem to take off and flourish at times,” she said. “The talent around here is incredible, and I wouldn’t say that we’re lacking in vision of the people who want to create spaces for music, either.”

But, Healey said, she has seen a lot of people wanting to open venues, and for one reason for another, it didn’t work out.

Looking to buck that trend is architect and developer Tyler Hellweg, who confirmed this month that he is part of an investment group looking to open a live entertainment venue with a capacity of 1,800-1,900 at 423 W. Olive St. downtown.

The new addition would join venues in a variety of sizes, the largest of which is the Great Southern Bank Arena at Missouri State University, with 11,000 seats. Thunder Ridge Nature Arena in Ridgedale can accommodate 18,000 and has hosted Garth Brooks and the Rolling Stones, among other acts.

The Shrine Mosque auditorium at 601 E. St. Louis St. is a longtime local venue that can seat 3,200. Elvis Presley famously performed there in 1956. The Gillioz Theatre, a few doors east of The Regency Live at 325 Park Central East, hosts touring shows for audiences of up to 1,300. In Nixa, the Aetos Center for the Performing Arts seats 1,150.

Various bars – Carrie’s Bar, Archie’s Lounge, the Where House Bar and Lindberg’s Tavern, among many others – also provide live music entertainment, most on a weekly basis.

Audience issues
Springfield, with its population hovering around 170,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures, has the numbers to support a lively music scene. In fact, much smaller cities are often touted as music meccas – among them Lawrence, Kansas, population 96,000; Asheville, North Carolina, population 95,000; and Columbia, population 129,000. Despite their smaller populations, these cities all feature a handful of midsize club-type venues that attract national touring acts, plus a wide reputation for doing so.

Some of these cities also offer easy-to-find information about their musical events. Asheville’s tourism office, for instance, includes a live music section in an online events listing, and on Jan. 16, 39 musical performances were listed for the second half of January.

What would it take for Springfield to become known as a music destination?

Musician and KSMU radio personality Jimmy Rea, a member of The HillBenders, is a true believer in the Springfield music scene.

“Springfield is very much a music town, and it has been for a very, very long time,” he said, referring to a rich musical history that includes the Ozarks Jubilee and big names like the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and, newly, Willard’s Chappell Roan.

The talent is definitely here, Rea says, but sometimes the audience is not. He cited a personal example of a record project he put together with 12 original songs performed by local musicians. It took a year to make, and the project was funded through a grant from New Music USA.

Rea put together a marketing campaign that included a January 2024 performance by all of the contributors at local music venue The Riff, with a capacity of about 500, located at 1900 W. Sunset St.

The event, Rea said, was a flop.

“If I can put all that time and energy and effort and heart and soul into it with 20-plus other local people and only sell 30 tickets? It doesn’t really motivate you,” he said.

Healey agrees that audience can be a problem.

“There’s definitely a flourishing music scene – sometimes without the support of the public,” she said. “I don’t say we have zero support – we have a lot, but not enough to make multiple venues thrive.”

Artists are left with makeshift venues, Healey said – like what is reputedly a hot underground DIY and house show scene. These performances take place in private places – basements, for instance – and usually include a fee for attendance. The occasions are hush-hush, since the venues are not licensed businesses, and it’s impossible to calculate the size of this secret economy – but it would be a mistake to leave it out of the picture.

The bar scene
Bars and breweries are arguably the bread and butter of the aboveground music scene.

Curtis Marshall, co-owner of Tie & Timber Beer Co. LLC in the Pickwick and Cherry area of Rountree, is a brewer first, but he is serious about hosting live music acts. The brewery has free live music on Wednesdays, plus other shows that typically have a $5 or sometimes a $10 cover charge.

“It’s important for us to be able to pay the artists if we’re asking them to do unique things for Springfield,” he said.

Money from the cover charges is not a revenue stream for the business, Marshall said.

“The majority goes to the band, and some goes to administration and promotion, so it allows us to fully promote the bands,” he said.

Music is part of the Tie & Timber business model, according to Marshall.

“We take great pride in our hospitality and in creating a great ambiance – and our live music is almost as important as our craft beer,” he said.

David Baker lines up the musical acts for the Shoe Tree Listening Room at Arrow Art Annex, part of the registered nonprofit Arrow Art Supply thrift store. The Shoe Tree presents local, national and international touring acts in an alcohol-free venue where audiences are encouraged to listen quietly to its performances.

In a bar, the music can serve as background for conversation, and that can make it hard to hear the act, Baker said – especially if it’s something like a singer-songwriter or a folk duo.

At Shoe Tree, which seats 20, audience members pay $20 for most performances, and artists get 80% of the door, Baker said. Additionally, a hat is passed for donations toward rent, which is $850 per month plus utilities.

“The audience gets the experience of an intimate listening room, and the artists love it,” he said. “People are actually listening."