All-ages show fans have more choice than ever before in the Reno-Sparks music scene. Larger venues such as The Alpine, Club Underground, Cypress and the casino theaters often host all-ages shows, while The Holland Project, Midnight Coffee Roasting, The Empire and 4th Street Brewery book nothing but all-ages shows.
Now, those show-goers—and ones who don’t want a “bar” atmosphere—can add another consistent venue to that list: The Greenhouse, at 1678 N. Virginia St.
Although it is, in essence, a house venue, it has ambitions beyond that, to become more of a community music and art center. The Greenhouse has already hosted some excellent and diverse offerings in the indie scene since December, with mostly all-ages shows.
Ezriel Smalley rents and books at The Greenhouse with Maddi Michael. Smalley said renovations to make the space show-ready started in October, with the blessing of the building’s owners.
“We are renting but have a close relationship with our landlords,” Smalley said. “They are totally excited about what we are doing. It’s been fun to get to renovate it as if it’s our own property.”
Beyond music, Smalley said The Greenhouse is also open to art shows and hosts spontaneous open jam nights, plus they also plan to start a screenprinting studio.
Smalley said The Greenhouse “strives to make personal connections rather than business moves. Making friends and seeing art is a thousand times more important than money in our pockets.”
Upcoming Greenhouse shows include Nevada City punk-duo Slutzville with locals Donkey Jaw, Pussy Velour, and Furrow on Saturday, Feb. 21; an indie rock locals’ night including Honeyplant, Aftrprty, and Evening Spirits on Friday, Feb. 27; local post-hardcore bands including Fall Is in Flames, Asthma Hazard, and Poison Grove on Saturday, Feb. 28; and Colorado indie-pop band Autumnal with locals Unexplainable Cattle Mutilations, Serendipity, and AF Saneh on Thursday, March 12.
You can get more information on The Greenhouse on its Instagram page.
Furrow goes lower and slower on its debut
As noted above, Furrow is one of the bands playing soon at The Greenhouse, and it’s part of a mini-scene of local bands heavily influenced by doom metal. As such, this Reno trio mostly plays at mid-to-slow tempos—no blast beats here—with downtuned guitars. Plus, the vocals by bassist Bobby Lee are screamed out and fairly unintelligible, at least to my ears.
But the vibe on its newly released debut album, Wolf Moon, is enticing thanks to the excellent writing and playing. Furrow creates a foreboding and, at times, blisteringly angry atmosphere that contrasts well with the more gentle passages of the record.
Right in the middle is quite the surprise, though: “Unrest” is a seven-minute ambient-style song with cello and electronics that is the perfect bridge between “Wolf Moon’s” two longer and heavier tracks.
You can listen to “Wolf Moon” on Furrow’s Bandcamp site, with streaming services soon to feature it. Furrow will also open for the excellent Oregon doom band Elk Witch on May 6 at the Cellar Stage inside the Alturas Bar.
Jackeyes blends pop-punk and alt-rock for its first single
Reno band the Jackeyes offers up a completely different sound than Furrow for its debut release. It’s a single called “Way Down,” a tuneful combo of alternative rock and melodic punk that wouldn’t sound out of place blasting out of the radio, especially if you time-traveled to around 2002 or so.
The harmonies and super-catchy guitar riffs stand out on this first single, and a full-length release would be a welcome listen for me.
When The Jackeyes play live, they feature covers as well as their own songs, with many of those hitting the alternative and pop-punk sweet spots. The band will play next at The Bar of America in Truckee, Calif., on Friday and Saturday, March 20-21, and 10 Torr Distillery and Brewing on April 18. Find out more about the group at the Jackeyes’ Instagram page, where you can also get links to where “Way Down” is streaming—or take a listen here via YouTube.