Bloglander

The Big Dipper moves closer to larger capacity

The Big Dipper’s fire suppression system installation is that much closer to completion after a main water line was put in this week. Meaning soon the live music venue will move from its current 110-person capacity to a 200 to 250-person capacity, says owner Dan Hoerner.

The city of Spokane pledged to help the business with the cost of the water line construction last April. But it wasn’t until Wednesday that construction — which included cutting up the road in front of the business, installing a 4-inch water line, and drilling through the building's foundation — was finished.

Alpine Fire Sprinklers has volunteered to install the sprinkler system for free, Hoerner says, although a completion date is not yet set.  

"This is just a miracle," Hoerner says. "We've been operating under an economic chokehold because of not having fire sprinklers. But soon we’ll be able to bring in bigger acts and more people. This opens up a lot of opportunities for us. It just shows how much this classic venue means to people in this community."

The Bartlett has awards

Open for more than a year, the Bartlett has just announced its first ever fan-selected Bartlett Awards. Vote here for your favorite musical acts and more who graced the halls of the venue since it opened. 

The winners will be announced at the upcoming free Bartlett Awards show, January 17. Local bands playing the event include Loomer, Sea Giant and Friends of Mine.

Shocking! More country at the Spokane Arena

We knew Jason Aldean was coming through the Spokane Arena after the artist announced it last fall, but the Arena has just confirmed it. Aldean performs April 24 along with opening country crooners Cole Swindell, Tyler Farr and Dee Jay Silver. Tickets for the event go on sale next Friday.

The artist most recently performed at the Arena September 2013.

The Sweeplings hit ABC Family

Cami Bradley’s new duo, the Sweeplings, has made national television. Last fall, the band met with ABC higher-ups to have their music potentially played on any of the network’s many channels. That meeting went well.

Their song “In Too Deep” was chosen to provide the soundtrack for an ABC Family show promo for The Fosters, which will run on the channel until Jan, 19, the show’s winter premiere. A teen soap opera, The Fosters is overly dramatic, but the music here is hauntingly beautiful. We’ll have to wait and see if the band’s music makes any other ABC shows. (Grey’s Anatomy, please).