Booking & Venue Description

Foundry Hall is an all-ages performance venue committed to presenting a quality mix of national, regional and local entertainment to South Haven and its surrounding communities. We program all types and genres of original music and performance.

The Centerstage - The Centerstage at the Foundry is a medium sized venue, with seats for 200 people (350 max. capacity). Our 600 square foot stage features a full sound system, theatre lighting, Kimball piano, backstage dressing room, and a mezzanine sound/lighting booth at the rear of the hall. The Centerstage is a very live room. Bands are advised to use smaller amps or to turn them down lower than at a heavily acoustically-treated club.

The Red Room - Featuring a seating capacity of 50, a baby grand piano, and a small raised stage, the Red Room hosts intimate, houseconcert style shows needing minimal to no amplification. Many artists ask specifically to perform in the Red Room, due to its wonderful acoustics and close audience connection.

Times & Dates - We generally book two months in advance, though we occasionally have a last minute opening or slot on a bill. With few exceptions, performances during the winter months (September - April) are held on Friday and Saturday nights, and begin at 8pm. Scheduling during the summer months is more flexible.

Payment - The Foundry Hall isn't a bar or a club, and we have no budget or bank account to cover guarantees. We do occasionally find local sponsors or underwriters for larger shows on a case-by-case basis. Based on several years of experience booking and promoting shows in the South Haven area, Foundry Hall's standard practice for new acts in town is to charge a small admission ($5) which we split 50/50 between the headliner and the venue. By keeping admission prices low, we encourage a maximum number of local folks to check out an act they otherwise wouldn't have known while keeping enough cash in their pockets to buy albums and merchandise directly from the artist following the show. What this means for you is that while the door take may not cover much more than transportation costs, merchandise sales tend to be very good. Healthy food and comfortable lodging for the duration of your stay can be arranged in advance.

Original Music - ALL material performed at Foundry Hall must be original or in the public domain. Please contact us if you need clarification on this policy. Or, for more information you may download this PDF information sheet/FAQ (courtesy of AS220, Providence, RI).

Location - Audiences often drive from Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Benton Harbor, Holland, and South Bend. During the summer months, South Haven is a popular Lake Michigan resort destination for visitors from throughout Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Shows at the Foundry are promoted throughout southwest Michigan. We are within several hours' drive of many midwest tour destinations:
  < 1 hour (Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, South Bend)
  1-3 hours (Lansing, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Detroit)
  3-4 hours (Traverse City, Milwaukee, Champaign-Urbana, Indianapolis)
  4-6 hours (Madison, Cleveland, Columbus)
  6-7 hours (Toronto, Saint Louis)

Promotions - Foundry Hall has a good working relationship with many regional media outlets, including newspapers and radio to whom we mail a detailed weekly press release for upcoming shows. We maintain a large email list, and distribute monthly posters and handbills through a number of local businesses, schools and community gathering spaces. We pride ourselves on trying to give the best possible promotion for each show. As is bound to happen with any venue presenting two or more performances a week, however, some shows still don't receive the coverage they deserve. Please consider doubling our efforts by sending promotional materials (press releases, albums, photographs) of your own to some of the media contacts below, many of whom are often happy to arrange interviews, on-air performances, reviews, or airplay.

Southwest Michigan Entertainment Media

(rp) = radio play
(ar) = album reviews
(pi) = print interviews
(oi) = on-air interviews

Allegan News, 231 Trowbridge St, Allegan, MI 49010
bbrown@allegannews.com - Bill Brown, Editor

Globe 91.1 FM, 1700 S Main St, Goshen, IN 46526
jasonks@goshen.edu - Jason Samuel, Station Manager (rp/oi)
globe@goshen.edu

Grand Haven Tribune, 101 North Third St, Grand Haven, MI 49417
bvargo@grandhaventribune.com - Becky Vargo, News Editor

Grand Rapids Press, 155 Michigan St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
jgonzalez@grpress.com - John Gonzalez, Entertainment Editor

Herald-Palladium, PO Box 128, Saint Joseph, MI 49085
focus@heraldpalladium.com - Susan Lorenz, Features Editor (pi - 1 week adv.)

Holland Sentinel, 54 W. 8th St, Holland, MI 49423
cheri.mcspaden@hollandsentinel.com - Cheri McSpaden, Features Editor
rick.vangrouw@hollandsentinel.com - Rick VanGrouw, Editor

Kalamazoo Gazette, 401 S. Burdick St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007
jliberty@kalamazoogazette.com - John Liberty, Entertainment Writer (ar/pi - 1 week adv.)
nightlife@kalamazoogazette.com

Muskegon Chronicle, PO Box 59, Muskegon, MI 49443
pholmes@muskegonchronicle.com - Paula Holmes-Greeley, News Editor
pkeep@muskegonchronicle.com - Paul Keep, Editor

Recoil, 1111 Godfrey SW #240, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
info@recoilmag.com - Cliff Frantz, Editor (ar/pi - 6 week adv.)

Revue, 2422 Burton SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546
editor@revuemagazine.net - Jennifer Pider, Associate Editor (ar/pi - 6 week adv.)

South Haven Observer
sobserv@macatawa.org

South Haven Tribune, 255 Center St, South Haven, MI 49090
dbrown@heraldpalladium.com - (pi - 2 week adv.)

Times-Indicator, PO Box 7, Fremont, MI 49412
news@ncats.net

Western Herald
herald-arts@groupwise.wmich.edu - A&E Editor

West Michigan Music
listen@westmichiganmusic.com

WCSY 98.3 FM, 510 Williams St, South Haven, MI 49090
joejason@wcsy.com - Joe Jason, Station Manager (oi)

WMUK 102.1 FM, W.M.U., 1903 West Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
lorraine.caron@wmich.edu - Lorraine Caron, Announcer & Producer (rp/oi)
grassroots@wmuk.org - "Grassroots"
jazzscene@wmuk.org - "Jazz Scene"

WIDR 89.1 FM, 1501 Faunce Student Services, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
widr.music@gmail.com - Jessica, Music Director (rp)
widrnonchalant@yahoo.com - "Nonchalant Cafe Hour" (oi)

WSJM 1400 AM
wsjm@wsjm.com

WYCE 88.1 FM, Community Media Center, 711 Bridge St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
pete@grcmc.org - Pete Bruinsma, Music Director (rp/oi)

WVPE 88.1 FM, 2424 California Rd, Elkhart, IN 46514
oleharve@att.net - Harvey Stauffer, "Blues Revue" (rp/oi)
lburdorf@wvpe.org - Lee Burdorf, "Jazz by the Border" (rp/oi)
acanola@sbcglobal.net - Al Kniola, "Back Porch" (rp/oi)
nmast@wvpe.org - Norm Mast, "Back Porch" (rp/oi)

Other Media Contacts:
kristinhay@verizon.net - Kristin Hay, Freelance Writer (pi - 2 week adv.)
chairmanralph@yahoo.com - Ralph Heibutzki, Freelance Writer (pi - 2 week adv.)
ingallsfamily@yahoo.com - Kim Ingalls, Freelance Writer (pi - 2 week adv.)
lvmitchell@i2k.com - Lewis Mitchell, Freelance Writer (pi - 2 week adv.)
set14@verizon.net - Sandra Tyrrell, Freelance Writer (pi - 2 week adv.)