Robert Montoya says when he and his wife, Dawn Malone, opened Amped Performance Center in the summer of 2008, they were simply trying to create more places in town for musicians to perform. “We didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into,” Montoya says with a grin. A guitarist himself, he and Malone created a booze- and smoke-free all-ages venue that specializes in local bands that play original music. The center was in a commercial strip on Lomas between Carlisle and Washington in its first incarnation. This summer Amped relocated Downtown, adding quality to a cultural district in need of further revitalization and refinement. The venue is now housed in the historic Freed Company building at 415 Central NW (right next door to Weekly Alibi world headquarters). This Saturday, Amped is holding its grand reopening in its newly renovated space with a roster, naturally, of all local bands. Here’s a photographic sneak preview of the space.
Amped grand reopeningwith Epiphany, Second Thought, Emergency Ahead, The Balcony Scene, Vertigo Venus and Rick Crouse Saturday, Nov. 19, 7 p.m .Amped Performance Center415 Central NWTickets: $6, All-ages!
