jordan muck

Tonight we had a show at The 618 (which will be updated this week!).   It was one for the books as we broke just about ever record we have ever set for the venue.

A Brief History: When I rolled into town a couple of years ago there was absolutely no music scene in Highland (that I knew about).  It turns out the scene was being supported by a young man named Owen Pye.  The only thing I knew about Owen was that his dad used to be the pastor of our church and he had a passion for music.  Have a similar passion for good music, I gave Owen a call asking him if he would be interested in setting up a venue.  Having more space in our church basement than in the basement of Owen’s house, we got the idea to start throwing shows at the church.  I went to the board and told them about the idea we had come up with.  One individual looked at me and said, “That will never work.  We have been down that road.”  Not to be discouraged, I ignored the warning because I saw the passion the young people had for music in our town and the desire for a venue.

Owen and I set off in an attempt to open our first show completely by ourselves.  Owen is a touring artist so he had a lot of contacts with bands that I didn’t.  We threw our first show to a audience of about five students, paying the bands off a love offering (because we didn’t charge admission at the time) with one of the worst PA systems in the world.  Everything shorted out, speakers blew, but we marched on.  Owen would literally take money out of his wallet to give the bands some help because he believed in the scene.  I bought a PA system just so we could have something that we could count on.

We originally started out as a music venue called “the noise” from a song Owen had heard from an artist that had played in town previously.  We were throwing shows two to three times a month.  Owen would book the bands and tour while I ran the venue.  He would come as much as he could and run sound when he was able.  It was a dual effort on both of our parts as we tried to build the scene as much as we could.  In a year we were getting overloaded, worn out, and just plain tired.  God brought Matt Embry into town last year (he was brought in as staff at a church across the street) and approached me about joining forces.  He had a place to throw shows but didn’t want to step on our toes.  I was hesitant at first but after praying about the situation I decided it was the best option we had.  It gave us a chance to share the burden and make the scene even better.  Matt, Owen, and I renamed the venue to The 618 and named our venues after their location in town, Broadway and Northtown.

We developed a street team of high school students to promote shows and be a part of our venues to run shows, sound, and other responsibilities.  We wanted to make this project theirs as well.  It gave the students a say in the venue and kept it fresh.  We asked questions, listened, and made dreams a reality.  It blows my mind to watch how much our street team works.

The 618 has grown so much in the last year it has blown my mind.  The bands we have had grace our stages include Disciple (Columbia), Dr. Manhattan (Vagrant), Edison Glass (Credential), Spoken (Tooth and Nail), Deas Vail (Brave New World), The New Frontiers (Militia), New London Fire (Eyeball), Gametime (Takeover), Bradley Hathaway, The Wedding (Brave New World), High Flight Society (RKT), Radio Dead Space, Aaron Kellim, Meryll (Esotype), Harvey, The Inviting, Elliott Pearson, The Hanks (Cobra), Million Billion, (Mercy), Drew Danburry, The Americas, Cair Paravel, Nathaniel Carroll, Coin Laundry Loser, Dear Future, Bear Hug Jersey, One Lone Car (Shock City), Theodore, The Silent Film, Cat, Jump!, Sam Walker, Bobby Wintle, Hyland, Josiah Erickson, So There We Stood, Shayde, Faatherton, Roses at Your Feet, Owen Pye (Second Place), Good Through Friday, Michael Young, Ramoth Gilead, Geoff Koch, Roark (Love Minus Zero), Pete Nischt (Regular), Aaron Robinson, Amanda Kofron, Kentucky Knife Fight, Our First Summer, The Vanity Affair, Ian Poss, Versus the Lion, Jaemin Roe, Wembly Shadwell, Eric Stoff, Aletta, Bryan Ryan, Photoside Cafe, Plu, Hello Heroine, and more!

Why Tonight Was so Important and Absolutely Amazing:

• We broke our attendance record at Broadway and it was a Tuesday night!   TONS of people poured into our venue to see tonights show (Coin Laundry Loser, Deas Vail, and Dear Future).  It was amazing to see car after car show up.  Everyone had smiles on their face all night long.
• Unchurched students poured into our church without being afraid or ashamed.  No one got preached at, the gospel was shared, and the love of Christ was felt.  We are continuing to make relationships with students who show up repeatedly and breaking down walls with them to experience what they are going through in life and how we can help.
• We paid the two touring bands a record amount. (As matter of fact, what we paid the touring bands is almost 100 times more than we paid our first band we ever had play.)
• We paid the non touring band a record amount.  Plus we gave them a love offering because all their guitars were stolen two nights before the show.  When we gave them the offering they couldn’t believe how much someone would go the extra mile to help.  Again, the love of Christ was shared.
• I got to share what we do with a group of youth workers from another church about a half hour from where we are located.  They brought students in from their group and wanted to check us out.  They are thinking of starting a venue and asked us how we make the 618 happen after the show.  I love sharing my heart with people and casting the vision further.  This opportunity gives us more things to pray about and a possible way to expand our outreach further.  It’s amazing how many adults come to our shows and ask questions about how we pull of the shows we do.  They don’t criticize or find flaws in our venue, they ask questions.  I love seeing the support from the older individuals.  These people actually listen to what I am saying and take our ideas home with them instead of picking what we do apart.  I always tell people who ask about the 618 that, “we do our part, God does the rest.  Have faith and see the vision through.”.
• Youth ran sound, helped with tear down and set up, took money at the door, sold pop and juice, promoted the show, and participated in other areas that needed accomplished.  Give responsibility to your students, they are longing for it!
• In our two years we have bridged three churches together through the 618 venue!   Think what we could do with another two years?

Remember, what is impossible for man is possible with God.  If tonight was the last show we ever threw at the 168 (which it’s not going to happen!) we would consider this ministry a success because of the way we have reached out to the needs of the community.  We must see the needs of the community and our young people and act on it.  We can’t get bogged down in details.  The biggest part of doing something is just getting started.  Go for it, don’t worry about all the details, just try it out!   God has taken us so far through a couple of dreams Owen and I had two years ago and it would be sad to think what would have happened if we would have not gone through with our plans because someone said it wouldn’t work.  It’s going to take some sacrifice, time, and patience but it’s worth it in the end.  If you could have only heard the roar of the crowd tonight, amazing.

Thanks to everyone who has been a part of the Noise and the 618.  You are more than family to us and we can’t wait to share our stage with you again soon.

-Jordan