Franklin Music Hall

Last updated
Franklin Music Hall
Electricfactorylogo.jpg
Franklin Music Hall
Former namesElectric Factory (1968-2018)
Address421 N. 7th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 39°57′33.1″N75°08′58.9″W / 39.959194°N 75.149694°W / 39.959194; -75.149694 Coordinates: 39°57′33.1″N75°08′58.9″W / 39.959194°N 75.149694°W / 39.959194; -75.149694
Owner The Bowery Presents
Operator The Bowery Presents
TypeIndoor theater
Seating typeGeneral admission
Capacity 2,500-3,000
Opened1968–1973 (first incarnation)
1995–present (second incarnation)
Website
www.bowerypresents.com/greater-philly/shows/franklin-music-hall

Franklin Music Hall is a concert venue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is in a converted building once part of the General Electric Switchgear Plant and opened in 1995. It has a capacity between 2,500 [1] and 3,000 people. [2] It is owned and operated by The Bowery Presents.

Contents

The venue features a variety of musical acts in the rap, electronic, heavy metal, rock, grunge, and pop genres.

History

In 1968, the "Electric Factory and Flea Market", a concert venue, opened in a converted tire warehouse on the northwest corner of 22nd and Arch Streets. It was owned by Sheldon Kaplan, Herbert Spivak, and his brothers Jerry Spivak and Allen Spivak. They soon hired Larry Magid to book all of the shows. Kaplan sold his stake in the company after the Atlantic City Pop Festival in 1969 and Magid became a partner. The venue hosted concerts, including performances of The Chambers Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who, until 1970 and was torn down in 1973 to be replaced by flats. [3] [4]

Coincident with the venue, Electric Factory Concerts began as a concert promoter, also owned by Larry Magid. [5]

In 1995, Magid and Spivak reopened the Electric Factory in a converted building from the General Electric Switchgear Plant on 7th and Willow Street. [4]

In 2016, it was named the 16th best venue in the United States by Consequence . [2]

In September 2018, the Electric Factory was sold to The Bowery Presents; however, the trademarked name was owned by rival Live Nation and the buyer sought a new name. [6] [7] [8] [9] After a public naming contest that received over 5,000 submissions, in October 2018, the new name was announced as Franklin Music Hall. [10] [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectrum (arena)</span> Former indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Spectrum was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Opened in September 1967 as part of what is now known as the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, after several expansions of its seating capacity it accommodated 18,168 for basketball and 17,380 for ice hockey, arena football, indoor soccer, and box lacrosse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts</span> Performing arts center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the "Avenue of the Arts", in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Kimmel Cultural Center, which also manages the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, and, as of November 2016, the Merriam Theater. The center is named after philanthropist Sidney Kimmel.

Gene Shay was an American radio personality. Shay was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a Jewish family and was a representative of the city's folk music scene. He produced weekly folk radio shows since 1962. A founder of the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival and its emcee since its inception, he has been called the "Dean of American folk DJs" by The Philadelphia Daily News and "The Grandfather of Philadelphia Folk Music" by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Shay also served as a host for the online "Folk Alley" stream originating at Kent State University station WKSU and carried on WXPN's website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Academy of Music (Philadelphia)</span>

The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at 240 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its location is between Locust and Manning Streets in the Avenue of the Arts area of Center City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tower Theater (Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania)</span>

The Tower Theater has been a popular venue for music acts since the 1970s. In 2018, the Tower Theater was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by Rolling Stone magazine. Known for its acoustic properties, the venue has been used for recording live albums by many bands. It is a theater located in the Terminal Square section of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania at the intersection of 69th and Ludlow Streets. It is adjacent to 69th Street Terminal just outside of West Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale is a boys' choir and men's chorale based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, currently under the direction of Jeffrey R. Smith. They are known as "America's Ambassadors of Song" and are considered to be one of the best boys choirs in the world. They have performed in concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, the Kimmel Center, Notre Dame de Paris, King's College Cathedral, and Philadelphia's Academy of Music.

Electric Factory Concerts is a Philadelphia-based concert promotion firm, affiliated with the former Electric Factory venue in that city. It was founded by Herbert Spivak, who ran the business with his brothers Jerry Spivak and Allen Spivak. They later hired Larry Magid to become General Manager, and he also became a co-owner of the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Tearson</span> American singer

Michael Tearson is an American pioneer underground DJ, concert and special appearance host, author, recording artist and actor. Inducted into the Hall of Fame, 2016, awarded by the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music Hall of Williamsburg</span>

Music Hall of Williamsburg is a New York City venue located at 66 North 6th Street in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The venue is operated by The Bowery Presents, a group stemming from Bowery Ballroom. It has a capacity of 650 people and has shows on most nights of the week.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Electric Switchgear Plant</span> Historic factory building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The General Electric Switchgear Plant is a historic factory building located at 421 North 7th Street at Willow Street in the Callowhill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1916, and is a seven-story, seven bay by nine bay, reinforced concrete building with brick facing. It was designed by William Steele & Company for General Electric, which manufactured electric switchboard equipment there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bowery Presents</span>

The Bowery Presents is the East Coast regional partner of AEG Live. It owns and operates multiple venues in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New Orleans, Virginia, and Maine. The capacities of the venues operated by The Bowery Presents range from 250 people to 20,000 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurry (band)</span>

Hurry is an American indie rock band formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2012. The band is composed of Matt Scottoline, Joe DeCarolis (bass), Rob DeCarolis (drums), and Justin Fox (guitar).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lame-O Records</span>

Lame-O Records is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded by Eric Osman to release Modern Baseball's Sports, the label has been hailed as one of Philadelphia's best indie labels.

Kississippi is the solo pop and indie folk project of Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Zoe Allaire Reynolds.

The Roots Picnic is an annual music festival created and hosted by hip hop group, The Roots. Co-founder, Shawn Gee, and manager of The Roots serves as executive producer of the festival. The festival is held in Philadelphia, their hometown at the Mann at Fairmount Park. The first festival was held on June 7, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lily Mae</span> American singer-songwriter

Lily Mae Oppenheim, known professionally as Lily Mae, is an American singer-songwriter from Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb</span>

TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia punk scene refers to the vibrant punk rock scene created in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HoagieNation</span> Music festival hosted in Philadephia

The HoagieNation Festival was started in 2017 by Philadelphia's own pop rock duo, Hall & Oates, as a "celebration of everything Philly". Being described by Daryl Hall, HoagieNation is “a wonderful and colorful place where the citizens are united by a love of cold meat and Amoroso’s rolls.” Meanwhile, John Oates described Philly as being “famous for a lot of things” with the highlights being “the amazing music” and “the hoagie,” which the duo were “[putting] it all together.” The festival was recognized by Mayor of Philadelphia Jim Kenney, who said that “Daryl and John hold a special place in the hearts of Philadelphia music fans,” and that “we are extremely excited that they are launching their first-ever curated festival back where it all began, right here in Philadelphia.” The festival has featured many artists, in addition to Hall & Oates, that are local to Philadelphia, including G. Love & Special Sauce, Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers, the Soul Survivors, and many others.

Pat Finnerty is an American musician and YouTube personality based in Philadelphia. As a singer-guitarist, his most notable projects include Pat Finnerty and the Full Band and August is Falling. On social media channels, Finnerty is known for posting original song compositions and giving critical reviews of popular music songs in the What Makes This Song Stink series.

References

  1. Vettese, John (October 18, 2018). "The venue formerly known as the Electric Factory will now be called Franklin Music Hall". WXPN .
  2. 1 2 Vettese, John (April 29, 2016). "The Electric Factory is the 16th best venue in the U.S., according to Consequence of Sound". WXPN .
  3. Deluca, Dan (February 16, 2018). "Electric Factory turns 50: How the concert business was created in Philadelphia" . The Philadelphia Inquirer .
  4. 1 2 SASKO, CLAIRE (September 12, 2018). "Say Goodbye to the Electric Factory: The Historic Venue Is Getting a New Name". Philadelphia .
  5. Deluca, Dan (July 5, 2011). "Making Philly Electric" . The Philadelphia Inquirer .
  6. "The Bowery Presents Acquires Historic Electric Factory" (Press release). The Bowery Presents. September 12, 2018.
  7. Crimmins, Peter (September 12, 2018). "Pulling the plug on Electric Factory: Rock club sold, name retired". WHYY-TV .
  8. Sacher, Andrew (September 12, 2018). "Bowery Presents acquires Philly's Electric Factory, renaming it". BrooklynVegan .
  9. Hilario, Kenneth (October 16, 2018). "N.Y. entertainment company buys Electric Factory, searches for new name" . American City Business Journals .
  10. Hilario, Kenneth (October 16, 2018). "The Electric Factory has a new permanent name". American City Business Journals .
  11. Vadalsa, Nick (October 18, 2018). "Electric Factory has a new name: Franklin Music Hall" . The Philadelphia Inquirer .
  12. Sacher, Andrew (October 18, 2018). "Philly's Electric Factory officially renamed Franklin Music Hall". BrooklynVegan .