Kansas City got this new live music venue in the Crossroads as part of its World Cup efforts

When Lindsey Jarrett and Emily Behrmann had their first peek a few months ago at a storefront in the Crossroads, it didn’t quite have the vibe of the music venue they had envisioned building there.

For one thing, Jarrett says, the space at 515 Southwest Blvd. sat next to a busy auto repair shop.

“Half of it was a garage for a pedicab company. They had their vehicles in here cleaning them, getting them ready,” Jarrett remembers. “We kind of walked into this space not knowing what we would create.”

But Jarrett, the executive director of music and education nonprofit Music Across Borders, and Behrmann, board treasurer of the advocacy group Kansas City Jazz Alive, weren’t deterred.

Julie Denesha

KCUR 89.3

Music Across Borders Executive Director Lindsey Jarrett, at left, and Kansas City Jazz Alive’s Emily Behrmann teamed up to create a new venue designed for musicians and audiences who are serious about music. 515 Music Hub is one of around 22 projects backed by Kansas City’s Open Doors! initiative.

The pair secured the space for a pop-up they now call 515 Music Hub through Kansas City’s Open Doors! program.

The performance space is one of around 22 projects backed by the special initiative launched by the Kansas City Council last year. The program provides up to $10,000 in one-time grants and rent subsidies to small businesses and cultural organizations to boost commercial activity during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Jarrett says they built their proposal for 515 Music Hub centered around creating a musicians-first environment, “where all musicians from all genres can be respected for all of the hard work that they do.”

Behrmann says the new venue serves a need that’s long been overlooked.

“What Kansas City Jazz Alive has heard from musicians for years is there aren’t enough listening rooms, for jazz or for music generally in Kansas City,” she says.

And while there are plenty of venues that offer live music, Behrmann hopes this one stands out in an important way.

“The music is the center. It’s the focus of what we’re doing, as opposed to people talking over musicians as they eat or drink, and socialize,” Behrmann says. “We still want socializing, obviously, but the musicians are just going to be at the center of all of that.”

In the audience, musicians wait for a turn on the stage to jam with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at 515 Music Hub last month. The space still has an industrial feel, with high ceilings and a large garage door. — Musicians wait for a turn to play with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra at 515 Music Hub in June. The space still has an industrial feel, with high ceilings and a large garage door.

‘Helps build community’

Despite its new purpose, the space still has an industrial feel, with high ceilings and a large garage door. But now there’s a bright neon sign in the front window, a lighted stage, and, for seating, an array of thrift store chairs and sofas.

Since the venue opened in early June, they’ve hosted a handful of musical events.

Tenor saxophonist Alex Toepfer also the director of bands at Shawnee Mission East High School. He is taking a turn in the audience so one of his students can sit in and play. — Alex Toepfer listens to the band from his seat in the audience. Toepfer is director of bands at Shawnee Mission East High School, and he’s letting one of his students sit in and jam with the band.

At a Wednesday-night jam session with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, about a dozen people make up the audience — most are musicians waiting to sit in and play.

“We’re just sight-reading stuff,” says trumpeter Clint Ashlock while he kicks off the set with the jazz standard “Moten’s Swing.”

Ashlock, who is also the big band’s artistic director, says these informal jam sessions are a relaxed way for players of all ages to collaborate. He calls the weekly meetups New Jazz Order.

“We haven’t rehearsed any of this stuff, nobody knows the charts,” Ashlock explains. “We get together and play, and invite young folks to come up and play. So it’s kind of an organic way to bring all of us together musically.”

Baritone saxophone player Alex Schrempf says, so far, he’s impressed with the new venue.

“This is my first time in this space, and I just, like, really dig the vibe, first and foremost,” he says. “Beyond that, acoustically, it sounds pretty good.”

Trumpeter Clint Ashlock, left, is the Artistic Director of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s 18-piece big band. He says the group’s informal jam sessions are a chance for musicians of all ages to come together and play. — Clint Ashlock, standing at left, is artistic director of the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s 18-piece big band. He says the group’s informal jam sessions are a chance for musicians of all ages to come together and play.

Schrempf says he feels like this is the kind of place that’ll bring a serious crowd.

“These sessions draw out primarily musicians,” he says. “To just have a place to meet up every week. Keeps things regular. Helps build community.”

Ashlock takes it a step further.

“This was nice to be able to play for an audience that is there to listen,” he says. “We want to share our emotions and our feelings and our perspectives through our music, because humanity needs art to translate the things that we can’t translate.”

Trumpeter Bob Harvey steps out to play a tune on the sidewalk as the orchestra’s jam session began to wind down. He says the Music Hub’s insulated curved ceiling kept the big band sound from overwhelming the audience. — As the jam session winds down, Bob Harvey steps out to get a breath of fresh air and play a tune on the sidewalk. He says the Music Hub’s insulated, curved ceiling kept the big band sound from overwhelming the audience.

City leaders say they hope filling spaces like these with new ventures will reenergize areas like the Crossroads, the 18th and Vine District and midtown during the World Cup. There’s also potential for long-term opportunities for small businesses and building owners, officials have said.

“Kansas City is a city of makers, creators, and entrepreneurs. We’re lowering barriers, providing real resources, and making sure our businesses are positioned to thrive,” Mayor Quinton Lucas boasted about the Open Doors! program in a press release in May. “By linking businesses to storefronts across the city, we’re turning global attention into real, lasting economic opportunity for the people who call Kansas City home.”

Like most of the program’s participants, 515 Music Hub is scheduled to be open through October.

Organizers say they plan to seek donations and sponsorships to keep the music going long after World Cup fans leave.

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