{"id":2242249,"date":"2026-01-20T14:43:49","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2242249"},"modified":"2026-01-20T14:43:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:43:49","slug":"roanokes-newest-venue-fills-a-niche-in-the-citys-music-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/roanokes-newest-venue-fills-a-niche-in-the-citys-music-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"Roanoke&#8217;s newest venue fills a niche in the city&#8217;s music scene"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" width=\"100%\" height=\"130px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" class=\"perfmatters-lazy\" data-src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_6a84OU4V8la?client=wp&amp;client_version=2.7.0\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_6a84OU4V8la?client=wp&amp;client_version=2.7.0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"130px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>When launching an upscale music venue, acoustics are crucial \u2014 even more so in a building that wasn\u2019t constructed with quality sound in mind.<\/p>\n<p>The Exchange Music Hall passed the test on Dec. 31, in a combination New Year\u2019s Eve party, grand opening and preview of what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n<p>The venue, part of a restaurant and hotel complex inside the 113-year-old First National Exchange Bank in downtown Roanoke, welcomed more than 1,000 people for a rock-and-soul double bill. The audience members walked into the bank\u2019s former lobby, now festooned with acoustic tile, floor carpeting and banners draped across the ceiling high above.<\/p>\n<p>Grace Potter, who has rocked stages in Roanoke and Blacksburg, along with multiple FloydFests, told an audience of about 1,100 that Roanoke was her \u201csecond home.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<p>Her headlining set was a powerful showcase that capped 2025 and launched 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Days later, some audience members and one of the venue owners called it a success. Caila Pinkleton of Roanoke said the night ranked \u201chigh on the list\u201d of big nights out she has experienced.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNYE can be a logistical nightmare with low payoff, but this year was the opposite!\u201d Pinkleton wrote in a message exchange. \u201cWe had a lot of fun and things went pretty smoothly. No long lines or waiting around in the cold.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It took a couple of years\u2019 worth of hard work to get there, said John McBroom, CEO of Across-the-Way Productions, which puts on FloydFest. McBroom, one of four investors in the building at Jefferson Street and Campbell Avenue, recalled being in the building when the bank was still in business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf there were more than three people talking, it just turned into this horrible den of reverberation,\u201d McBroom said.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t any different when one of his project partners, Lucas Thornton, brought him in to check out the space a couple of years ago, McBroom said. The only difference was that it was a wreck of file cabinets and other junk that had been lying around since Wells Fargo closed the bank in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201ciconic structure\u201d was \u201cdilapidated,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful old building that needed what we\u2019re giving it,\u201d McBroom said. \u201cI think, honestly, if the unthinkable had happened and no one would\u2019ve taken on this building and the city would have been like, \u2018Well, we really need to raze it, to put something there,\u2019 this would have been another Victory Stadium argument.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McBroom, Thornton, restaurateur J.P. Powell and hotelier Ashton Wilson negated any potential argument by developing The Exchange, a restaurant called \u00a1Suerte! and The Promissory, a 27-room boutique hotel.<\/p>\n<p>The hotel is largely complete, and all its rooms were in use for the New Year\u2019s party, with Potter, her family and band occupying several, McBroom said. The Spanish restaurant is scheduled to open about March, and The Exchange will wait until then to put on more concerts, he said. Across-the-Way Productions is leasing the music space.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is going to be our new home, our new cornerstone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The entire development \u2014 hotel, venue and restaurant \u2014 is expected to cost $12 million all told, Thornton said.<\/p>\n<p>Challenges arose while renovating the building, which is about 55,000 square feet, but \u201cnothing too out of the ordinary or difficult,\u201d Thornton said in an email. The structure, like much of downtown, is built on top of running water, so ensuring a \u201cdry building\u201d was a challenge, he wrote. A small fire last spring destroyed some electrical equipment, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some drama arose as New Year\u2019s Eve approached \u2014 the city didn\u2019t issue a temporary certificate of occupancy until Dec. 30, McBroom confirmed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGetting anything done the last week of the year, I don\u2019t recommend that,\u201d McBroom said. \u201cI can\u2019t argue that it was a nail-biter. We had been pretty much, I\u2019m not going to say assured, but we weren\u2019t too terrified that we weren\u2019t going to get it, and we also understood that we weren\u2019t going to get it until the last minute.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Grace Potter and her band in performance on Dec. 31 at The Exchange Music Hall in Roanoke. Photo by Tad Dickens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-developing-the-vibe\">Developing the vibe<\/h3>\n<p>Meanwhile, AtWP staff worked to get the room sounding and feeling correct. McBroom credited Roanoke-based audio-visual business Stage Sound Inc.\u2019s president, Reid Henion, with leading efforts to get the best acoustics in the 13,000-square-foot space. Henion was first on McBroom\u2019s mind when it came time to set it up for sound.<\/p>\n<p>AtWP staff worked to get the room feeling right, as well, and it appears mostly to have worked. McBroom said the flow of the old bank dictated how to design the music venue.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was pretty easy for the most part,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Two bars were open on the mezzanine, including a VIP space with a television playing sets by Potter and opening act Holy Roller. The concert screened on the walls at either side of the stage, as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bars on the main floor and in the basement kept drinks flowing.<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea DeTorres, who, with Pinkleton, was part of a friend group that came out for the show, gave it an \u201c8\/10 for a NYE\u201d show.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved the multiple bar options to get drinks and the side screens to help view the stage if you were in back,\u201d DeTorres, a Roanoke resident, wrote in a message exchange. \u201cI do think carpet was an odd choice for a concert venue, but overall thought it was well done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The carpet, McBroom said, was a big part of controlling sound in the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy husband and I regularly see concerts in Charlottesville, Raleigh, Richmond and have been dying for a venue of this size downtown,\u201d DeTorres wrote. \u201cWe\u2019re really hoping we\u2019ll see bands that regularly pass Roanoke come through (especially if they are not \u2018jam bands!!\u2019).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pinkleton, who also looks forward to seeing what performers are coming next, noted lags in the video streams that she hopes can be fixed, and she would like to see more furnishings and decor in the vault area of the basement (a giant locking door still stands there), such as \u201ccozy couches.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI appreciated coat check and the many bars\/bathrooms,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI didn\u2019t have to wait too long in line anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>AtWP principles will look to make improvements that they noted after the premiere party.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a lot of nip-and-tucking to do, and figuring out where \u2026 this should be or that should be, but for the most part it worked out about as beautifully as we could imagine,\u201d McBroom said.<\/p>\n<p>There were issues with crowd flow at the back of the room, where groups of people congregated and choked off main-floor bar access. There is work to be done improving that, but overall, he said he couldn\u2019t have imagined it going better.<\/p>\n<p>In general, downtown parking is a complaint that Roanokers and those outside the city limits express often. McBroom said that The Exchange staff didn\u2019t hear about any issues, though, even on New Year\u2019s Eve. He said <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theexchangeva.com\/faqs\/\">the venue website\u2019s frequently asked questions page<\/a> includes information about other nearby lots, and available street parking won\u2019t be monitored for tickets during most of the music hall\u2019s hours.<\/p>\n<p>Potter, the venue\u2019s first-ever headliner, appeared to have loved her experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRoanoke, you rang in the new year with us and sold out a brand new room,\u201d Potter\u2019s social media accounts posted. \u201c@theexchangeva What a way to start. I\u2019m feeling so fired up for new music and more shows in 2026. Thank you for bringing the heat and the love \ud83e\udd0d\u201d<\/p>\n<p>General admission tickets were $75, but expect a range from free to significantly more expensive, depending on the act, with \u201cspecial experiences\u201d at a premium, McBroom said. AtWP is in talks with performers but hasn\u2019t booked any more shows yet. Audiences can expect a variety of genres in the room.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be a lot like FloydFest in that it\u2019s going be all over the place [stylistically], and it\u2019s just going to be who we feel is going be a good fit.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" data-attachment-id=\"158624\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/cardinalnews.org\/exchange2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{\" aperture=\"\" data-image-title=\"158286_dickens_20260108_exchangenye2_jpg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Longtime friends Sarah Rourke (left), Caila Pinkleton and Chelsea DeTorres stand for a photo on Dec. 31 in the basement at The Exchange Music Hall, Roanoke. Photo by Tad Dickens.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C585&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2.jpg?resize=780%2C585&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Three women stand in the middle of a room, having their photo taken, a camera and flash umbrella to the right, while several people stand in the vicinity.\" class=\"wp-image-158624\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=500%2C375&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=1280%2C960&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C585&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange2-1024x768.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Longtime friends Sarah Rourke (left), Caila Pinkleton and Chelsea DeTorres pose for a photo on Dec. 31 in the basement at The Exchange Music Hall in Roanoke. Photo by Tad Dickens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-making-room-to-groove\">Making room to groove<\/h3>\n<p>The room fills a niche that hadn\u2019t existed in Roanoke since the 20th century. The American Legion Auditorium, formerly the Roanoke Civic Auditorium, could fit about 2,000, with lots of standing room space on the main floor, according to Wick Moorman, a Roanoke Valley resident who studies the region\u2019s music history. It burned in 1957.<\/p>\n<p>Many other large standing-room spaces came and went in the years since, but such venues as the King\u2019s Inn (later the Iroquois Club) and the Lakeside Amusement Park Ballroom didn\u2019t hold as many as 1,000.<\/p>\n<p>Venues that occupied what is now Charter Hall, on the Roanoke City Market Building\u2019s top floor, capped out at no more than 500 standing.<\/p>\n<p>The Exchange fits a few hundred more than Jefferson Center, which seats about 900 but doesn\u2019t have significant room for dancing. Dylan Locke, who has owned the Floyd Country Store since 2014, was artistic director at Jefferson Center for several years, ending in 2015. He said he often wished he had more standing room at Jefferson Center\u2019s Shaftman Performance Hall for R&amp;B, soul and salsa shows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s dozens and dozens of shows [where] the seats were less than ideal \u2014 Trombone Shorty and all kinds of dancing shows where people would enjoy the event better,\u201d Locke said. \u201cI do think that there\u2019s also older people that you have to think about, who maybe 20 years ago would have been happy standing all night and can\u2019t do that anymore.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut certainly if it\u2019s a dance band, you want a dance floor, and having a space with a bunch of seats in it is not conducive to the right type of environment for that type of presentation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Locke, who has worked frequently with McBroom, including managing FloydFest\u2019s folklife workshop stage, said he trusts that team to book high-quality concerts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean, they\u2019re some of the best,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it all depends on whether Roanoke, the surrounding areas, the community in New River Valley and Roanoke Valley are hungry for it. \u2026 There\u2019s not a better thing in my mind for people to be spending their time doing. It\u2019s just really a great way to connect, sort of leave their differences at the door and find this common space around something that we all love, which is music.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m a super fan of anyone who\u2019s making an effort to create that kind of space for humans to gather, and then I just hope that they show up and support it, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Listeners and dancers can expect show announcements over the next few weeks and months.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re really hoping is that we\u2019re going to be picking up \u2026 the touring bands that wouldn\u2019t normally stop here, because they\u2019re either too big for Martin\u2019s or too small for [Berglund Center],\u201d McBroom said. \u201cI think it\u2019s just going to be one of the puzzle pieces that we\u2019ve never been able to put in the puzzle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very interested to see, especially when the word gets out through the artist community, because when a room sounds good, that helps more than just about anything.\u201c<\/p>\n<p>He envisions The Exchange as a dance hall along the lines of The Orange Peel, in Asheville, North Carolina, and the 9:30 Club, in Washington, D.C. \u2014 typically for standing-room crowds, with some seating. The Exchange will adapt the room configuration to host performers at varying career levels, and the venue will also be available for private events.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s going to work,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we\u2019re going to try and throw as many different scenarios at it as possible, obviously all with the intent of being sustainable and making a little bit of money, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"780\" height=\"585\" data-attachment-id=\"158623\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/cardinalnews.org\/exchange3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1920&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{\" aperture=\"\" data-image-title=\"158286_dickens_20260108_exchangenye4_jpg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Holy Roller, opening act for Grace Potter at new Roanoke venue The Exchange Music Hall, performing on Dec. 31. Photo by Tad Dickens.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C225&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C585&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3.jpg?resize=780%2C585&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Five band members perform on a stage in front of a crowd.\" class=\"wp-image-158623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1536&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=500%2C375&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=1280%2C960&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1500&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C585&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 780w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C530&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-scaled.jpg?w=2340&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 2340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cardinalnews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/exchange3-1024x768.jpg?w=370&amp;quality=89&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Opening act Holy Roller at new Roanoke venue The Exchange Music Hall, performing on Dec. 31. Photo by Tad Dickens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside>\n\t\t<\/aside>\n<\/p>\n<p><h3 class=\"jp-relatedposts-headline\"><em>Related stories<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"pmdelayedscript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" data-no-optimize=\"1\" data-no-defer=\"1\" data-no-minify=\"1\">\n\t\t!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n\t\t{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n\t\tif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n\t\tn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n\t\ts.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n\t\t'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\tfbq('init', '390691409282265');\n\t\tfbq('track', 'PageView', {\"page_title\":\"Roanoke&#8217;s newest venue fills a niche in the city&#8217;s music scene\",\"user_role\":\"guest\",\"event_url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cardinalnews.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/20\\\/roanokes-newest-venue-fills-a-niche-in-the-citys-music-scene\",\"post_type\":\"post\",\"post_id\":158286});\n\t\t<\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source cardinalnews.org \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When launching an upscale music venue, acoustics are crucial \u2014 even more so in a building that wasn\u2019t constructed with quality sound in mind. The Exchange Music Hall passed the test on Dec. 31, in a combination New Year\u2019s Eve party, grand opening and preview of what\u2019s to come. The venue, part of a restaurant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2242250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[434037],"class_list":["post-2242249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-roanoke-zone"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Roanokes-newest-venue-fills-a-niche-in-the-citys-music.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2242249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2242249"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2242249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2242251,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2242249\/revisions\/2242251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2242250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2242249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2242249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2242249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}