When word spread that the old Starr Hill concert space (iS Venue, more recently) on West Main Street was hosting hip-hop showcases, the rumor mill got turning. Is someone taking a crack at making it another music venue?
Well, yes and no.
Si Tapas/iS Venue (pictured) closed in October. Part of that old restaurant space is now a deli called Penne Lane. Scroll down for more.
The building is leased to Derrick Jones, a local youth counselor who has founded a corporation called 1st Source Event Planning. Jones calls the venue the Vizion Center—or the V-Spot, for short, and plans to use the space as a community center and catering hall, for weddings and other special events. “I’m more trying to host banquets and stuff like that. Not really trying to sponsor a lot of parties, but I’m definitely not going to turn them down,” Jones says.
And here’s where the yes comes in: "Every other Friday," says Jones, "we’re going to display different talent from Charlottesville and the surrounding counties." The biweekly showcases will feature four or five hip-hop and R&B artists and will be, unlike most of the V-Spot’s other events, open to the public. The first showcase happened two Fridays ago, and the second will take place tomorrow night.
Has Charlottesville hip-hop found a home?