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Chop Suey re-born

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(Image: CHS)

Earlier this month as many mourned what they believed to be the impending death of Capitol Hill music venue Chop Suey, CHS reported on the progress being made by new owners Brianna Rettig, Brian Houck, and Erin Carnes to overhaul and reopen the venue.

Due to contractual restrictions, people involved in the deal weren’t able to speak on the record. We’re happy to share that Stranger music writer Dave Segal has finally confirmed the details of Chop Suey’s rebirth with the new owners:

Will Chop Suey maintain its current booking agenda, with a focus on local and underground rock, hip-hop, and electronic, or do you intend to change direction and add other genres to the mix?
We’re all about rock ‘n’ roll, but honestly, we just want to give local artists a home and national acts the best sound in Seattle.

Segal also reports that much-loved talent buyer Jodi Ecklund will continue to be part of the new venue when it re-opens this spring.

A partner in the new venture tells CHS the Chop Suey name will live on as part of a larger project around the venue.

Carnes, the co-owner of The Escondite, a live music venue and burger joint in downtown LA, and her musician business partner Rettig are set to begin an overhaul to both the interior and the exterior of the 1937-built building at 14th and Madison. The 2002-born Chop Suey business was on the market for just under $100,000 this summer as the Japanese company that owned Chop Suey decided to bring its investment to an end. In 2009, the club was purchased by the same ownership as K’s Dream, a live music venue in Tokyo.

One performer with knowledge of the new set-up told CHS music and performance will remain part of the new club’s offerings but that the way events are booked and promoted is set to transition to a “for rent” format that leaves elements like marketing and ticketing to the acts to handle. But the partner CHS spoke to Monday morning tells us that format will not be the plan and that the club is sticking with Ecklund.

So, what else will join the live music components at the new project? In Los Angeles, the Escondite is known for its burgers. Though, with a name like Chop Suey, other food formats come to mind.

The news joins a long list of Capitol Hill changes met with an initial wave of sometimes justifiable sadness at the pace of “new” hitting the neighborhood, followed by sometimes confounding and mitigating developments like new owners, new plans to return, and/or new formats featuring the beloved fixtures.

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