A new live music venue will bring tunes and investment to Greenville’s West End.
Thursday’s groundbreaking of the Trueline music venue highlighted the local financial support driving the space coming to the former D&B Glass building at 401 Rhett St. In addition to national touring musical acts, the venue will bring $13 million in investment, a significant portion coming from the Upstate of South Carolina.
“Two-thirds of the investment all came regionally here,” said Trueline founder and CEO Michael Grozier. “The importance of that, to me, is that this is a regional operation. We’re trying to build a really special club here, and we can’t do without the people that are here.”
Local funding efforts were led by Vicinity Capital, a Greenville-based venture capital firm that was able to obtain $5 million in funding last year in just 90 days.
Grozier is no stranger to successful music venues or the music industry. He co-founded the legendary House of Blues concert venues and is currently an executive at the entertainment giant Live Nation. Though he brought extensive experience to the table, Greenville Mayor Knox White said Grozier embraced the collaborative spirit synonymous with Greenville’s growth and success.
“He didn’t just come in here with all his big ideas,” Mayor White said of Grozier. “He came to our community and met so many people in this room today, and he listened. He heard the story of the rich music traditions in Greenville.”
Trueline will pay tribute to those traditions by naming one of the two performance spaces “The Handlebar,” after the famed local music venue that closed in 2014. That space, along with the 1,700 seat main performance area, will attract nationally known acts from a variety of musical genres, as well as local artists.
“The diversity of music and entertainment that they’re going to put in this place (will) allow us to reach new audiences and new visitors,” said Heath Dillard, president and CEO of VistiGreenvilleSc. “We will bring business here to enjoy this, but as local residents, we get to enjoy, and that’s the best part of it.”
Trueline is expected to open in April 2025.
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