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Metamorphosis of music club elevates audience experience

New venue opens at Hermann’s Upstairs
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Brand new music venue Hermann’s Upstairs has officially launched at 753 View Street in downtown Victoria, featuring diverse live music in a “cultural and vibrant” atmosphere.

The space itself is divided into a main concert stage room, which can seat up to 215, and an attached lounge with self-serve bar service, open for walk-ins on specific nights.

The stage has already hosted a “west coast kitchen party” with Ukrainian and Irish dancers, award-winning fiddler Daniel Lapp, funk hip-hop fusion band The New Groovement and tribute bands for The Beatles and The Grateful Dead.

This month, audiences can enjoy free dance bands on Thursdays at 9 pm, and acts such as a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute, blues acoustic player Brandon Isaak and dance band Groove Kitchen. Visit hermannsupstairs.com for more info.

Bar manager Dan DeGryp is an avid music lover, evident from his extensive personal music poster collection adorning the bright red walls of the lounge.

“Everyone who works here has a connection to or a passion for music. We definitely want people to experience that community feeling when they walk in,” he says.

You’ll even see Dan spinning records from his impressive personal collection if you visit on free-entry Vinyl Night Wednesdays.

The passion for music is rooted deeply in the building and the vision of the non-profit Arts on View Society, which is fulfilling its dream of operating a unique Victoria performing arts centre. The society already operates Hermann’s Jazz Club on the main floor of the building—a Victoria feature for over 40 years. Despite sharing the name, the two venues are considerably different with Hermann’s Upstairs expanding into very different genres and providing more of a nightclub experience.

The whole building is undergoing a metamorphosis to elevate audience experience. Food services are currently being improved at both the Jazz Club and Upstairs. Hermann’s Upstairs does not have full dinner service at the moment, but it is in the works. There is also fundraising underway to install an elevator and to acquire funds to purchase the building.