A sign on the wall at The Foundry in Waynesboro shows the growing music venue may now host up to 1,000 people at its East Main Street location.
Owner Bart Lanman, who also operates Basic City Beer Co., believes the increased capacity and run of sold-out shows could help put The Foundry on the map.
The 14,000-square-foot venue began in 2023 with a 650-person capacity before growing to 850.
There is certainly buzz around the venue – something that grew over time – and while Lanman was ready to initially dip his toe into bringing bigger acts to The Foundry, he’s now all in.
After two years in business, Lanman, and his operations manager, John “Hojo” Howard, felt the restaurant and bar side of the music hall was efficient, delivering drinks in 10 minutes or less and offering a solid menu loaded with everything from a western smashburger to a crispy cup pepperoni pizza.
The next step in the evolution of The Foundry was to take what they had learned about the popularity of certain tribute acts and regional bands and use that knowledge to make some sound decisions about who to bring to the stage next.
Lanman had the opportunity to book the alternative rock band Everclear before but passed – until this year, when he decided to take the leap and scheduled them to perform in May.
“It was a risk for us, because we had all of these significant dollar amounts, and if we sold 10 tickets, I’d still have to pay,” said Lanman.
Lanman didn’t have to worry for very long; the show sold out well in advance, at the time with a capacity of 850.
“I want more events that garner that attention as we grow,” said Howard. “Everclear was an anomaly on its own, but we knew it was going to do it [sell out].”
After the success of Everclear, Howard and Lanman started looking at acts to keep up the momentum, focusing primarily on what had proved popular already, ’90s and 2000s-era alt rock, hard rock and heavy metal bands.
Finding their niche
The Foundry didn’t want to imitate the schedules that similar size venues were booking; what worked at The Jefferson or The National wouldn’t necessarily work in Waynesboro.
“We’ve got a different clientele here,” said Lanman. “We’ve got a different local base. We’ve got a different culture. In order for us to sort of find our way, we started with locals, and then went into tributes, as sort of a litmus of what genres were going to resonate with people here.”
Over time, it was clear that a nostalgic blend of alternative pop rock and heavy metal was proving to be a hit with The Foundry’s patrons.
Another popular genre was county and bluegrass, and while it didn’t fit into the nostalgia genre, it did consistently draw large audiences. They’ve booked artists including Sierra Hull, Emily Ann Roberts, Maggie Baugh and Tyler Rich, people they hope will one day become major stars who won’t forget the small-town venues that helped them get there. Something like how people from the area always remember Dave Matthews who got his start in Charlottesville at Trax and Miller’s, where Dave worked as a bartender before hitting it big.
They want their lineup to be one that people simply can’t miss out on, and they hope to build a loyal following far beyond the borders of the Valley, looking to draw regular traffic from music lovers 90 miles away or more.
“We’re finding a niche in the market where it’s ours, and once everybody else finds it, we’ll find another one,” Howard said. “Some of these shows are pulling people from Northern Virginia, from North Carolina, from Tennessee.”
Fall booking checks all the boxes
Following the success of Everclear, The Foundry booked Sister Hazel, a ‘90s Southern rock band best known for their 1997 single “All for You,” in July.
After a run of successful shows, The Foundry believes it is finally on the radar of musicians across the country. They’ve gotten positive feedback from professionals about the backstage green room and professional sound system, and they’ve added a talent buyer to the mix to help them get the best shows in Waynesboro.
In coming months, the venue will host live performances from Buckcherry, Tonic, Jackyl, and just announced, Sebastian Bach of Skid Row – acts that are designed to draw attention to the flourishing Virginia venue in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.
With a million or more people in a 90-mile vicinity, Howard said the goal is to simply get one thousand of them in The Foundry for each show.
“How do we get in front of them, or pull their hearts strings to where they have to be here for this? There’s something about these bands – Everclear, Tonic, Sister Hazel – all these bands. We know that the public knows them and remembers the video in their head too.”
Lanman has enjoyed watching how music brings people together. He’s enjoyed talking to parents who bring kids to shows to see acts they like, and vice versa, sharing a love for old and new music. At one show, he said, a father and son were there to take in a band, and the son was just as excited as the dad because he had grown up listening to the songs.
“He [the son] was playing the air guitar and singing all the words, you know,” Lanman said.
“All of this nostalgia that you grew up with in our youth, or in our teenage years, all of these are part of our music trajectory and history. It brings back the memories of wearing your jean jacket or smoking a cigarette.
“Our October schedule is packed with that, and what we’re doing is we’re setting up this theme that is going to be called Rolling Back Rock and the nostalgia that’s not lost at The Foundry, and it’ll encompass eight to nine bands that include, you know, tribute bands, a Bon Jovi tribute, AC/DC tribute, but then also the real McCoys that are the Buckcherry, the Jackyl, the Sebastian Bach and Tonic.”
Foundry working to build trust of patrons
Both men are hopeful that the impact of the Foundry will be felt throughout the region and far beyond.
“It’s more than just what’s happening in the building,” said Howard. “It’s what’s happening to our community as a whole.”
When they opened their doors, a curator from a Washington museum attended the very first show, and he told Lanman that he could see The Foundry grow into a legacy venue.
A legacy venue is a location with a good reputation where patrons trust the venue to bring in phenomenal acts, and even if they don’t know the band, they want to check it out, because they trust the venue and its booking instincts.
“We’re raw. We’re edgy. We want to be a legacy venue. I want people to talk about The Foundry,” said Howard.
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Crystal Graham
