The American Legion in downtown Durango has gotten a solid makeover. It also satisfied a need in the Durango music scene, that being a smaller to mid-sized venue to accommodate smaller, local and regional touring bands.
Many are familiar with the space at the corner of East Second Avenue and Ninth Street; it’s housed various events for decades – everything from wedding receptions to blood drives, while serving members of the American Legion.
If you go
WHAT: Open Mic Night at the American Legion
WHEN: 7 to 10 p.m. every Thursday
WHERE: 878 East Second Ave.
MORE INFORMATION: Email durangolegionp282gmail.com
But in the last year it’s also turned into a community space to host entertainment, including concerts and the now every Thursday Open Mic Nights.
When one music venue closed years ago, local sound engineer Ryan Williams saw an opportunity.
“The idea was that when The Summit closed about 10 years ago, Durango lost its only small venue – something sized between the corner of a bar, and the Animas City Theatre. We didn’t realize how big of a problem that really is for the Durango entertainment scene for upcoming bands, comics and such,” said Williams via email, who is the commander of the Legion. “Meanwhile, the American Legion was failing. It was about to close. To quote James Madison in ‘Hamilton,’ ‘Let’s solve one problem with another.’ The Legion needed a purpose, and the town needed a small venue.”
Much of the face-lift came from donations of cash and equipment from Williams himself, along with donations from Legion members, as well as a grant from the Durango Lodgers Tax Arts and Culture Grant and the Arts Commission and Colorado Walls Project that painted a mural on the building’s north, outside wall.
“I donated and installed JBL speakers and amplifiers I used to tour with,” he said. “We completely rebuilt the power system to bring it up to code, installed acoustic treatment on the walls, installed a new high volume swamp cooler, and replaced the dying hardwood floor with a new polished concrete floor embedded with glow-in-the-dark pieces. We also installed a new state of the art lighting system, fixed the plumbing, installed a new POS system and completed an incredible amount of deferred maintenance.”
Thus far, the space has housed numerous concerts, including bands performing for the iAM MUSIC Fest, Dana Ariel and The Coming Up Roses, and the Lawn Chair Kings celebrating 25 years as a band.
It’s also the new home to the Thursday Night Open Mic Nights, which has moved from the Union Social House to The Tangled Horn, Animas City Theatre and now the Legion. Hosted by local musicians Ryan Blundell and Scott Knoll, the two are seeing everything from musicians to comedians coming across the stage.
“It’s been a really good new home for us, it’s been very welcoming,” Blundell said. “It’s a smaller room, there’s still a stage, but it’s been a good move for us. And we’ve had a lot of people feel really comfortable in that room.”
Open mic nights remain an important asset to any town’s musical scene, a space where amateur musicians can take their next steps toward playing out while shaking offstage jitters. What this space is offering with open mic night is a place for musicians to meet each other, which ultimately could lead to the forming of your next favorite band. But it’s also a place for bands that may not be big enough for Durango’s larger venue to take the stage.
The American Legion isn’t just a place for cheap drinks.
“We want to continue focusing more on live entertainment and community events. People who haven’t been there, and perhaps even more so those who were there many years ago perceive it just as an old bar,” Williams said. “The reality is that we aim to be a community center first and foremost; while we have a bar, that’s not our primary focus.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
