Every genre, from rap to indie, can be seen playing in the music venues of Atlanta. Every night of the week, a new band is pouring out into a crowd of music lovers.
Several of Atlanta’s more intimate music venues, such as The Masquerade or Smith’s Olde Bar, are filled with flannel-wearing indie lovers rocking out to the newest underground artists. Other venues such as Coca-Cola Roxy and The Tabernacle give off that same intimate energy while expanding into more prominent and more popular areas of music.
Atlanta’s newest music venue, The Eastern, combines both of these styles. The location has gained immense popularity over the past couple of months as nationally touring artists sweep the stage and make live music a reality.
Opening its doors for the first time on September 1st, The Eastern began with a massive performance from local artist Big Boi. As vaccines started to roll out, people began to feel safe in a concert setting for the first time in a long time. The Eastern was ready to provide music to eager patrons.
Before becoming a music venue, The Eastern was the former Atlanta Dairies. It was a ghost of an industrial building covered in vines, graffiti and broken bottles. After a few years and several construction teams later, The Eastern finally opened to the public.
“The Eastern is a state-of-the-art venue in the Dairies complex in the Reynoldstown neighborhood of Atlanta, located right off of the Atlanta Beltline,” The Eastern’s website states.
The Eastern has an impressive lineup of artists with diverse genres set to play for the upcoming months. Bands and groups such as Mt Joy, Old Crow Medicine Show, Zach Bryan, Saint Jhn and Thundercat are in the books to rock out Reynoldstown throughout October.
Bands and artists such as Shakey Graves, Ashley McBryde, and Moon Taxi will be playing through November. Although the Eastern’s lineup is musically diverse, the venue focuses on critically acclaimed indie-folk and country artists.
These country artists such as Zach Bryan, Ashley Mcbryde and Billy Strings tell stories with their music, interweaving the heaviness that comes with love, the awkwardness of hookups and the devastating dullness that comes as a package deal with a broken heart.
Artists like these send listeners down a road full of emotional anticipation, describing all the ways a person can feel alive. Several of the artists The Eastern will be featuring in the coming months hold this powerful writing, storytelling and musical style.
According to The Eastern’s website, the building has a rooftop bar, restaurant and open-air seating options.
“The venue boasts a multi-tiered floor-plan which offers unrivaled sightlines, top of the line sound and lights, spacious floor-plan, and rooftop which includes a covered performance space, bar-restaurant and open-air seating,” The Eastern’s website states.
The Eastern is located on Memorial Drive in the Reynoldstown neighborhood. The venue is only a short walk from Georgia State, and students can easily access it through The Beltline.
