A new documentary series from AXS TV, “If These Walls Could Rock,” will explore some of the most beloved music venues in the country, ranging from the storied intimacy of the Troubadour in West Hollywood to the scenic splendor of Colorado’s Red Rocks amphitheater, the network announced Tuesday.
The series premieres July 7 at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 PT, with new half-hour episodes scheduled every Wednesday through Aug. 11, each including a veteran performer associated with the club, hall or amphitheater as well as the venues’ staffers and music industry experts.
Perhaps the most well-known of the artist/venue pairings is that of Jackson Browne and the Troubadour, as the singer/songwriter regularly played the L.A. nightspot in the early ’70s as part of a scene that also included Linda Ronstadt and the nascent Eagles. Their episode airs July 14.
The premiere episode focuses on the Old Brick Church in Charleston, South Carolina, a venue that is not that old as a concert hall but which goes back generations in its prior incarnation as a remotely located house of worship. Blues-rock group Vintage Trouble is the host act for the July 7 episode.
The Red Rocks episode July 21 will of course feature Colorado natives Big Head Todd and the Monsters, which just headlined the uniquely situated venue this past weekend, and which even managed to play their more-or-less hometown amphitheater twice during the pandemic in 2020, once to empty seats and once to an audience of 200.
An episode at New Orleans’ Preservation Hall on July 28 will feature hometown hero Ivan Neville as the audience’s conduit to the history of a tiny club that has hosted hundreds of thousands.
The August 4 episode will go underground at the Caverns of central Tennessee, the rare venue to require a substantial dip beneath the surface of the earth. Speaking of subterranean, the season will wrap up August 11 at Chicago’s historic Aragon Ballroom, which still has surrounding tunnels from the Prohibition era.
“‘If These Walls Could Rock’ explores the fascinating relationship an artist has with a performance space, and a performance space has with its community,” said Sarah Weidman, AXS TV’s head of original programming, development and multi-platform content. “We’re proud to have documented these stories in a thoughtful way; celebrating a wide assortment of venues and a diverse line up of phenomenal artists.”
The network is pairing the show on its Wednesday night lineup with the returning series “Music’s Greatest Mysteries.”Stephen Stormer is the executive producer for “If These Walls Could Rock,” being produced in-house.
