| EVENT REPORT 05.02.07 12:00 AM |
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| Blender Creates House of Brand |
| The Blender Theater at Gramercy debuted with a show from the band Wolfmother, and snacks from musicians' riders. |
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| Fans of Blender magazine can now experience the brand in 3-D. On April 26, the publication hosted the grand opening of the Blender Theater at Gramercy, a permanent music venue and lounge on 23rd Street in Manhattan that was once an art-house cinema. The magazine celebrated with a concert by Grammy-winning act Wolfmother and a guest DJ set by New York Dolls’ David Johansen. Six hundred music fans and industry types were on hand for the standing room only show. Guests snacked on appetizers inspired by the riders of artists such as Beyoncé (chicken kabobs), Guns N’ Roses (chicken pizzette), and Tom Petty (sliders). The venue, which Blender created in cooperation with Live Nation, will hold 260 shows a year, with acts Rufus Wainwright, Macy Gray, and Jedi Mind Tricks among the first to take the stage. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | | The Blender Theater at Gramercy can accommodate 600 people; the back of the concert space contains graduated seating for 250. |
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 | | Napkins informed guests which acts inspired the snacks they were about to eat. |
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 | | The venue’s previous incarnation as an art-movie house inspired what Gasperoni described as the unpretentious decor of the Blender Lounge. |
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 | | Guests took home Blender merchandise such as buttons, Tshirts, temporary tattoos, and posters. |
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 | | Models sporting Blender T-shirts passed out goods to attendees. |
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 | | Smart Catering provided the rider-inspired appetizers. |
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 | | The Blender Theater at Gramercy aims to be an intimate showcase of buzzworthy New York bands on the rise, before they’re booked in larger and pricier venues. |
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Downstairs from the concert space, the publication created the Blender Lounge, decorated in rich reds and gold, and accessorized with photos from the magazine and screens airing Blender music events and specials. The magazine’s marketing director, William Gasperoni, sees the theater as a natural extension of the brand, where readers and music fans can have a Blender experience: “It’s a marketer’s dream. I always say, ‘You can’t hear the music in the magazine.’ To have this accessory piece is great.”
—Mimi O’Connor
Photos: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage (theater exterior, models, napkins, merchandise, food), BizBash (all others)
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