Meridian undergoing overhaul
01-28-2010 13:30 CST Houston Chronicle
After two months of running the Meridian, owner Anosh Ahmed is about to unveil a major overhaul. The Houston Press reported that the venue will be changing its look and its name to Wired Live.
Bookings for the venue seem unaffected so far: Shows by Booker T, Hank III, Johnny Winter, Sondre Lerche and multiple metal bands are still on the schedule. The biggest change, Ahmed says, will be a new 17,000 square foot nightclub opening downstairs with "pretty much one of the best sound systems in Texas."
The main upstairs music room will not undergo any structural changes. Ahmed says the upstairs sports bar will turn into a Red Room lounge area, while there will be a new exclusive lounge connected to the main upstairs room.
"We're changing up the whole venue," he says. "The previous owners had a different mentality. They all ran clubs and bars back in the '80s. But it's a different generation, a different crowd with a different mentality now."
Meridian's site already touts the impending name change to Wired Live. Ahmed hopes the official change will be established by April. The target for opening the nightclub is Feb. 27, with Felix da Housecat performing as grand opener. Should problems hold up the opening of the club, he'll play the main room.
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THE SHOWS MUST GO ON
A make-over for the Meridian
January 28th, 2010 at 11:36 AM
The scene in the Warehouse District (sometimes known these days as EaDo) is changing, so it comes as no surprise that the venues are adjusting to keep up. With new owner Anosh Ahmed on board, The Meridian—player on the live music scene since 2004 — is remodeling and restructuring, dubbing itself Wired Live.
The Houston Press got the details from Mike Kelley:
"The complex will now be four new parts. The main room will stay the same - it's the club's big draw and allows them to book larger shows, including upcoming Mike Snow and Booker T dates.... The Red Room is to be remodeled into something akin to the House Of Blues' loungy Foundation Room, meaning no more shows inside it. The sports-bar area will become the Channel Room and will act as the venue's smaller setting for metal, indie, punk and alt-rock showcases. Kelley will book most of the acts on that stage, and hinted that one of the lower floors will be turned into a separate dance club."
The last show under The Meridian banner was performed on January 15, with Wired Live (not to be confused with EaDo neighbor Warehouse Live) shows beginning in February from nationally recognized Chicago dance DJs Felix da Housecat (Feb. 27), Mark Farina (Feb. 6) and the Rebel Rave Tour featuring Damian Lazurus (March 13), with more acts to be announced.
(reprinted from ~ http://www.culturemap.com/newsdetail/01-28-10-a-make-over-for-the-meridian/ )
Please Don't Call It "Meridian" Anymore - Old Chinatown Club Is Now "Wired Live"
By Craig Hlavaty in This Just In - Wed., Jan. 27 2010 @ 2:45PM - Houston Press
Rocks Off got word today that Meridian (1503 Chartres) is going through a hefty remodeling and restructuring project. Sometime next week, the Warehouse District venue will be rechristened Wired Live, with all-new signage and from talking to act booker Mike Kelley, a whole new attitude and business model.
Meridian has undergone a myriad of changes in the past two years. First, previous operator Bob Fuldauer began trying to utilize the venue's wasted space on the first and second floors. An art gallery and tattoo shop opened up, and plans were made for a bowling alley and massive sports bar on the ground floor.
Those plans were scuttled and what Meridian ended up doing was creating a smaller sports bar in one part of the second floor and moving the venue's main entrance to the Chartres side instead of on the north and south sides of the building. This created some confusion at first, but was quickly sorted out.
Today Kelley told Rocks Off that the complex will now be four new parts. The main room will stay the same - it's the club's big draw and allows them to book larger shows, including upcoming Mike Snow and Booker T dates.
The Red Room is to be remodeled into something akin to the House Of Blues' loungy Foundation Room, meaning no more shows inside it. The sports-bar area will become the Channel Room and will act as the venue's slightly smaller setting for shows of all kinds. Kelley will book the acts on that stage, and hinted that one of the lower floors will be turned into a separate dance club
.
The changes behind the soon-to-be-former Meridian are being led by new owner Anosh Ahmed, perhaps telegraphing a bigger nightlife shift into that part of Houston. Development is ramping up, especially in regards to housing and bars. It doesn't hurt that that district is just blocks away from two of the city's largest sports complexes, Toyota Center and Minute Maid Park. It makes more sense for the people who catch a game at one of those two places to walk or take a quick cab or car ride into the Warehouse District to do their after-partying. It makes a hell of a lot more sense to go there than to brave the cops staked out on Washington or the treacherous red-light journey into Midtown or even Montrose.
Wired Live's first show is set for Saturday, February 6, when the venue welcomes Chicago house DJ Mark Farina to the main room. The venue's lineup for spring and fall has not yet been announced, but Kelley did throw out some pretty cool names to help usher in the complex's new era. Rocks Off will tell you who they are... eventually.