New Boise concert venue to open downtown with ‘super cool’ roof patio. You’ll know the name.

You’ve heard of the ninth annual Treefort Music Fest, preparing to take over downtown Boise later this month.

Meet Treefort Music Hall — hoping to rock downtown Boise 365 days a year.

The minds behind Treefort plan to open a permanent, mid-sized music club in summer 2022. The 500- to 700-capacity venue will be run by Duck Club Entertainment, the local booking agency that created Treefort Music Fest. Renovations are expected to begin soon in the former Office Depot building at 722 W. Broad St.

Among Treefort Music Hall’s highlights? A “super cool rooftop patio open year-round with drinks and entertainment,” according to a press release. The rooftop will have the ability to showcase live music, too, such as smaller gigs or acoustic performances.

With two bars, state-of-the-art audio-video equipment and “thoughtfully designed green rooms with artist needs at the forefront,” Treefort Music Hall instantly will be a key player in the Boise music scene. The venue will offer “modern amenities with the ability to accommodate a diverse variety of musical acts and varying sizes of crowds.” The plan is for Treefort Music Hall to secure a liquor license but also welcome fans of all ages.

Treefort Music Hall inherently will compete with the long-running Knitting Factory Concert House, a 999-capacity venue located two blocks away at 416 S. 9th St. But Eric Gilbert, Treefort’s Music Fest’s co-founder and festival director, said he believes the clubs can coexist in the market.

“I think it going to help the neighborhood be vibrant,” Gilbert said in a phone interview. “Ideally, both rooms are active and full — that’s truly where we’re coming from with it.

“I think it will have its challenging moments. But I really think (with) Boise’s trajectory, there needs to be a room that can better service the 500 to 700 range.”

At least two downtown bars known for live music are nodding in approval. Allen Ireland, owner of Neurolux and Pengilly’s Saloon, is a Treefort Music Hall investor. On a larger scale, local Scoggin Capital Investment is leading the current round of investing in Duck Club Entertainment.

Treefort Music Hall’s building is owned by Hendricks Commercial Properties, which is developing the nearby Warehouse Food Hall slated to open next spring. The entire Treefort Music Hall will be around 20,000 square feet, Gilbert said, including Duck Club’s office space, green rooms and the rooftop patio.

Opening a music venue has been a goal of Treefort’s founders for years, according to the release: “Ten years ago, Lori Shandro and Drew Lorona hoped to open a music venue in Boise. Once the pair crossed paths with Eric Gilbert and Megan Stoll, the idea shifted into what is now Treefort Music Fest. A decade later, Treefort Music Hall will bring Treefort full circle and mark a new era for the organization that has fiercely supported local music and emerging artists.”

After Treefort Music Hall opens, Duck Club plans to keep booking music at other local venues and producing Treefort Music Fest.

“We are incredibly excited to bring another venue option to downtown Boise,” Gilbert said. “... Treefort Music Hall will be a huge opportunity for artists and attendees in Boise, as well as touring bands that have passed on Boise in the past due to the lack of mid-range capacity venue options.”

This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 12:00 AM.