The Recher is a
concert venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...
in
Towson
Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is t ...
, Maryland. It is located at 512 York Road in the building previously operated as the Towson Theatre, a one-screen movie theater.
The Towson Theatre was designed by architect John Ahlers of the George Norbury MacKenzie III architectural firm. It cost $100,000 to build and opened on March 1, 1928.
The theatre was sold to the Recher family in the 1950s, who continued running the cinema into the 1990s.
They then converted it into an upscale billiard parlor.
The building was later transformed into The Recher Theatre, a concert venue, which opened in 1999.
The small venue with a capacity of only 700
hosted many national acts over the years, including:
Aimee Mann
Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released ten studio albums as a solo artist. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects, often d ...
,
Andrew W.K.,
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Towson, Maryland, in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson ...
,
Anberlin
Anberlin is an American alternative rock band formed in Winter Haven, Florida, in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007, the band consists of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, guitarists Joseph Milligan and Christian McAlhaney, bassist Deon Rexroat, ...
,
Bo Diddley
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,
Boondox,
Breaking Benjamin
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,
Buckethead
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,
Buckcherry
Buckcherry is an American hard rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1995. The band released two albums, ''Buckcherry (album), Buckcherry'' (1999) and ''Time Bomb (Buckcherry album), Time Bomb'' (2001), before dissolving in 2002. Buckche ...
,
Charlie Daniels Band
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock music, rock, country music, country, blues and jazz, and was a pioneering contribution to Southern rock and p ...
,
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...
,
Crack The Sky
Crack the Sky is an American progressive rock band formed in Weirton, West Virginia, in the early 1970s. In 1975, ''Rolling Stone'' declared their first album the "debut album of the year", and in 1978, ''Rolling Stone Record Guide'' compared t ...
, Danyul Reyman Blues Band,
Danzig,
Dark Star Orchestra
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,
Demon Hunter Demon hunter is a demonology-related historic occupation or folkloric character which specializes in killing demons, monsters, or undead creatures.
Demon hunter or variations may also refer to:
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Disco Biscuits
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,
Electric Light Orchestra
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood and drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop and classical arrangement ...
,
Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...
,
Fuel
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,
George Clinton,
Good Charlotte
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,
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
,
Jeffree Star
Jeffree Star (born Jeffrey Lynn Steininger Jr., November 15, 1985) is an American makeup artist, media personality and singer-songwriter. He is the founder and owner of Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
In 2009, Star released his debut studio album, ''Be ...
,
Judas Priest
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,
Linkin Park
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,
Little Feat
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,
O.A.R.
O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, and saxophonist/g ...
,
Papa Roach
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,
Puddle of Mudd
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,
Reel Big Fish
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,
Robert Cray
Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards.
Early life
Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...
,
Shinedown
Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed by singer Brent Smith in 2001 after the dissolution of his previous band, Dreve. Smith, still under contract with record label Atlantic Records, recruited the band's original ...
,
Slayer
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,
They Might Be Giants
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Third Eye Blind
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The White Stripes
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Thirty Seconds to Mars
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, Mr. Bungle, and
Zakk Wylde
Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American rock musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heav ...
.
Closure
The Recher Theater closed in 2013.
It enjoyed a strong run as one of the area's premier music venues, but was eventually squeezed out by larger venues.
The Recher ended its days as a live music staple with a sold-out fundraising concert titled "The Last Hurrah!" featuring 17 bands, many of which had played at the Recher over the last decade.
The bands performing included The Hint, American Diary,
Thin Dark Line,
Dropout Year, All Mighty Senators, Warren Boes/Andy Belt, Burning Rosewood, Shane from Valencia, Evan Michael, The Everlove/Adelphi, Japan 4 Japan 4 band shows, Hectic Red, Technicolor Minivan, Oh the Story, Brighter Shades, Rob Fahey & Pieces, Monday Night Social Club Band, Serena Miller & Riot, The Regal Begals, and
Ashes Remain
Ashes Remain is an American Christian rock band, formed in 2001 and based in Baltimore, Maryland. The band was founded by Josh Smith and Ryan Nalepa. While they released two albums in their first six years, the band is popularly known for its thi ...
.
All proceeds were donated to Catherine's Fund For Cystic Fibrosis, associated with the Maryland Chapter of the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure cystic fibrosis (CF) and ensure that those living with CF live long and productive lives. The Foundation pro ...
.
The Recher Theatre space was converted into a nightclub known as Torrent Nightclub. The change was attributed to the rise of popularity of DJs and electronic dance music.
Recher said, "The market for live music is down, and the local music scene, as well, wasn't what it used to be."
After nearly a year of construction, the Torrent Nightclub opened on Thursday, Feb 13, 2014, featuring British DJs EC Twins.
Reopening
In June 2020, owner Brian Recher announced that the space would rebrand and reopen as The Recher at a future date. It was revealed in early March 2021 that The Recher would reopen on March 19, 2021, initially with limited capacity shows due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
References
External links
Recher Theatre closes doors for transformation.Torrent Nightclub website
{{Music venues of Maryland
Buildings and structures in Baltimore County, Maryland
Music venues in Baltimore
Nightclubs in the United States
Tourist attractions in Baltimore
2013 disestablishments in Maryland