What does a city in the middle of Texas do with an abandoned wool warehouse, feed store and meat-locker plant? Eden was already known for its municipal golf courses and as a popular destination for hunters heading out into the Hill Country, but for a small group of dedicated individuals, Eden was seriously lacking cultural arts. With one thing leading to another and a significant renovation, a set of decrepit buildings became a live music venue: the Green Apple Art Center, which now brings live music to Eden in an intimate setting.
Green Apple began its first music series in May 2013. The series of monthly concerts starts each spring and continues through the fall, bringing well-known performers like Slaid Cleaves and Jimmy LaFave to Eden. Before the center was established, Eden music fans would have to travel more than 40 minutes to San Angelo if they wanted to see any sort of performance. Now, Green Apple sells tickets to Texans coming from Lubbock, Sweetwater and even the Live Music Capital itself, Austin.
Craig Pfluger, the music coordinator at Green Apple, says the music quality is “comparable to what you can get in one of the theaters in Austin or Dallas.” The Center takes pride in the caliber of performers it brings to Eden, as well as the quality of the venue’s acoustics. A tech crew — “the greatest sound people we could ever want,” Pfluger says – created an immersive music experience for the 150-seat house. The listening room provides comfortable seats in a theater-style set up. Visitors embrace the intimacy, Pfluger says, and appreciate the ability to interact with the musicians.
Left From an abandoned warehouse and meat-locker plant, culture was born. Right Green Apple introduced its first music series in 2013.
The historic buildings serve as the main décor for the venue, while the city’s cultural heritage remains intact. During the renovation, Eden city employees maintained each building’s original façade, and an Eden Wool & Mohair sign lingers behind the stage, a reminder of Eden’s history. P fluger notes the simplicity of the listening room’s concrete walls and open-casing windows. “There’s nothing fancy about our venue,” he says. “It’s simple, but you still feel like you’re transported somewhere else.”
From its start, the Green Apple Art Center has brought Eden a new sense of community centered on the arts. And food. After a year of shows, the center decided to start including free food with the show tickets. Now, before each show, a social hour allows time for the music-goers to mingle while enjoying ribs, fajitas or whatever Texas cuisine has been cooked up for the night.
This year will feature another impressive lineup of musicians, including award-winning performers like Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots and the Black Lillies, along with Texans Ruthie Foster, Hayes Carll and Radney Foster. And though the people of Eden originally wondered where the dance floor was, now you can find regulars enjoying the atmosphere and music. “We’re blessed to have the audience we do,” Pfluger says. “These people are coming even if they don’t know anything about the performer.”
