Independent booking agent and show promoter Jason Trefts has been named main talent buyer at Boston rock club Church. Trefts, who had been booking and promoting shows as Illegally Blind Presents at the Middle East — including last night’s sold-out Mac DeMarco gig and last summer’s 13-band Fuzzstival — starts his new gig tomorrow, with his impact on the Church live music calendar showing sometime in June or July.
Trefts tells Vanyaland he’s excited to lead a room full-time, and was first drawn to Church’s low overhead costs.
“I know what it’s like to work really hard to bring in a crowd and walk away with nothing — there’s a reason why a lot of great musicians don’t play venues,” Trefts says. “Also, ownership there is committed to keeping the room up to par with sound, etc., and is willing to work with me on a lot of my ideas.”
Church has seen a lot of turnover in its booking agent chair over the past few years, with the role most recently being filled by Dan Millen of Rock On Concerts and local tour manager Will Raymund. But Trefts says that with the venue’s relatively low capacity of 225, he envisions the club as a launching pad for new bands and one that can strengthen the Boston music scene.
“My main goal is to contribute to the local arts community by helping provide a safe space for up and coming bands to play,” he adds. “Transparency is something the music business is lacking in general, and with a job like this I can help teach bands how to better advocate for themselves.”
Trefts will still book shows as Illegally Blind at the Middle East, O’Brien’s Pub, and other venues around town while filling the full-time role at Church.
“I’m going to continue to build bridges within the music community and to promote teamwork, fairness, and talented artists,” Trefts says. “If anything, the Church job will make me better at Illegally Blind, because I will get to learn about different aspects of the business.”
Below are some of the Illegally Blind shows on the immediate horizon, including two top-shelf events at the Middle East: Mean’s Creek’s record release party on April 25 and Bearstronaut, Color Channel, Parallels, Condor on May 1.
Meanwhile at Church, Grant Lazlo plays on Thursday night, Max Creek is there on Saturday, and Macaulay Culkin’s Pizza Underground serenades us with their pizza-themed Velvet Underground covers on April 19.
Trefts can be reached at booking.churchboston@gmail.com.