A Malden brewery and restaurant is prepared to welcome the many faces of Boston music to its new performance space.
Located at 50 Pleasant St., Faces Brewing Co. has outfitted its taproom for live music and events, providing both touring and local acts with a new 100-person venue in Greater Boston. Former O’Brien’s Pub talent buyer Ryan Agate has joined the operation as well, bringing his longtime booking expertise to his hometown of five years.
The taproom hosted its first live event in November, but the ever-changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19 have kept the room quiet — until now. Shows will return to the space next month with sets from All Away Lou and Me in Capris (March 10) and Early Riser and Happy Just To See You (March 25), with more bands to be announced on each bill.
“Don’t get me wrong, we still use our taproom for a lot of private events and functions, but if we can fill our calendar with viable concerts, we will fill our calendar with concerts,” Faces co-owner Bob Martignetti tells Vanyaland.
Martignetti opened Faces in May 2020 alongside his siblings Dan, Julia, Joe, and Anthony, honoring their family’s now-shuttered disco of the same name. While not a musician himself, Martignetti branched into Boston music via WZBC, where he filmed dozens of touring bands for in-studio performances. His tenure at the station even included tricking Boston College into closing an on-campus mansion so Speedy Ortiz could use it as the backdrop for the “Raising the Skate” music video.
“Through this window into the music scene, as well as relationships I had built with a few of the local venues, I came to realize how small the community is,” he notes. “I hear a lot more about venues closing down than new venues opening up. There will always be DIY spaces for emerging bands to cut their teeth, but it feels like there are only a handful of spots for artists who are looking to move beyond the DIY scene, but don’t yet have the audience to fill the Middle East Downstairs or the Sinclair or Brighton Music Hall. It’s almost like Goldilocks. Most artists don’t go right from playing house shows to playing arenas. There need to be more options in between.”
Enter Faces, a “just right” size room that’s within walking distance of two parking lots, the Orange Line, and multiple MBTA bus stops.
This isn’t a cram-the-band-into-an-open-corner situation, either. Faces’ taproom is separate from the main bar and eating area, making a clear distinction between performances and folks solely stopping by for a casual bite or beer. The space is outfitted with its own bar and seating, as well as 25 audio treatment panels mounted to the ceiling to help the acoustics soar. During the warmer months, Faces offers alfresco dining, with ample room for bands to set up — so concurrent indoor and outdoor shows are a possibility, too.
“That’s the wonder of it really, it’s just a good fit for the quieter acoustic show to the louder/heavier shows, and everything in between,” Agate explains to Vanyaland. “I’ve got some national touring bands looking to play at Faces, as well as local interest so I think you will see the mix and variety of styles that OB’s had.”
After some pandemic-related reflection, Agate resigned from booking O’Brien’s last year to enjoy more time with loved ones. But once a mutual contact from Malden’s SUM Studios connected him with Martignetti, he saw working with Faces as a “just right” scenario for his work-life balance, too. “Booking shows at a really rad spot a five minute bike ride from my house? Hell yeah, that sounds doable,” he says.
Now, Agate says no genre or tour is off the table. Artists will leave Faces with a marketable parting gift as well: A professional recording of their set, free for them to sell or use however they want.
“I’ve filmed all the performances we’ve had so far, plus we close mic every instrument so that we can pipe a live mix through the taproom sound system and record the tracks independently, so a proper mix can be post-produced after the fact,” Martignetti explains. “Artists can come in and perform, and when they walk out, we can hand them the tracks so they can produce their own mix and release it on Bandcamp as a live album, if they want.”
It’s those kinds of small touches that distinguish Faces’ taproom as a space that’s owned and operated by people dedicated to the health of the greater Boston music scene.
“I’ve seen some of my favorite bands just vanish because things weren’t panning out and the band members eventually pursued different careers,” Martignetti says. “If our team at Faces can harness our collective lack of musical talent to help bands make music their profession rather than a side-hustle–that would be a great feeling.”
“[It] feels kind of like this is the time for cities like Malden to shine, show off what we got, really impress the folks who may have written it off,” Agate concludes.
Bands interested in booking performances at Faces can reach out to Ryan Agate at bookingbyrtt@gmail.com.
