Crucible co-owners Gregory Kveberg, left, and Jason Socha.
Inside a former diesel mechanic shop on Madison’s east side, construction crews are hard at work transforming the gritty industrial space into Crucible, a brand new nightclub whose owners hope to provide a home for the city’s alternative arts community.
“We recognized after the Inferno [closed] there was going to be a whole music scene and community that didn’t have a home,” says co-owner Jason Socha, referencing the beloved north-side venue that closed in 2015. Socha and business partner Greg Kveberg, both patrons of the Inferno, set out to create a community space that would bring all the subcultures together under one roof. “We want this to be a playhouse for the peculiar children,” Kveberg says.
After years of planning and months of renovations, Crucible will have its grand opening on New Year’s Eve. The party features a stacked lineup of DJs, including Whiterabbit, Eurotic, Siberia ellafine and psych0tron, plus performers including Lilly Violet, Lady Harlequin, Sonnet Sin and Sophie Shapeless. Advance tickets got snapped up in less than an hour, but there will be some tickets available at the door.
It’s the first of many events to come at Crucible — Kveberg has the space booked up through March, and the schedule features an eclectic mix of live bands, DJs, burlesque and drag performers, plus recurring events, including karaoke, crafting, board games, masquerades and regular screenings of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show. The nightclub will also be home to its own burlesque troupe, Crucible Burlesque, run by performer and instructor Ariel LeBron, and a monthly house music residency from DJ Millbot, aka Emily Mills, who recently wrote about Crucible for Tone Madison.
Kveberg is conscious of the potential for crossover between events at Crucible and venues like Plan B and FIVE Nightclub. “On nights [other clubs] have burlesque or Leather & Lace, I’m booking heavy metal shows,” he says.
On a recent walkthrough, Kveberg showed off the almost-finished space. The main room with the stage is about the size of the High Noon Saloon, and there’s a separate area for the bar. “Some people prefer a quieter place to get away and get a drink,” he says. There will be a 30-by-30-foot dance floor surrounded by seating; a modular area in the back of the room will provide greater flexibility for staging and decor. A separate taproom features a gleaming brushed metal bar, and bar manager Vic Eckstein is developing a cocktail-focused drink menu.
For performers, there’s a large backstage space for costumes and equipment, and there’s a separate green room. Kveberg says the setup allows the club to accommodate a variety of acts.
The space was built under the direction of Naomi Kroth, a project manager for Bachmann Construction. “Ironically, Bachmann was the company that tore down the Inferno,” Kroth says. Like Socha and Kveberg, she’s also a former patron of the Inferno.
In the spirit of community collaboration, the building also has studio space for industrial artists — something that’s hard to come by in the city, especially since the closure of Winnebago Studios. Local metal sculptor William Turnbull is currently the only tenant, but others have shown interest, Kveberg says. FeLion Studios will do its annual community iron pour at Crucible in February. Turnbull has created gorgeous metal signage for Crucible, which is awaiting city approval. He’s also fashioning a steampunk-style mechanical sculpture — complete with moving gears — that will frame the doorway from the bar into the venue’s main room.
Located at 3116 Commercial Ave., a frontage road between East Washington Avenue and Hwy. 30, Crucible might seem off the beaten path. But Kveberg says he’s cautiously optimistic about the venue’s ability to bring in patrons — the venue is on the bus line, and it’s a cheap cab ride to downtown. “All the entertainment in Madison seems like it’s poured into this downtown gravity well,” he says. “It’s only a moderate pain to get out here.”
