A new entertainment venue and restaurant has opened in Gloucester. The Cut, a 22,000-foot space that can host nearly 500 people for general-admission concerts, is bringing live music and food offerings for patrons on the North Shore.
The restaurant officially opened Monday, and shows at the venue will kick off with an inaugural concert featuring The Brother Brother and Jax Hollow on Jan. 16. More touring acts taking the stage at the Cut will be announced in the coming days.
Travis Siewers, the venue’s director of operations, said he hopes the space becomes a place for local musicians to take the stage and for locals to attend affordable concerts.
“We want tickets to be $25, $35. As far as music goes, everything from rock and roll, blues, jazz. We really want there to be sort of a kinetic presence of dance and being on your feet and having a good time,” Siewers said.
For seated shows, the capacity of the venue will be about 300 people, and its restaurant can sit 180 diners. The venue also includes rehearsal and recording studio spaces.
On Main Street in downtown Gloucester, the venue was named for the bridge that connects the city’s Outer Harbor and the Annisquam River: the Blynman Bridge, or “Cut Bridge.” It also makes reference to cutting a record, or cutting a rug.
Randi Millman, talent booker for the venue, said it’s been exciting for her to see it come to life — and she’s looking forward to both local and national acts taking the stage in Gloucester.
“It's a beautiful space, and it was designed by a team of people that are not only business people, but music lovers or musicians themselves,” Millman said. “There's a great attention to detail in the design of both the music space and the restaurant space. I love the design of the music space, and I really love the amenities. I think that artists are going to really feel well taken care of.”
Siewers said he hopes to use the concert space also for things like community gatherings, movie premieres, corporate events and more.
“We’re trying to provide a community hub and bring people together and have a good time,” he said. “Bringing arts and entertainment back to this area, Gloucester has been known for at least the visual arts and painting for the very longest — I mean, it's one of the oldest art communities in America.”
The restaurant will serve dinner daily from 4:30 to 10 p.m, offering gastropub bites and a selection of beverages including beers, hard kombucha, wines, cocktails and mocktails. Along with dinner, an all-day ordering menu will be available from a to-go window from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
