The Vera Project

Came here for the rainfest pre show to see one of the greatest hardcore bands ever. «Foundation»
Coming from another state I didn’t know what to expect and was I surprised.
The Vera project is in the middle of the city center right by the space needle. I thought this was really cool as I could take a stroll around the area before doors opened. There was also cool little fountains and the like around there.
Going into the venue it seemed like a community place where there is much more to do than just a music venue. By reading the past Unilocal reviews apparently they have screen printing classes and the like? Wow that’s already 5 stars!
The venue has signs posted about previous shows which seems as if they get some pretty awesome shows. The stage was awesome. Tall enough to see comfortably and small enough to hit the stage dives. There was no security but volunteers helping out. This was beautiful. A true DIY venue.
The bathrooms are gender neutral which I thought was amazing. They aren’t the cleanest or anywhere near there but I don’t expect much from a music venue. They had some couches around the main area and some zines to read. What!!! This place is awesome. Oh and FREE WATER. Seattle is amazing. I don’t have to pay $ 6 for a bottle of water.
Overall I fell in love with the art in this place and the nice volunteers while hitting those stage dives to foundation. I will look forward to seeing you next time.

This place is hard to find. The calendar said the door opens at 7:30 but that was when the show started. I paid $ 8 and missed my sons performance. I was in the place for less than five minutes after realizing I missed who I came to see and was not refunded my money. The kids running the door did not even offer and apology or a consolation. This may be a great place for kids but to be invited to an «all ages» event, I would have liked to know that my friend and I would be the only adults there. The only adults there were treated like children. I will not return and do not recommend this venue unless you are a child.

DO NOT GO TO A COMEDY SHOW HERE. This is a music venue and they have no clue about how to host comedians. Oversold by a lot and didn’t open balcony for the 50+ standing people until asked. And no alcohol. Time of show is doors open not start time. I’m sure it’s a good music venue but don’t see a comedian here.

Its great that there’s a place for kids to come and do things like music production and screen printing, that itself is a 5 star. What is not a 5 star rating or even 1 star, is how unprofessional the staff or volunteers are that handle phone calls.
I have left messages and emails that were NOT RETURNED at all. I tried to get into a few of the open studio sessions for screen printing and NOT ONE CALL OR EMAIL WAS RETURNED. I don’t know what I could of done to actually get a response, but that shit is ridiculous. I don’t think that I will ever try to get into a class, since it seems its a waste of time and no one cares to email you back or call.
But if you ever do get scheduled into a class, Eric who does the screen printing 101 class is great, when I did get into one of the classes, he really broke down the basics in a way that helped me learned how to screen print and make me feel like I could go home and do it.

No alcohol-​stained floor, no smoky bar? That’s half of the experience of going to a show! I think it’s past some of these kids’ bedtimes. They get some awesome bands, though. I think this is the first show I’ve been to that ended at 10:30 instead of started.

Nice intimate location for shows. Everyone who works there is friendly and laid back.

Awesome all ages venue. A lot of small obscure bands play here which is fun. I love the concept of students volunteering and getting the opportunity to learn about live music venue setup.

Very cool venue but a heads up that it’s all ages so no alcoholic drinks. Also, the bathrooms are ‘gender neutral’ which may throw you off if you’re not expecting it.

I love that The Vera Project exists. I would’ve loved to have known about this back in the day, but then I wasn’t much of a concert freak as I am now when I was «underage.» I’ve been to a couple amazing shows here, and it’s awesome to see young kids having a grand old time listening to awesome music in a space as great as The Vera Project. The volunteers do a great job maintaining the place.

I really like this venue! Its all ages and its easy to get to by bus, you can take a bus over to downtown and a monorail over to Seattle Center. I saw Alexz Johnson here a few weeks ago, she was amazing and I liked that the venue was not too big so the concert was more intimate and you could be practically next to the performer. I was touching the stage! Hope to go to another show here soon!

The screen printing classes are great!

I would’ve murdered to have a place like this when I was under 21 — it’s a great performance space and a fantastic organization, and I applaud all the volunteers and the killer shows they put on.
But Vera, I selfishly hate you. I really do. I loathe when you get folks like Why? and Marnie Stern and Titus Andronicus and Mt. Eerie and Deerhoof and a bajillion others. I cringe whenever I realize I’m going to have to come here. You make me feel SO OLD. And SO DRUNK. I seriously have to guzzle a ridiculous amount of liquor before coming just so I can handle all the sober kids who are light years cooler than I ever was. Also: hey kids, loosen up and enjoy yourselves. Stop standing there with your arms crossed. Dance around a bit. Rock out. You are so, so, so lucky to have this venue.

What I like about the Vera Project is that they promote art & music!
I recently came here to go to a concert — Boyce Avenue! (Woot woot!) Parking was at a nearby pay-​lot (which is very ticket friendly if you don’t get back in time).
The venue is a bit small but it was nice and cozy compared to mainstream concerts I’ve been to and you just watch a screen instead of the person you came to see.
My only complaint was that the bathroom floors were wet with water. I don’t know why but someone can totally slip. But that’s just my take. The Vera Project is decorated with different eclectic crafts, mosaics and paintings. A place you’d like to take your child to.
Located by the infamous Space Needle and a beautiful park, I highly recommend (if you have time), to definitely pass by the Vera Project.

I’m currently well-​known among my friends as the concert addicts. Yes, I can’t live without going to concerts. I love discovering new obscure music.
People have asked about my most memorable concert a lot. As you might have guessed based on my rating above, it was right here, at the Vera Project, Seattle.
As a Christmas gift, a good friend of mine brought me to my first concert ever. It was Grand Hallway. The venue was small and intimate, but the sound was good. It was also located at the beautiful Seattle Center neighborhood.
Highly recommended for people who want to check out new indie bands.

The following is a review of a concert at The Vera Project:
While I was in Seattle, I was lucky enough to see Fruit Bats play on their home soil. They’re from Washington, and obviously love playing gigs close to their home base. This became apparent once they hit the stage and started playing.
Lead singer Eric Johnson, who is now also a member of the band The Shins, was incredible. His vocals were strong yet whimsical, and each song lived up to its studio counterpart. I’d have to say that the highlight of the evening was when they played Tegucigalpa (my favorite song by them). This song is an amazing example of what makes Fruit Bats such a special band. Johnson’s vocals are dominant while pleasant instrumentals act as a nice compliment.
The crowd seemed more like a London bunch than one you would usually find in the US. What I mean by that is that while everyone was obviously enjoying the set, there was little singing and dancing going on. Unlike in the UK, however, we got a bit more involved in the music by clapping along. The band encouraged this throughout the show. Maybe it’s just me, but I really like it when a band get the audience clapping and singing (if you want to hear exactly what’s on the album, go listen to your iPod).
Just as most bands do, Fruit Bats reappeared on stage after their final song for an encore. They made a joke of it by commenting on how they pretended to leave. Funny. Well, it was an impressive encore as they played three songs to the crowd’s delight. Once they got off stage, it was clear by looking around that I was surrounded by a very content group of people. Great show from Fruit Bats!

As a previous intern at The Vera Project, I can assure you it really is something special.
First of all, the concept behind The Vera Project is more than you could hope for, music & art, benefiting the children and bringing together the community as a nonprofit. The venue has a gallery with art changing frequently, and classes to promote involvement in the Vera Project programs as well as cheap education for all.
The staff is incredible. I worked as an intern there for 9 months and got to know all of the talented people pretty well. Things run smooth there and everyone always makes sure to have a good time. Really understanding, fun, and wacky people I will never forget. The volunteers are also such a great bunch of kids that continues to grow! The teachers of the classes, I got to know pretty well. I’ve taken the Silkscreen 101 class (from a friend who actually goes to my school) and it was really useful. The prices of the classes are great and same with studio time!
The shows are great because The Vera project has a relatively intimate stage. You can’t beat the prices to these shows, and if you’re a club card member, take $ 1 off! They have a great variety of local and international music coming through, with headliners and also up and coming artists.
Overall you can’t beat Vera. Sure, there’s no alcohol, but it’s for the kids and that’s not what music and art is all about. If you can deal with no drinks, then this is the coolest place to be. If you appreciate art, music, and great people… you’ll fit right in. And age isn’t really a factor, I’ve seen plenty of older fans and contribute rs to the Vera team. It is such an inspiring place to be, if you’re every at Seattle Center just walking by, stop in and learn some more about this awesome place! I’m sure an intern like me will be there to tell you all about it.

The idea behind The Vera Project is absolutely wonderful. An all-​ages venue run for «kids» by «kids,» the Vera Project provides a drug & alcohol free place for concerts, various workshops, and even working experience in running a show. I’ve only attended concerts at the Vera, but its numerous other activities definitely seem appealing.
Shows at the Vera Project are relatively inexpensive (although the club card always confuses new attendees) and offer a wide range of bands from both the local scene and across the country. The genres range as well from electronic-​pop bands like Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head to the indie folk sounds of Maria Taylor.
The venue itself is cleaner than any other I’ve been to in Seattle and they have a snack bar (cheap too!). The production quality is typically very good, but sometimes feels like they are understaffed on weekdays.
This is definitely an amazing place to see a show.

Vera Project, I love you, but you make me feel so damn old.
A friend was playing a show and we, as loyal friends and engagers in the rock, dutifully showed up. Everyone working the place was exceedingly friendly and adorable. The large lobby space is comfy with a snack bar (!!) and art and lots of booths and chairs for teenage revelry – oh you floppy hairs, with your sideways glances and tender flirting. I wanted to tuck you all in my back pocket to entertain me as my own DeGrassi Junior High.
It just so happened it was my 10-​year anniversary of college graduation. It just so happened two of my fellow graduates were accompanying me, one of whom had a two-​month old strapped to her chest wearing giant headphones that smushed the wee one’s face in the most adorable way. What happened?
What I loved the most was the mix of people: in the show area proper were teenagers and some parents, mid-​twentieses and us geriatrics, all of us bobbing our heads to music. Hooray for the all-​ages venue that transcends age in name of the rock.

I’ve always sprinted from the scene upon hearing these two words:
‘ALL AGES’.
After hittin’ up the Vera Project last night, I’m not sure this will be the case any longer.
If you’re a Seattle music junkie freak like myself, this place might just make you misty eyed. For me, it was like taking a tiny time travel trip back to the years of ’95– ’97, to when DV8 and RCKNDY were my ‘go to’s. Seeing kids as young as 12 years old, rocking their sweet little painted faces off really hit home for me.
The Vera Project is really spacious and colorful with lots of awesome art (for sale) on the walls. Most of it pretty impressive. I really liked that kids were running the show, ie: the door, the concession stand, the sound. I SO would have worked here when I was a teenager if I could have.
Overall, good sound, cool space, and I finally got to meet my ‘rockstar’ cousin and his parents after my mother telling me a few months back, ‘Have you heard of a band called Speaker Speaker? Your cousin is the drummer.’ COOL.
And it was cool, and they totally rocked! And so does the Vera. Don’t let the ‘all ages’ break it for you. I did for a long time. I won’t any more.
Great place, great music, great cause. Yes, please.

I was pretty excited to hear that Dan Deacon was coming to Seattle, but a little baffled when I saw the name of the venue: the Vera Project, an all-​ages club somewhere in the Seattle Center, of all places. «Who’s Vera?» I thought. «And what kind of live music joint does she run?»
Well, it turns out that it’s not VEER-​uh, like the girl’s name, but VAIR-​uh, as in, «Veri Et Recti Amici (Vera) — True And Sincere Friends.» And it’s not just a venue, it’s a music-​arts center that «provides a unique resource to Seattle’s youth and music community by maintaining a safe, alcohol-​and-​smoke free environment for people of all ages to come together and experience music in a way that transcends commercial entertainment and erases divisions between performer, staff, and audience.» What this means to you is that it’s a cheap, friendly, all-​ages place to hear good bands and still get home before midnight.
The building is on the corner of Warren and Republican, and while it’s not exactly obvious from the street, it’s not too hard to find. Street parking is available and was easy to find on a Thursday, and there are paid lots just opposite the building, too. Inside, you walk down a flight of stairs to the main level, a brightly lit community-​center-​looking room that (when I was there) featured a large display of found letters, pictures, and other ephemera, some of which seemed to be on loan from «Found» magazine. There’s also a small coffee bar in one corner, though I didn’t see anyone buying any refreshments. Because it is all-​ages, you will feel ancient and lame, so just hang out creepily in a corner and leer at the young, pretty hipster kids.
The room where the bands actually play is pretty cool — it’s fairly spacious and has black walls with a clever nature-​themed newspaper collage. A few salvaged diner-​type booths are at the back, although the seats are so hard it’s not much better than standing. The volunteer staff seems competent and friendly — they kept the show moving on schedule and got everyone out before curfew. And did I mention they’re cheap? It was the best $ 6 I’ve spent in a long time, and for a buck more I got a discount card good for shows for the rest of the year. Hey, I’m convinced — they’ve got a VERA in me.