10 Weston Gallery
The 10 Weston Gallery was primarily a quiet art gallery, but it also featured a small theater in the back of the building that was available for rental on weekend evenings. Run by the impossible Jean Doll from the late 1990s to 2003, "Ten Weston" was consistently one of the best local joints for those wishing to see cheap punk rock, hardcore, and indie shows, mostly because of its intimate stage and theatrical lighting. The gallery was comfortable and open, but the theater was well-worn. Over time, regulars became accustomed to getting their own plastic chairs from the stack at the back of the room. Several benefit concerts were staged in the theater, as well as occasional performance-art pieces, including Butoh performances and an annual Women's Show. Shows continued to take place sporadically at the space when it was later occupied by MorningStar 75.
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Artists that played
Local
- Hunter Rose
- With Arms Still Empty
- KNUNCK
- The Sewing Terrorists
- Launch Of The Ultra Spider
- Bunkbed Nights
- Halos For Martyrs
- The Sea, The Sea
- Two Stars, Burning Sun
- Swimming To Pinpoints
- The Cautions
- Don Knotts
- Eat Your Makeup
- Coin
- Marvin The Robot
- Lapel
- Repel
- Whirlwind Heat
- Dusk
- The Phantom Wedding Band
- C3
- Night Doctors
- Mechanik
- The Cartridge Family
- Vanness
- X Performance Group
- Grand Rapids
- La Vulgara
Touring
- Atom and His Package
- Azita
- Birth
- Horrace Pinker
- The Jazz June
- Kung Fu Rick
- Pg 99
- Seven Days of Samsara
- The Weakerthans
- Wrecker
- Milemarker
- The Snow Fairies
- Flashpapr
- Seven Angels, Seven Plagues
- Volante
- Promise of Restoration
- Open Hand
- Motion City Soundtrack
- Forstella Ford
The Basement
The basement of 10 Weston was an avenue for all sorts of debauchery. As the venue was not an establishment licensed to serve alchohol or the like it was common practice to imbibe on various substances in the basement before a show. Quite often people had to wait for many shows to start late as the bands and patrons were getting high and drunk in the basement in preparation, in many cases the bands would decide to go ahead and stay in the basement and play down there. In the winter of 2002 it was discovered that the basement of 10 Weston had unhealthily high levels of Radon radiation and city officials deemed the basement unsafe for human usage or occupation.
Before one of the famous Woman's Art Showcases, a few hippie types were smoking pot in the radon filled basment and in a marijuana haze dropped a new born baby on to the cement floor.
Last show
The last show held at 10 Weston happened on October 25, 2003. The show—featuring Grand Rapids' Halos for Martyrs—was stopped midway through by the police. Following the police intervention, the show moved to the Division Avenue Arts Cooperative (DAAC). This was the first musical performance held at the DAAC.