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SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2022 | 3A Infinity Room reopens as a whole new venue Em Chan Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK For the Infinity Room, what was initially planned as a six-week closure for light reno- vations turned into a complete interior makeover that took a year and a half to ac- complish. From the stage being moved and being rebuilt with a customized audio system to a new bar, lights, kitchen and another wall, the performance space is more spacious, well-lit – and the sound quality? Impecca- ble. “I’ve been here longer than infinity room,” said Chris Pelka, one of the owners. “But the idea was we’re going to destroy Capital City Theater and rebuild - and that’s what we did.” Transformation Station The performance space, which was pre- viously Capital City Theater, transitioned formally to its new name in late May 2020. The project is a joint effort of Pelka, one of the former owners of Capital Theater; Stan and Summer Keightley, former owners of The Space; and Emma Jones. “We had always intended to be infinity room but the physical room change is so much different than the original plan,” Pelka said. In doing so, the venue was able to make a “clean break” from being people’s expectations of Capital City Theater or The Space. Original plans for renovations included potentially building a smaller stage to the side of the stage that ran along the back wall, but once the pandemic was an- nounced, timelines and places shutting down created an opportunity to do more. Surround Sound The owners ended up tearing down the old stage plus taking out the floorboards, many of the lights, tables, the bar and even the ceiling. Redesigning the stage was criti- cal because of Pelka and Stan’s audio engi- neering backgrounds. “The old stage was previously ideal for performances that didn’t require major depth or a wide number of folks onstage,” Pelka said. “The new stage has been moved and was made deeper to better accommo- date bands and larger groups onstage.” Much of the new space has design as- pects that aren’t visible, such as what’s be- hind the incredible wall that goes up and around behind the stage. The wall – which is new – itself is immediately eye-catching: the panels on the wall have holes in them in a distinct pattern with light panels glowing behind them. Each of the holed panels are sound diffusing, and took hours to drill, paint and put up. The wall is “an insane amount of engi- neering” Pelka said. It took a whole year to drill each of the panels, and layer them plus light panels, white sheet stretched over a secondary frame, insulation, soundboard and drywall. The electrical wiring behind the lights are half traditional electrical wir- ing and half audio , which is not a set-up that is often done, but decreases the “buzz- ing” on stage when performers are on. Acoustics for both performers and audience members are true to what is being played, an aspect Pelka said was essential because what the performers hear make a huge dif- ference in how they perform. “On January 1 a drummer that performed said the sound was like their CD,” Pelka said. “And that’s great because they can hear what they need to hear.” Under the stage is a material called high mass vinyl, and works to take care of the sound transference, Pelka said, so even with a lot of bass, there is no “rumble’ that trans- fers to the wall or ceilings. Pelka said he hopes that having one of the best stages in Salem – and maybe even in the state – will force folks to no longer ig- nore Salem and the live performance scene that’s been cultivated here. “We have a decent music and live perfor- mance scene here, but a lot of people over- look it,” Pelka said. “With this space, people won’t - can’t - just ignore us now. We’re hop- ing to bring in bigger artists and so folks can’t ignore us.” The Reworkings “We settled on Infinity Room (as the name) since it’s basically saying this is what Volunteer Continued from Page 1A "It's very upsetting," he said. Lieuallen had been placed on administrative leave the room is, and can be whatever you want it to be,” Pelka said. “Music, comedy, magic, we’ve talked about doing drag shows – any sort of live entertainment we want to be able to do that here. ‘The sky is the limit’ was the mindset because the room can be whatever you want it to be since we have enough know-how and want to make it those things.” Other fixtures in the space, like the booths, bar, kitchen, flooring, lights and ceil- ing are also new or updated, done primarily by the owners and the help of their friends, staff and family. The bar is longer and has eight taps, while the kitchen in the back was rede- signed and done primarily by Summer. Pre- viously just a storage space, it’s now a full- service kitchen where they continue to make and serve their completely vegan menu, which they debuted and served from November 2020 to August 2021. They will be offering that same menu with a few differ- ent items during their shows and brunch hours, but that food is not the primary rea- son they want folks through the door. The space, with its stage, full kitchen, bar and seating, is a performance hall first and not just for their food. With the popularity of the takeout service offered last year, folks have been clamoring to get more, but Pelka and the other owners are emphasizing their focus on live entertainment. And understandably so. They’re in the process of installing 4K Black Magic cinema cameras to be able to film music videos, comedy specials or whatever projects folks want to hold in the space. Livestreaming was something they did closer to the begin- ning of the pandemic and said they may re- sume it. Overall, everything offered and done in the Infinity Room should not be compared to The Space or Capital City Theater, Pelka said. “This is not The Space nor Capital City Theater, those places were good as they are, and you had certain feelings from those places but you won’t get that here,” he said. “Capital City Theater wasn’t quite like a dive bar, but this place (comparatively) is more classy – a place you can take your grandpar- ents and watch a show and feel it’s the sort of place you will get a different experience from the district pending the police department's con- clusion of the criminal charges, but resigned Dec. 21, 2020. To report child abuse Report child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hot- line by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). The Oregon Child Abuse Hotline receives calls 24 hours a day, 7 from.” Managing in the pandemic Especially as the pandemic rages on, the small space depends on patrons coming in to watch shows. The space had its first show on New Year’s Eve, and since have had a steady rotation of comedians and musicians – though now artists have professed anxiety as more COVID cases are on the rise. “It’s the way things are right now,” Pelka said. “We can’t do anything except respect people’s wishes if they don’t feel comfort- able performing, and if (they do cancel) we do a different show or close for that night.” In their part to mitigate the spread, Infin- ity Room requires all patrons to show their vaccination card or a negative COVID test at the door, and wear a mask at all times ex- cept when actively eating and drinking – even when seated at a table. They also have other strict COVID policies in place, includ- ing sanitizing everything between shows, having their staff checked regularly and not coming in while sick. “To survive we need people to be here, but we want people to be as safe as possi- ble,” Pelka said. “I just wish others would take it more seriously. We’ve gotten under fire from folks, but this place can’t exist if every other week we have a COVID out- break because someone catches COVID here.” In case they do close, Pelka said, they may resume only doing takeout and deliv- ery, or potentially livestreaming perfor- mances. “The biggest thing is, whatever their ex- pectations are of this place – we’re gonna at least meet them or beat them,” Pelka said. “There’s not another stage like this in the area and you’d have trouble finding a stage this size, how it looks and sounds in Port- land even. This is the performance venue here in town.” For more info about the shows coming up, check out their website or Facebook page. Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@statesmanjournal.com, follow her on Twitter @catchuptoemily or see what she’s eating on Instagram @sikfanmei.ah. days a week, 365 days a year. Virginia Barreda is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at 503-399-6657 or at vbarreda@statesmanjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @vbarreda2. Rhythm in your soul. Let’s keep you healthy. legacyhealth.org/letskeepyouhealthy AD-1540 ©2022 We know you’d rather be hitting the high notes than seeing a doctor, but should you need care — routine, urgent, or specialty — we’re here, ready to keep you singing, your way.
