Hallowed club in Dallas' Deep Ellum makes glorious comeback

The musical saviors of Deep Ellum have resuscitated another venerable venue. Husband and wife Clint and Whitney Barlow, who brought both the legendary Trees and The Bomb Factory back to life, have added a third property to their portfolio with Canton Hall, in the space that used to be Deep Ellum Live.

Located at 2727 Canton St. and next door to its sibling The Bomb Factory, Canton Hall will host a multitude of events including public and private concerts, weddings and receptions, corporate events, fashion and art shows, trade shows and workshops, nonprofit galas and fundraisers, and holiday parties. Following a complete renovation, it boasts state-of-the-art production, high-end finishes, and unobstructed sight lines.

The opening will be on November 11, with a concert starring beloved indie band Grizzly Bear and opener Molly Burch; find info about the show here.

Other notable events include the Oaktopia festival November 17-18; dance music king Paul Oakenfold on November 25; and a New Year's Eve party with Sevendust, Crobot, DownLo, and Stareview.

Deep Ellum Live closed in 2004 after more than a decade of memorable shows, from Ministry to Social Distortion to Peter Murphy to Nelly Furtado to Spiritualized to The Damned to Henry Rollins. Deep Ellum Live filled a valuable niche as a stepping stone for bands that were bigger than smaller clubs but not big enough for, or inclined to perform at, an amphitheater.

Both Clint and Whitney went to shows there, back in the day; Clint, who is also a rock 'n' roll drummer, also performed onstage when his band DownLo was on tour with Orgy.

"One of my favorite shows I've ever seen was at Deep Ellum Live, when I saw Rage Against the Machine for the first time," he says. "They were a brand new band at the time, and I got to discover them there."

Clint says that Whitney was actually the driving force behind it.

"Whitney wanted to do this building before we did Bomb Factory, but we were concerned that it would be too close to Trees in size," he says. "The truth is, it's almost 50 percent bigger than Trees."

They opened the Bomb Factory in 2015, and have had tremendous success, not only with sold-out shows, but with helping to re-establish the presence of live music in a Deep Ellum that has more restaurants these days than clubs.

Aside from hosting live acts, Canton Hall represents great potential for private events. Clint says that it's a complete redo inside. Deep Ellum Live was previously a large, rather barren space with a stage at the opposite end of the front door, and elevated bars to the left and right.

"If you saw it in the old days, it doesn't look how you remember it at all," he says. "It's really nice inside, with new production equipment and a huge video wall."

They also added a little patio for smokers, with a garage door that opens facing onto Crowdus Street. As for the sound quality, get ready for loud but rich.

"We went a little overkill on the PA, but I like overkill so you don't have to blast it," he says. "You can keep it at a nice volume and it sounds rich and amazing. It's definitely going to be a loud room."