By Joe Jarosz
Northeast News
January 28, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Every saloon needs a garage.

That’s why Knuckleheads Saloon is expanding, adding an additional venue, located across the street from the current location, 2715 Rochester St. Knuckleheads Garage will be a 1,000 to 1,200-capacity music venue adjacent to Knuckleheads Saloon, located in the East Bottoms of Kansas City, Mo. This project involves renovating a former body shop into a music venue. But for a project of this size, they’ll need some additional help.

Frank Hicks, owner of Knuckleheads, has turned to Kickstarter — the crowdfunding website that helps people raise money for projects — to help funds for the expansion. When it’s all done, the project, he estimates, will probably cost around $60,000. They hope to raise $35,000. The campaign ends Saturday, Feb. 14.

He noted a lot of bands that play at Knuckleheads have used Kickstarter, so he started kicking around the idea of using the website to help fund the construction costs. Hicks said he received good advice on how to use the website, with Danielle Schnebelen, lead singer of the band Trampled Under Foot, offering the most poignant suggestion for Hicks.

“When I first started the Kickstarter thing I felt like I was begging for money,” Hicks said. “But Danielle said ‘Stop, you’re not begging for money, you’re asking people to invest in you. They don’t have to help you, they’ll help you because they want to.’ And so that made more sense to me.”

Hicks has owned the building that will house to soon-to-open Knuckleheads Garage since 1980. That’s allowed him to close off the street and have block parties whenever he wanted. After the body shop closed, he thought about what he wanted to do next with the building, adding he had a couple offers from people to buy the building.

“If I sell it, it gets me the income I used to have, but it also hinders me more than it would help me,” Hicks said, adding some of the bigger shows they host, have to be outside.

He said the expansion will allow the venue to increase its winter capacity by three or four times that of the current Knuckleheads Saloon. With the Garage, they’ll be able to bring in bands and artists that are too big for the Saloon, giving fans another music venue choice here in Kansas City. Because the building doesn’t have air conditioning, Hicks said it would mostly be used in the winter, save for a few occasions during other seasons.

“If I can only get a big band like a Merle Haggard in a January or February, then I’ve always had to turn him down,” Hicks said. “But now I don’t have to. I can do the show. It’s an expansion and beating the weather.”

Hicks described the inside simply as a, “long building.” So far, walls have been knocked down, which has opened up the space to its full length, sprinkler systems are almost completely installed, fire exits have been set-up, and construction of the stage has begun. The building has three sections to it, Hicks said, and they’re tackling one section at a time.

“We were shooting to have it done by Feb. 6, but I don’t know if I’ll make that,” Hicks said. “It’s a matter of cleaning it up. It’s been a body shop for 40-45 years. It’s been a chore but we’ve gotten a lot done.”

Hicks said they’ve come up with some good rewards for those who pitch in and help. Rewards for those who donate include:

• Pledges of $25 receive an 11×17 Knuckleheads poster signed by the staff of Knuckleheads.

• A $50 pledge will get you one of Knuckleheads Saloon Signature T-Shirts.

• Pledge $75 and receive a “I Helped Kickstart Knuckleheads Garage” work shirts.

• Pledge $100 and Knuckleheads will put your name on a plaque for the Knuckleheads Garage Wall of Fame.

• Pledge $250 and get invited to a special show (date and band TBA) in the Knuckleheads Saloon Gospel Lounge, an intimate space for intimate shows.

• Pledge $500 or more and Knuckleheads will give you a three-month VIP Pass to any and all of the shows at Knuckleheads.

As of Monday afternoon, the campaign has raised $10,577 with 19 days left to raise money. For more information or if you’d like to donate, visithttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/689664121/knuckleheads-garage-music-venue-kansas-city/description.