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EOT's Ellie Feaga and Hayes Permar discuss the reopening of Raleigh's historic theater, the Rialto.
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What is Eye on the Triangle?
Eye on the Triangle is WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2’s weekly public affairs programming with news, interviews, opinion, weather, sports, arts, music, events and issues that matter to NC State, Raleigh and the Triangle.
Nick Pinto 0:00
The views and opinions expressed on Eye on the Triangle do not represent WKNC 88.1 or NC State Student Media
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Ellie Feaga 0:39
Hello, and welcome to Eye on the Triangle. I'm Ellie Feaga. And today I'm here with Hayes Permar. From the Rialto, it's great to have you Hayes, would you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hayes Permar 0:47
Oh, thanks so much for having me. And I guess the easiest thing is, I'm a guy who grew up in Raleigh, and have a great passion for the city. And that certainly drove my relationship now with the Railto I grew up going to NC State football, and basketball games and have just a deep passion for all things Raleigh. So that probably sets the table for what I'm doing now. Are you an alum here? Um, I have some credits from here, I like to say I dropped out of many fine institutions of higher learning across the state of North Carolina, at least three of them technically, I don't even think I dropped out of state I just while I was in between full time enrollment, I took an economics class and a sociology class and I remember them both great. They were very, they're both introductory classes. But even if I didn't quite understand or appreciate them at the time, I think about them. So it was a good time of my life taking classes here at NC State. Very cool. Well, it's great to have you at State. The Rialto, I believe, has been a big part of Raleigh's history. Could you tell me a little bit about when it opened and some of the history? Yeah, it was. It's really cool. I was at a restaurant the other night, and I ran into somebody that I went to high school with, and then I stopped and thought for a second and I was like, wait a minute, I think it's like your great great grandfather who built the place. It was built by some Raleigh folks, the Williams family in 1936. It was originally an A&P grocery store. One of the you know, people complain now about checking out your own groceries back in the day, you didn't even go get your groceries like you walked in and told the clerk I need some flour, I need some eggs, whatever. They walk there and got them. And the A&P was one of the first ones where they said, why don't you just go grab what you want, and then we'll check you out at the end. So then in 1942 it became a theater. I think it started out doing all kinds of entertainment, live music, performances, movies, and then it was the colony theater was its original theater name for about 40 years. And by the end of its run as the colony I think it had gotten into maybe some more seedy movies. So when new owners came in, they decided it needed a fresh name because people maybe weren't didn't associate the colony with the with its great past but instead it's more recent present in the early 80s. So they renamed it the Rialto. And that's what it's been as long as I remember it my life 45 years now. It's been the Rialto. And for a lot of its history, in the last 20 years, it's been just movies, arthouse films, independent films. But when I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, it had this great run of live music. Tori Amos played there, Alison Krauss, Jane's Addiction, Iggy Pop, Devo. So just all these cool bands and and and so that's sort of that memory. I don't really know much about putting live music on but I was like, it happened at the Rialto before, and we could do it again. So that's what we're up to now. I remember reading about that. I love Alison Krauss, She's got an amazing voice amazing artist. My dad will be happy about that, too. Yeah, yeah. And she's definitely on that. I mean, anybody who's played there before, we're at least I mean, Alison Krauss probably didn't play a whole lot of 450 seat venues. But we're at least going to ask, you know, and then there's something about our place where there's bigger places, there's places where artists can make more money. There's, there's probably, you know, bigger, more elegant cities, but there is something cool about the Rialto that I think people will at least at least catch their eyes. Like, you know what, that is a unique space. And maybe we'll get some people to play there that would normally play a place this small, what inspired you to take this project on? A few things. I mean, you know,
I would say the pandemic like a lot of people, you know, just affected life you and what you wanted to do and sort of, you know, in a for as many bad things as it was it was kind of a reset for a lot of people. I used to work in sports media, and I had several other colleagues that worked in sports media that's kind of said, Hey, man, these hours are are a little weird. And, and my kids, I got more time with them during the pandemic. So there was some of I was looking for a new passion. A neighborhood theater coming up for sale is only thing that maybe happens once or twice in a lifetime. So it certainly wasn't something I was planning on. But when it became available, I was like, well, maybe this is the passion I'm looking for. I just I feel like I know the neighborhood's. Neighborhood I grew up in its neighborhood I live in now. And so it felt like you know, right place right time. And then I just when I started bouncing the idea of other people like is this crazy? I don't really have a lot of experience doing this, you think I can do it? I got overwhelmingly positive feedback of like, I think you can and I think you should. And so that sort of drove me to like, alright, my friends are telling me this is the right path. People who care about me and care about the Rialto are pushing me down the path. I think I should just keep going until until I hit, you know, a wall or something. And I never hit that wall.
Ellie Feaga 5:19
Yeah, absolutely. And I know that it's obviously an important part of Raleigh's, culture, a lot of people are excited to have it back. What is open now and what is going to be coming in the next couple months?
Hayes Permar 5:30
We've been I consider this fall a little bit of experimentation, right? We definitely wanted to bring movies back. We did stop making sense the talking heads movie that was cool, because some people are like, I saw that in the Rialto in 1983. It was sort of a released, we brought back the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which is part of the soul of the theater, people have been coming to that at the Rialto for 40 years. And so we were able to bring that back with a great crowd. If you've never been to Rock at the Rialto you and anybody listening. If you've never been to Rocky Horror at the Rialto in Raleigh, don't say you're from Raleigh don't go your four years or however many years at NC State without coming to rocky one time. It's an incredible experience. So we brought back movies, we've done comedy, we've had two comedy shows sort of once a month, starting in September, love our third one coming up in November, we've had a speaker series. And then we started live music last weekend, and we sorta have an experiment when Hopscotch was in town, we had a little Jazz Day party that was not on a full pa just sort of temporary stuff. But last weekend, we had our first live music shows, and that'll continue basically every weekend through the end of the year. So it's been a little bit of experimenting, we did some movies here. December will sort of be a big test where we'll try and be open six or seven nights a week with movies for a couple nights. And then you know, holiday concert or a rock show the and we got the mountain goats coming right after Thanksgiving that sort of kicks off our sort of holiday scene so and then in 2024, that that's what we will hope to do is be open six or seven days a week, multiple nights where we're doing movies, sometimes there'll be themes or like what movie clubs like a Grindhouse movie club that does something once a month, and then on the weekends, mostly music, sometimes comedy, and just be this real cool, eclectic mix of doing all kinds of things and all kinds of audiences coming through there. One of the things we're super excited about our live music lineup is all the different kinds of types of bands. Like last weekend, there was a band opening called the 180s on Friday for a guy named Will Hogue sort of somewhere in that rock Americana genre. He's out of Texas, everybody out of Texas has a little bit of country feel to them. But then on Friday night, it was a band called Mmyykk mm-yy-KK, but it's pronounced Mike. And then Sonny miles a guy actually went to NC State, incredible artist. And so just two different audiences two different sounds and back to back nights, and both seemed really happy to be there. And we were honored to have both play there. So really try to keep that up and bring different audiences and different styles of music through there's gonna be big and important to us.
Ellie Feaga 7:54
Yeah, that's a that's a good one. There's a couple NC State alum bands. I think that there's Weston Estate, if you've heard of them, okay, there's Bye George
Hayes Permar 8:03
Definitely heard of them. Yeah, I think I've seen them play somewhere. So I've been trying to you know, I may have mentioned this, but I love live music and I love comedy, but nowhere in my I don't really call what my life is I don't really have a career. I've got a life more than a career. You know, I try to try different things do different things. But I do not have any experience in live music or comedy. So I've been learning them it's it's been kind of fun. I try and you know, sneak in the back of Charlie good nights after shows started with their permission but just catch a couple comics when I can go down to Lincoln theater, try and listen to some bands. There's a band it's been on the scene for a while but I know their NC State alums Chatham County Line. I believe I don't want to get ahead of myself and announce a show that isn't official yet. But I'm almost sure we'll have them coming in 2024 so but yeah, I need to listen to get Bye George on the on the list as well.
Ellie Feaga 8:54
And American Aquarium we had to play at they were awesome loved them.
Hayes Permar 8:57
They're on our radar. We've spoken to somebody about them. They I think they would be a perfect fit for the Rialto. So yeah, any NC State Raleigh local bands, I grew up with bands that are there now in their, like 50s. But I still think of them as like local garage bands, even though they've done big tours like Dylan Fence, the Cornell's some of these names that are you know, maybe more dad rock. And I'm not a dad, but I'm sort of the dad age. But yes, we we want to try and do all kinds of the ones that hit nostalgia for 45 year olds and bands that are actually still, you know, up and coming right now so
Ellie Feaga 8:58
Very cool. Well, that is awesome. I wanted to ask a little bit more about what we have for the Christmas movie lineup. How exactly will that work?
Hayes Permar 9:22
We should be announcing. Gosh we should have announced it this week. It's so without boring you. Movies is another thing that I didn't have any experience in. So I'm learning through a booking agent and we had to sort of get set up with all the studios and they want all kinds of information from us. And then you can book you know, the old Christmas films, the ones that we've got lined up are most likely the ones that you would guess, as Christmas favorites. So like Elf, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, It's a Wonderful Life is always super popular and at the Rialto so all the sort of the throwback classics. I might sneak a Die Hard in there because I like to call that a Christmas movie. But yeah, we should be announcing the full lineup and those those will and that we want to make it like not just a Christmas movie but a Christmas party. We want to have like a, you know, a small jazz trio playing Christmas carols out in front, I might make the audience sing some Christmas carols if I'm feeling in the spirit. costume contests, all kinds of stuff. So it'll be a lot of fun.
Ellie Feaga 10:40
That sounds like a lot of fun. Do you have a favorite?
Hayes Permar 10:43
My all time favorites, probably Christmas Vacation. Any of the ones I named I would be happy if I showed up and was told there's a Christmas movie being played. But we're not going to tell you which one any of the ones I named would be it. But Christmas Vacation probably takes the cake for me. I think it came out in 89. So I was probably 10,11 years old. So I sort of grew up with it and it's stayed a classic for me. What about you is your favorite Christmas movie?
Ellie Feaga 11:06
I do. It's Miracle on 34th Street. The original
Hayes Permar 11:09
So that. Okay. All right. That's, we will that was in the consideration. We may still have a slot to work that in. We'll see what we can do.
Ellie Feaga 11:18
Okay, well, if you do work it in I would I that would make me very happy. But the original
Hayes Permar 11:22
Alright. Yeah, no, no remakes
Ellie Feaga 11:25
The 90s remake is fine. But the original ones my favorite. All right. I like it. This is a question that I ask everyone, especially in the local area at the end of the interview. What is your favorite Howling Cow ice cream flavor?
Hayes Permar 11:36
Ooh, all right. So I gotta confess. Raleigh's got a lot of great ice cream. And I'm just saying, Howling Cow doesn't. It's a little bit of a travel for me. I got good ice cream closer to where I am, right? If I lived in a different part of town, I'd hit Howling Cow more. I've so man I'm gonna get booted off the NC State station real quick. Is there a coffee related one? That's you probably what it is. That's probably one of one that I like as well. Yeah. Two Roosters is very close to me. And now like Jenny's in my neighborhood Good Berries, because I'm a Raleigh guy. We like Good Berries. That's a Raleigh original. So yeah, see a lot of state students hit the Village District one. But yeah, I would say the usually a coffee flavor is hitting my favorite. I also like the coffee one.
While you're in town if you swing by Howling cow, you should try Campfire Delight because that one is really good. Alright, will do. Well, it was great to have you Hayes. I'm so glad to learn about the Rialto. I know everyone who listens is going to be super into local music scene, and it was great to have you. Thanks so much for having me. We're super excited to be part of the local music scene Raleigh obviously already had a great one too. But it's just cool to add another space to that. More artists, more audiences. And it's cool that we get to do we're lucky to be also have a movie screen. There's not many places that can share music and movies and do comedy. So we're trying to do it all. And we're just happy to be back open and really excited to see people in there. So hope you'll come out and see a show there soon. I would love to see Rocky Horror. Come on December 1 and 8th at midnight. It'll be back on the screen. Okay, that's perfect. Okay, thank you so much. This has been Ellie with Eye on the Triangle. You are listening to 88.1 WKNC HD-1 Raleigh.
Nick Pinto 13:26
Thank you for listening to this episode of Eye on the Triangle. The public affairs program of WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1 Raleigh. To listen to past episodes of Eye on the Triangle or replay this one, please visit wknc.org forward slash podcasts. The music for this episode is titled Noah stark by Krakatoa and it was made available through a Creative Commons license. You can check wknc.org forward slash schedule to catch the next episode of Eye on the Triangle live. Until then, this has been Nick Pinto with WKNC 88.1
Transcribed by https://otter.ai