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Thomas Canoy misses Ziggy's so much, he's bringing it back -- or at least a little piece of it.

"I attached part of that stage right there," he said, pointing to a 20-by-32-foot stage as carpenters banged in the last few nails. "It was coming together, and I thought, 'Wow, what a great stage,' and then I felt like I put a heart in it when I personally put that board from that Ziggy's stage on there."

He grinned behind his thick, salt-and-pepper beard.

"I told the guys who were putting it together, 'You guys be careful now; it's alive now. I don't want you to get eaten.'"

For more than two decades, Ziggy's was the biggest music club in the Triad attracting national touring acts every week. Since it closed two years ago, nothing has filled the gap.

Canoy, 42, aims to change that on Nov. 27 when he helps open the Aquarius Music Hall in downtown High Point.

At 400 English Road, the century-old, three-story brick mill building is fully restored and has a 1,000-person capacity, larger than Ziggy's, which held more than 700 people. The space -- 25,000 square feet ---- features exposed-brick walls and hardwood floors.

"I was very loosely involved with Ziggy's," said Canoy, who volunteered there, running the stage lights, helping bands set up and tear down and other jobs. If Ziggy's was his apprenticeship, Aquarius is his shot at the big time. "Now that I've got my real shot, I'm gonna take it."

Aquarius opens Thanksgiving weekend. A Winston-Salem band, the Wyndy Trail Travelers, headlines on Nov. 27 and also features Donnaha Station and Jukebox Riot. The big splash comes Nov. 28 with Donna the Buffalo, a popular national act that mixes zydeco, reggae and bluegrass into its jam-band gumbo. Mac & Juice will open.

Canoy has spent the past 20 years working as a furniture upholsterer. His chance to turn impresario came when a friend introduced him to Gabriele Natale, a furniture-business veteran who owns the building. Natale got the idea to open the club when a series of outdoor beach-music concerts took place in September and October in High Point. Natale hosted one of the shows when rain drove it indoors.

"It was a success because they brought in 1,000 people," Natale said. "A friend of mine said, 'Why don't you turn it into a music hall?' and he introduced me to Thomas."

According to Natale, Canoy is the club's executive vice president of music, as well as its artistic director, which means that Canoy books the acts and manages the music business of the club. Natale eventually hopes to turn the building into an entertainment complex with restaurants. Canoy is leaning on his roots in booking bands for Aquarius. Edwin McCain recently committed to play the club on New Year's Eve, and in January, Canoy hopes to book Allman Brothers' guitarist Warren Haynes and his band, Government Mule. He pledges to book a range of acts, including country and hip-hop.

"We are just really, really excited about the opportunity to put such a beautiful building to a good use," Canoy said. "I don't see how it can't draw from Winston, which I really hope for, Raleigh, Charlotte. There's no other place on the map where you can see a city with this many highways coming to it. I think it's about time we had people driving down and coming and visiting High Point."

 

Contact Eddie Huffman at ehuffman@triad.rr.com

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