The latest and greatest independent music venue to sprout in the Chippewa Valley calls none other than the depths of UW Stout’s student housing circuit home. That music venue’s name? Helm’s Deep.
I thought I knew where the venue got its name from, but then I Googled it. Apparently, it’s a Lord of the Rings reference.
According to the official Helm’s Deep Wikipedia page (not the venue), Helm’s Deep is a “crucial fortress and narrow gorge in Rohan from J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings”. The venue is crucial too, serving as one of the only places in Menomonie to host independent music regularly, and the owners know this too.
Making my way through the garage near the Red Cedar River, I guess you could say it was narrow too, but that’s because an eager and welcoming scene is starting to develop in Menomonie (that, or this was the busiest Friday night in the town).
I spoke with Logan Boettcher, who runs Helm’s Deep, who I actually used to work with at Festival Foods in 2021. Imagine that. Here is what he had to say about the venue’s humble beginnings:
Me: “How did Helm’s Deep start?”
Logan: “Well, I’m going to be perfectly honest. I copied Graham Jams *chuckle* — Graham Jams in Eau Claire is something that I look up to and I aspire to be (like).”
Logan went on to comment on the difference between Eau Claire and Menomonie’s live music scenes:
Logan: “At least in Eau Claire, there’s bars that have music, there is nothing in Menomonie. I saw a market — and I really aspire to be them (Graham Jams) (with the) planning and everything. I obviously don’t have all the stuff that they do, but it’s really good to be out here doing stuff like that.
Me: “What are some of the challenges you’ve run into while running a venue?
Logan: “It’s hard to start out when you don’t know what you’re doing. Especially when there’s things that you oversee like “What if XYZ happens and we need to help” or “What if a band cancels on you?”. It’s kinda hard to pivot on that, but it can be done. There’s so many things that need to be done. It’s hard for one person to do it, and I’m not the only one that does it.”
Me: “Who else helps you?”
Logan: “My roommates help me tremendously. All of them help in one way or another. They’ve been a blast to work with, they’re all helpful.”
Me: “How long do you plan to run Helm’s Deep for bands or fans looking to come here in the future?”
Logan: “Helm’s Deep will be ran at least through the next year and most likely the year after that.”
Me: “What are you looking forward to the most about running Helm’s Deep in the future?”
Logan: “I like that I know what I’m doing now. But it’s a lot easier to expand upon what you have as a base, when you know what you’re doing.”
“What if a band cancels on you?”
This and other questions Logan and many others are DIYing to answer as the underground scene endlessly develops
There is a show slated for this Saturday April 18th at Helm’s Deep featuring Logan’s own brass cover band “Conrad and the Comrades”. You can find the details here.
And remember to DM for that address.
Consider subscribing to EC PUNX for more amateur music journalism from the ‘Valley. It’s better for you than Ozempic.