A new music venue will take the place of a previously iconic rock hub in the Valley.

The Rebel Lounge is set to open at the beginning of May in the same building that used to house the Mason Jar. Before the Mason Jar, the location was home to the Branding Iron bar.

For close to 20 years, the Mason Jar hosted dozens of recognizable names such as Pearl Jam, Jane’s Addiction, Eminem, and more. In 2005, the rocking came to an end when the Mason Jar shut its doors.

The Rebel Lounge will be the newest tenant of the 3,060 sq. ft. building near 23rd Street and Indian School.

Stephen Chilton, or better known as “Psyko Steve” amongst the music community, has been working on the project since early last year. After completing research on for the endeavor, construction and renovation for the project began in November.

“It’s not something I was looking for,” Chilton said. “When it came up, I just took it.”
Chilton currently books shows at local venues such as Crescnet Ballroom, Last Exit Live, The Rhythm Room, and others through his company Psyko Steve Presents. When Chilton first got into the business of booking shows, some of the first shows he set up were at the Mason Jar.

The Mason Jar had a very distinct scene of punk rock and metal music back in its prime. However, he plans for there to be a much wider mix at the Rebel, including indie rock, country, and blue grass.

Although concerts are the only events on the schedule right now, Chilton said he’s open to anything, like dancing nights.

The Rebel Lounge is currently going under renovations to bring the building’s structure and façade up to code. The venue has been gutted and brand new features will be added such as all new bathrooms, bar, stage, lights, and sounds system.

The renovations will make the place more atheistically pleasing and fresh as well. For those who remember the Mason Jar, the building used to have a dark and dungeon-like feel to it.

Despite the changes, the interior layout will remain the same. In addition, Chilton says the bands that come through the venue will be similar to the Mason Jar, but not in a genre speaking way.

“One thing that we want to keep from the Mason Jar is for it to be a place where the best upcoming bands play,” Chilton said.

Back in the heyday of the Mason Jar, now-recognizable bands stopped in on their rise to stardom. Chilton said he hopes that bands that play here will still be recognizable ten years down the road.

Bands currently booked at the venue include Atlas Moth, Fly Moon Royalty, GBH, and more.