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Photo by Sarah Finnegan
Saturn Birmingham is a bar and music venue in the Avondale neighborhood.
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Photo by Sarah Finnegan
While the Satellite Coffee Bar in Saturn is open in the mornings for brews and light breakfast options, many people flock to the bar at night for its cocktails, beer and concerts.
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Photo by Sarah Finnegan
he local spot also features a wide variety of classic board games and video consoles for customers to enjoy.
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Photo by Sarah Finnegan
The band JD Wilson performs on Sept. 9.
Walking into Saturn for a show feels a lot like boarding a spaceship. Or more specifically, a loud, acoustically-sound spaceship.
For out-of-towners, seasoned Magic City concert-goers and everyone in between, experiencing a concert at Saturn has been an experience that transcends Birmingham patrons since it first opened in 2015. Since its beginning, the venue has captivated the attention of big-time music fans all over the state and sold out shows every year.
Owner and longtime musician Brian Teasley said he tries to make the shows “look and sound great, [in addition to] treating bands properly so they consistently play inspired shows at the venue.”
As more positive anecdotes grow from bands playing at the Saturn venue, Teasley said the amount of bands they book has been growing, though they also have a solid lineup of local groups or favorites that always come back through Birmingham and stop to play at Saturn in their tour.
Enthusiastic crowds sincerely appreciate when bands come to the venue to play, Teasley said, and so the concerts often end up being an intimate and up-close experience for fans.
That’s why so many bands come back to Saturn, he said. Plus, the space is eclectic and memorable enough for people to want to check it out again.
The Avondale-centric venue takes locals into a celestial space filled with rockets hanging from the ceiling, random robot figurines and aliens scattered about and eccentric astronaut signage decorating its bright, orange-colored walls. Out on the patio, the wall is painted with the words “Space is the Place.”
Teasley, who has been a part of the music scene for many years, opened the space-themed music venue to encourage local, regional and national acts in a variety of genres to play their music in Birmingham.
“I think we still have the same objective as we did at our inception, … which is to keep a very diverse calendar and to give artists the best experience we possibly can,” he said.
Teasley said he understands how tedious some of the before-show activities can be — like finding a parking spot, waiting in line and waiting for bands to transition — and he works to make sure these moments are less taxing on patrons through his management of the events, the addition of multiple bars and providing show-goers with a venue to explore while they’re waiting.
The Satellite Coffee Shop also sells warm pastries and fresh coffees by day and local beer, creative cocktails and alcoholic slushies by night.
Even though there is a concert several nights of the week, people can still hang around in the bar portion of the venue without paying for the show. Shelves of board games and pinball machines are available for use, in addition to game systems like Nintendo 64 and PlayStation, and even vintage models of PacMan and other games.
Saturn features bands that have been touring for decades and others who have only recently started playing. More than half of the nights every week, the venue is booked for a show, Teasley said, usually with several openers. Concert-goers can purchase merchandise on the way in, and drinks in the second bar opposite of the venue.
If they stick around for a little bit after the show, the audience can even sometimes meet some of the musicians, since many of them stay in the specially-made green room upstairs. Saturn hosts vintage video game nights, bingo and trivia, too, in addition to various other shows like comedy, burlesque and themed dance party nights.
Saturn is located at 200 41st St. S. across from Avondale Brewing Co. Visit their website at saturnbirmingham.com for more show times and ticket prices.
