All-ages venue trying again

He was up for 18 hours, the place made 43 bucks, there was a brief blackout at one point and still Anthony Valentino sounds triumphant, like a dude who has just vanquished some barrel-chested foe.

It was the grand opening of the third go 'round of all-ages venue The Alley Theater on a recent Saturday night, and Valentino, who works two jobs, has three kids and plays with Vegas rockers A Penny For Jane in addition to co-helming the new venture, seldom got a pause to enjoy the moment.

"I made sure all the bands were paid, I made sure there was heavy security there, I had a lot of things going on," he recalls. "Of course, we look at it now, and we could have saved 80 percent of what we spent, but it was a success because a lot of people were like, 'This venue is amazing.' We heard nothing but positive things."

In its original incarnation in the back of the Family Music Center on West Sahara Avenue, The Alley helped launch the careers of popular Vegas acts such as The Higher, Fletch and Panic at the Disco.

After being shuttered in the spring of '06, Dan Maltzman, the father of rising Vegas singer-songerwriter Ian Shane Tyler, attempted to reopen the venue last October, but was shut down by the county because it was located within 1,500 feet of an establishment that sold liquor, specifically a sushi restaurant and a gasoline station.

But four months ago, Maltzman teamed up with Valentino to give it yet another try, this time in an entirely new setting: the Discovery Church in North Las Vegas, a safe, youth-friendly environment that's exempt from many of the restrictions placed on traditional venues.

Across from The Cannery in the Starbucks parking lot on Craig Road, it looks more like a storefront than a traditional church with steeples and stained-glass windows. Inside, the building boasts a main room with a 30-foot ceiling that's well-suited for shows.

"I think we're open for good," Maltzman says. "Parents can drop their kids off and leave. They don't go out of our sight. Once they're in, they're in."

The Alley is meant to be as band-friendly as it is kid-friendly. Once a group brings in 26 paying fans, they get 50 percent of the door. If they draw 51 fans or more, they earn 70 percent of the gate.

Of course, there are some strings attached when hosting shows in a church: There can be no swearing or off-color lyrics onstage, and the more aggressive punk and metal bands won't be allowed to play The Alley.

"I can't allow screamo bands in there," Maltzman says.

Still, The Alley will be open to most acts. And really, the most important thing is that it's open at all.

"It's definitely going to work," Valentino says. "We're three months booked out. We're here to stay."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.