The Blackstone has been showcasing great music from Rhode Island, New England and beyond since November 1996. Started by John Lefrancois and a lifelong friend, John Morin, the venue first opened its doors on Middle Street in Pawtucket, where it featured live and dance music on two levels, an art gallery, a casual menu best known for its "Last Call" pizza, and a function space used for parties and fundraisers for everyone from the governor to Progreso Latino.
In late 1998, The Blackstone moved to a larger space on Mendon Road in Cumberland, and John Lefrancois took over entirely, helped by his wife, Marion. In the new location, the menu was sharply limited, and there was no gallery space, but the music programming continued to flourish. In our eight years in Cumberland, we not only featured some of the best talent in Rhode Island, but we became a favorite entry point to the R.I. market for Boston bands, and hosted touring acts, unsigned and indie-label, from New York, to Los Angeles, to Wales.
Now, in our new space, we're pulling together the best of our first 10 years and taking it to the next level, with more than twice our Cumberland capacity, a full kitchen, a gallery, and all the benefits of being part of Hope Village, a mill complex filled with artists and small businesses – an amazing, creative community with an amazing space to share. Several of our staff members are artists as well, and you might catch a couple of them on our stage.
The new Blackstone is also more than an arts venue. We're already booking community functions, fundraisers, meetings, private parties, and gallery openings. By mid-July, our Osa Coffee & Juice Bar will be open Monday thru Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving New Harvest coffee roasted right in our building. We're also open daily for lunch and after-work drinks and dinner, with specials every day. And if you miss dinner, from 9 p.m. till midnight (and all day), you can still order from our Pub Menu, or our thin-crust or Last Call pizza.