Though people were already flocking to the Triple Rock, there was one part of the Funks’ vision that wasn’t completed when the bar first opened: There wasn’t a space for live music. “It was always part of the plan,” says Erik. “We thought it would be smart to just do the bar first and, if we could manage that, and we could prove it, then it made more sense to reinvest and do the venue. But it was the goal from the very beginning.” In 2003, the Funks expanded into the vacant lot next to the Triple Rock, building a venue from the ground up. Having spent the past decade touring with Dillinger Four, Erik had a wealth of experience to pull from, allowing him to create the kind of room he’d like to play. “It was all based on my own personal experiences,” says Erik, “But it’s funny, because my experiences were all limited to what I had really done with my own band to that point which, mostly, was basements.”