But in the spring of '06, amid a wave of closings of teen-friendly venues, The Alley was shuttered as well.

"The only reason it closed was because Family Music had huge liabilities and they weren't getting paid -- they were getting like $200 a night or something, and it's not worth risking your whole business for that," Maltzman says. "That was pretty much it. They can't run the venue themselves. It's not their forte."

Determined to see The Alley reborn, Maltzman quit his job as a swimming pool designer, got hired at Family Music as a piano salesman -- he's been playing since he was 10 years old -- and set about building enough trust with the owners to allow him to give the venue another chance.

It wasn't an entirely benevolent act. Maltzman's son is promising local singer/songwriter Ian Shane Tyler, former frontman for Red Light School District, and Maltzman makes no bones about opening the club in part to give his son a safe, accommodating place to play.

But Maltzman insists nepotism won't reign at The Alley.

"It's not all about one band -- it's about all the bands," he says, sitting at his desk in the showroom of the north side Family Music Center on Craig Road. "It's a community thing."

To this end, Maltzman says he's going to try and give bands more equitable pay and be up front about what they can earn at the club.

"We want to give bands a goal to achieve," adds Tyler, who's helping book and run The Alley along with other local musicians. "If you're a band, your goal should be to play The Alley, and it's not too high of a bar either. Each band has to be able to sell 25 tickets to keep the overhead going."

There's other changes planned for The Alley, which relaunched last Friday night with a grand opening planned for sometime in November. The 400 capacity venue will be more open to touring bands, and Maltzman says the venue will be licensed to sell liquor 144 days a year, so they'll be able to host the occasional 21-and-over show.

As he speaks, his cell phone rings with bands looking to get a gig at the rejuvenated club.

"Every day it's getting busier and busier. In another month, we should be booked up at least a month in advance," Maltzman says, looking satisfied, like a man who's resuscitated a loved one. "The Alley's not going anywhere."

Jason Bracelin's "Sounding Off" column appears on Tuesdays. Contact him at 383-0476 or e-mail him at jbracelin@ reviewjournal.com.