The highly anticipated new Revolution Hall—the collaborative venue between Mississippi Studios and Aladdin Theater owners in Washington High School—announced it will open its doors for a preview weekend in mid-February. The line-up is decidedly local, allowing Portland artists the chance to experience the space before bigger acts fill the dates.

• For opening night, Thursday Februrary 12, the refurbished hall welcomes two of Portland's revered indie acts: folk-rock quintet Alialujah Choir and electro-pop group Wild Ones (tickets).
• Night two, Februrary 13, features the outspoken sex coloumnist and author Dan Savage, hosting a night he calls Unlucky in Love: A Pre-Valentine's Pity Party (tickets). 
• And on Saturday, Portland's bi-weekly radio variety show Live Wire! Radio takes the stage to kick off its season (tickets). 

With 850-seats, the refurbished 92-year-old George Washington High School auditorium is the perfect venue for acts in town who have outgrown smaller venues but can't yet sell out high profile theaters. “Once they sell out the big rock rooms in town, they can’t come back till they can sell out theaters like the Roseland or Crystal Ballroom,” Mississippi Studios founder and Revolution Hall partner Jim Brunberg told us back in November. He hopes the Hall bridges that gap, as well as attracts national acts that don't normally tour through town. "Liv Warfield would be perfect for this space, when she’s not on tour with Prince."

For a taste of what the Hall will sound like, check out the below video of local soul doyen Ural Thomas testing out the under-construction accoustics of the venue.