BYZANTINE’s Chris ‘OJ’ Ojeda Founds Artist-Friendly Charleston Music & Arts Collective

Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway

Charleston, West Virginia’s resident metal musician Chris ‘OJ’ Ojeda, of Metal Blade Records recording act Byzantine, has seen a pet project come to fruition recently.

The Charleston Music & Arts Collective, whose building is also known as “The Bakery” due to its previous life housing the Purity-Maid Bread Factory, has now officially opened its doors!


The Charleston Music & Arts Collective
is an open-source, all-ages, non-profit organization with the sole purpose of establishing a central hub for the creative minds of the Kanawha Valley region of West Virginia. Their primary goal is to create a space where musicians, thespians and artists of all kinds can come together to display and engage their talents in an environment run solely by the artists themselves.

Assisting Ojeda with aid and the maintaining of the collective are Board Members Dennis Strom (Technical Director of Limelight Theatre Co.), Wesley Eary (owner of Hole In The Wall Studios) and Musician/Booking Agent Jason Robinson. Some of the ventures to be explored there include: live musical performances, theatrical performances, art gallery showcases and viewings, wine tastings, yoga and dance classes, musical instruction, book readings, and movie screenings to name a few.

Events have already been scheduled including an all-ages performance from OJ’s metal band Byzantine on December 3rd. They will be supported by Horseburner, Signals, Let The Guilty Hang, and 4 Ohm Mono. You can find further details for this event at this location.

You can find The Charleston Music & Arts Collective’s contact information below or visit their Facebook page.

The Charleston Music & Arts Collective
1007 Bigley Avenue
Charleston, West Virginia 25302

Ph. #: (304)-807-9023

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