_{By Sammy Collier}

In between the soda shops and cookie stores, there is one bar in downtown Provo, and it’s ABG’s. In his interview with NPR’s World Cafe, John-Ross Boyce talked with host Raina Douris about the role ABG’s plays in the Provo music scene.

The interview tells the story of the creation of the ABG’s name. ABG’s is short for A. Beuford Gifford’s Libation Emporium. Boyce explains that there had never been someone with that name – it was simply a way to get to the front of the phone book.

Later, Boyce says that because there is only one bar in Provo, he sees a different side of the city that people do not discuss very often. He discusses how Provo is a Mormon community, but for some “it’s not the community they expected or were promised.” The folks at ABG’s have made it their goal to give those people a place where they can feel welcome.

Boyce tells Douris that before he was in charge of booking shows at ABG’s, he was in a Provo band himself, and because of the gigs his band played at the bar, they were able to finance two small tours. Now he feels that he is able to give back. Because ABG’s is the only venue with a liquor license in Provo, that puts them in a unique position. “We’re a venue that can pay out a pretty respectable amount of money, on good night anyway, for local bands. Which is extremely important,” says Boyce.

Because of his experience as an artist himself, he takes his responsibility for booking shows very seriously. He views it as a way to help fund other bands – almost like a grant. “It’s a grant we can give to bands once a week. It’s a sacred trust to me.”

Make sure to follow ABG’s and John-Ross Boyce on Instagram. You can listen to the World Cafe interview below!