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September 20, 2005
The Downtown
So this is totally wack.
The venue The Downtown where I was supposed to be hosting a Hurricane Katrina benefit show TOMORROW has officially shut down as of YESTERDAY. Random. Out of nowhere.
I got this article from www.newsday.com:
The Downtown, the Farmingdale rock club that became a focal point for Long Island's booming music scene, has closed its doors.
The club planned to announce the news Monday night in a mass e-mail.
All concerts have been canceled, and refunds for tickets will be issued at point of purchase, according to one staffer. The owners declined to say why the club, which had booked shows through December, was shutting down.
"It's a tough business," says Dave Glicker, a former co-owner. "I know from operating for many years that insurance alone is almost cost-prohibitive. Especially when you're hosting very aggressive rock and roll shows."
Many shows will likely be transferred to The Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale or to Voltage (formerly Ritual) in Levittown, concert promoter Dave Rothstein of Loaded Rock Shows says. Tuesday night's Josh Kelly show, he says, will take place at The Crazy Donkey for free.
The Downtown was no CBGB, but it became a goal for up-and-coming local bands. It was clean, well-lit and boasted a fine sound system. "If you could headline there, regardless of whether you sold out, it was just a real milestone," says Shaun Cooper, bassist for Straylight Run. "It meant you were on your way."
When Straylight Run wanted to play its first public concert, it chose The Downtown. Taking Back Sunday performed one of its first shows with its current lineup there. After Glassjaw singer Daryl Palumbo recovered from a recent illness, he booked two last-minute comeback shows at the club. Lux Courageous, As Tall as Lions and Bayside all celebrated CD releases there.
The Downtown was a sports bar before Glicker, and a group of partners took it over and expanded it into a live music club with capacity for about 450. It opened in December 2001 and drew well-known touring acts such as Link Wray, the Psychedelic Furs and Jimmy Cliff, and up-and-coming metal and hard rock bands. Former manager Rick Eberle used the club's weekly open-mic nights to scout out potential opening acts for his headline artists. And his PopCore nights, which focused on local bands, became the area's best showcases for new talent.
"When we come home to Long Island and we want to do a show, we can play there and kids will come out," Lux Courageous singer PJ Tepe says. "That's the part that's the worst for us. We won't have that home anymore."
So that's that. Worst luck ever.
I talked to Spriteboy about it this morning, all devastated and shit and he said,
"Things like this don't happen in Manhattan..."
I know, right.
Sorry everyone.
P.S. Someone told me that "image is everything" and therefore I should not be using HOTMAIL. She hooked me up with an invite to GMAIL so you can email me at realworldmelissa@gmail.com now. I don't even know how to work it yet, but I'm sure it's better. Okay click on SHOW ALL ENTRIES to read 4-Eva which is way better than this sad little post.
Posted by melissah at September 20, 2005 12:13 PM