Just lost a great room... due to over capacity!

[wheresgrant3]

So we just got a call that the room we've been playing for three years can't book us anymore... because we bring TOO many people. The venue isn't really to blame and I can't say I haven't seen this coming for a while. This year has been pretty challenged this year with numerous issues. I wonder really if this is the final stake in it's heart. So below is the sordid tale if you want to read on.

 

So three years ago we get a random call from a bar/resturant that wants to books us. It's a place we've all known about but would never consider playing. For one it's in a sleepy town off the beaten path. #2-it really isn't setup for a band... it has a small bar area, where maybe a trio or 4 piece could fit and a seperate larger dining room with the capacity of maybe 100. In the past their weekend entertainment would consist of classic rock bands, Jazz pianists, some blues bands and acoustic duos. So now they wanted to book us. They were under new management, and they were willing to pay us our full gaurantee (3x's what they paid regular acts). So we said "why not'. It would probably be one and done. We'd play, take the money and probably never return. We set up in the larger dining room and quickly the place become mobbed like Thanksgiving Eve. Instead it turned into one of the best local rooms we could ask for. They wanted us back every month... we limited it to every eight weeks. Everytime we played it was a huge event. The bar manager was great, even a fan of the band. Over the years we held Mardi Gras parties, St. Patty's Day events, Christmas bashes, Cinco DeMayo... even a Pajama Party... and yes several patrons showed up in pajamas. In addition for drawing out every local patron from 5-10 miles we would also draw our regular crowd... from places as far away as 50 miles.

 

Let me state... we were always over capacity. Every single show. I would look out into the crowd, pressed against our gear, look into the bar area packed shoulder to shoulder, and look into the street where people stood in a line waiting to get in. I wondered how they didn't get shut down. We were regularly playing in front of 100-150 people (in a space that sat 50 for dining) and combined with the bar the crowd in and out were hundreds. We used to joke that every day was St. Patty's day here... except this was an Italian resturant. There was usually a fight or two by the end of the night... never one of our followers, always a local patron, and never near the band.

 

 

(look at the looooooow ceiling. Great for acoustics )

 

Well this year the three year curse hit. It started in January and just snowballed from there... First the head bartender was fired for stealing. In turn she called the State Liqour Authority to report that our band was booked in the larger dining area without a permit and that the bar ran an illegal 'wet bar' in that room. A big no no. That resulted in a surprise inspection, warnings of a big fine and no more beer in the dining area. This was followed in April by us being removed from the larger dining room. The bar had no 'caberet license' for the resturant area and therefore could not host entertainment in that room. So we were moved to a smaller dining area adjacent to the bar area, where at least we could setup our backline and load in thru a rear door. Bummer.

 

 

(Higher ceiling... smaller space... and lots of wood. It was like playing in someone's living room)

 

It was small, hot and cramped but didn't deter people at all from coming out to see us.. even though most had to peer through a doorway to see the action. In May (we knew this was coming) the town temporarily restricted all live music for 30 days for all bars within village limits... (just so happened this was the only bar that booked live music) due to several noise complaints. It was was discovered later on those noise complaints were lodged by the bar next door, their competitor, that felt they were losing customers on the nights we played. The whole event even made the local papers. ("Village Orders Bars and Taverns To Go Quiet"). I actually attended the Village Board meeting where the alleged 'complaints' were addressed. Everything was resolved. Didn't matter at that point... this venue was now marked by village officials and we felt it's days were numbered.

 

So last weekend we were scheduled to play an event we had played every year... an outdoor summer beach party. Every August they would pull up a flatbed, truck in sand and the parking lot would become a beach. Well the bar manager had quit (or was fired) after the 'music shutdown' and nobody filed the outdoor permit for the beach party. That meant again, we would be spending another hot, sweaty night in that lunchbox of a room on a beautiful summer night. We were not happy about that at all, but we felt it was up to the venue to cancel us. We called the barowner... someone we dealt with on a limited basis, and tried to persuade him to cancel us. "It's inside, we won't draw, and you'll be out alot of money". His response was "PLEASE DON'T CANCEL ON ME!!!". He was having a terrible summer and he needed us to play even just to get the word out that his business was still open and still a live music destination. So begrudgingly we kept the gig. And as always the place was mobbed. Outside the venue sat three Village police cars monitoring the situation... but alas there were no fights, and no incidents to speak of. Not surprising there were three noise complaints... one made by a cellphone within the bar... LOL!!! But the police armed with a sound meter found no violations. We were never asked to turn down. All was good.

 

Until yesterday. The Village Building Inspector showed up to the bar with two police officers and informed them that they were well beyond the 125 person capacity for the bar. They would withhold the fine... but in return the bar would no longer book "Nuts In A Blender". Other bands were fine... just not "Nuts In A Blender" (can't you hear it now... in a creaky country twang "we don't like their kind around these parts")... "they bring too many people". The bar owner is pretty upset, but we advised him to stick with the Village request. If an outdoor event becomes available then we'd happily consider. Getting booted is bittersweet. On one hand, the room we were playing in was barely servicable and really, the place is way too small and not designed to handle the type of crowd we draw. On the other hand we've had 18-20 great shows here over the years and it's a great paying room. Still it's a lesson to all the bands out there that bigger isn't always better... wait who am I fooling, bigger is always better. It's just sometimes harder to book.

 

Seriously I know other bands must run into this issue... Throwdown's band draws huge crowds and I remember an incident with a venue over a similar situation. This is nothing to gloat about... we're out a great room and $300 per man. And with this economy... new rooms aren't opening every week. Just wanted to share the experience.

[cooterbrown]

Can they not hire a doorman (or two) to keep a head count?

Every club I've played at that draws a potential over-capacity does this.

You cue up outside, and you get to go in as others leave.

If nobody leaves, you don't get in...simple as that.

[Nijyo]

 

Can they not hire a doorman (or two) to keep a head count? Every club I've played at that draws a potential over-capacity does this. You cue up outside, and you get to go in as others leave. If nobody leaves, you don't get in...simple as that.

 

 

From the description, it sounded to me like the venue was good to them, but not particularly well managed in some other ways.

[LightingPimp]

We have lost two venues in the last 30 days due to Economy . The one place we had Fire Marshall come reduce the occupancy due to us playing is luckily still going and it hasent hurt them any ( they put in a door in the bar to outside ) so they got a added 30 ppl .

 

However I know what its like to loose a venue due to loosing two of them in a month around here. With that it was two better paying ones that we lost due to people are not going out for live music as much now in the area with unemployment at 20% around here.

 

while its odd cause one place we play doesnt charge a cover of any kind and has a occupancy of only 82 ppl and its a dungeon downstairs small , tight , smokey but ALWAYS packed over capacity with 100+ ppl when we play. other bands do good to get 20 ppl in the same place. We charge this room accordingly due to size and we do it for $800 a show other top bands only make $400 there and draw 20 maybe 30 ppl on a good night for them.

 

We are expecting to loose this place next yr cause we are thinking of adding a keyboard player which will surely price them out of a venue to play and size we can barely fit 5 there now literally barely. I have been bringing up the idea of taking a booking agent to possibly book us in some other local areas about 100 miles from here due to here places are drying up fast. I can see next year in our area only playing maybe 30 shows all year long or less if things keep uplike they are now.

 

 

always sucks to loose a good venue with a dedicated crowd who will come see you no matter what ,and to have a venue that bends over backwards for you to play and be forced out by powers that be .. sucks worse.

[wheresgrant3]

 

From the description, it sounded to me like the venue was good to them, but not particularly well managed in some other ways.

 

 

Yes... bingo. Nail on the head. The bad management is usually a key factor in these situations to begin with. I can't really fault the village... the bar let things get this out of control. Part of the crackdown is a result from an incident at another bar (not-music related)a year ago. Two drunks piled out of a place, crashed and were killed. They were both underaged. Since then there has been a stance to be more aggressive with bars in the area.

 

They had a doorman... but that wouldn't solve the situation. In the initial round at the Village Board meeting a few months back it was determined that the noise complaints were not coming from within the bar... it was groups of people in front of the bar, smoking, loitering and waiting on line, and noise from the parking lot. There was not a single complaint about the band or music from inside the bar. We didn't break the noise ordinance the other night... so the easiest way for the Village to end these 'large groups' of patrons was to walk in and do a 'head count' at peak hours. The bar being over capacity wasn't a concern of the village. It is just a method for them to come down on the venue for hosting the band in the first place.

 

Like I said... I could see this coming.

[wades_keys]

If this "village" had half a lick of sense, they wouldn't be {censored}ting in their own water.

 

If loitering is an issue, you assign a cop to the parking lot: there, problem solved.

 

The "village" depends on income from businesses, and the way they have handled this situation is extremely piss poor IMO.

 

As far as head count: the doorman just needs to have a little hand held counter - show that to any enforcement officials that arrive.

 

I mean, c'mon - this situation is nothing new: you should see the Phoenix Hill Tavern here on a Friday night.

 

But they have a cop outside, and a doorman that counts heads....Imagine that!

 

Win win situation.

[wheresgrant3]

If this "village" had half a lick of sense, they wouldn't be {censored}ting in their own water. If loitering is an issue, you assign a cop to the parking lot: there, problem solved. The "village" depends on income from businesses, and the way they have handled this situation is extremely piss poor IMO. As far as head count: the doorman just needs to have a little hand held counter - show that to any enforcement officials that arrive. I mean, c'mon - this situation is nothing new: you should see the Phoenix Hill Tavern here on a Friday night. But they have a cop outside, and a doorman that counts heads....Imagine that! Win win situation.

 

Agreed on all points. Never bite the hand that feeds you At the same point, I expect this has been brewing for quite a long time. this just didn't happen. if you were a village official and this room was a thorn in your side with residents around it, you wouldn't want to support the business. You rather they sell or go under and get another owner with better management. The bar leases the space, so I can only imagine the pressure they are putting on the landlord as well. Sucks... but what do you expect with a sleepy little town trying to maintain a quiet historic district.

 

For us...having the bar adhere to the capacity won't help us... or the bar. Remember... we charge 3x's more than the average band... we also bring 3x's more the people. Those people spend money which insures the bar breaks even after paying our gaurantee. Cutting those patrons by half or even 1/3 cuts the revenue as well. We have no intention of lowering our price.

 

With every bar/band there's always economics at work. In this situation the economics can't work.

[wades_keys]

Agreed on all points. Never bite the hand that feeds you At the same point, I expect this has been brewing for quite a long time. this just didn't happen. if you were a village official and this room was a thorn in your side with residents around it, you wouldn't want to support the business. You rather they sell or go under and get another owner with better management.

Yeah: ultimately the bar owner/management are complete idiots for not recognizing the gravity of the situation.

 

They've now converted an opportunity for growing their business and revenue base into the very real possibility of bankruptcy.

 

Really, if the bar knew they couldn't break even with your act without breaking the law to do so, they should have never rolled those dice in the first place.

 

Or - gasp - maybe they could have INVESTED some of that profit into expanding their facility!

 

But that would mean no coke up the nose for a week or two...like that's going to happen.

[ChordGirl]

Not surprising there were three noise complaints... one made by a cellphone within the bar... LOL!!!

 

 

Wow.

 

 

Do you think they'd book my new band, Nuts on a Bender?

[wheresgrant3]

Wow. Do you think they'd book my new band, Nuts on a Bender?

 

 

Look you don't even need to invest in a logo!

 

[Roy Brooks]

Lots of woo hoo girls in that audience.

[ChordGirl]

Look you don't even need to invest in a logo!

 

Sweet!!