| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 08/11/2007 : 2:49:22 PM
Our dear friends @ Sweetwater are in dire straits. They have always taken awesome care of us when TR has performed there and after many successful shows there they have become good friends that we keep in touch with even when we aren't on TouR. It recently reached my ears of their plight and I quickly offered to help out by posting this thread and getting a link to the "Save Sweetwater" website on TR's homepage. The short version is they are being displaced from their space and may not be able to move back in which would be a huge loss to the area. Apparently there is another organization looking at taking over the venue and they are apparently a H.O.B-type corporation instead of the wonderful "mom & pop" vibe that Sweetwater's always had. The place is FULL of history and well worth perserving. Please take a sec and check out the full story and sign the petition at the following link:
http://savethesweetwater.com/
THANX!!!!
Here is a post I wrote for some other message board with more details:
quote:
Don't know if you have heard but the world is on the verge of losing an amazing venue in the SF area. Right now they have about 2500 signatures on their petition but they are shooting for 10,000. It would be a big loss to the music community as almost every major act has graced the stage over the years. That list reads like a who's-who of the last 30-40 years of music. Pretty amazing given it's size, just over 100 people sold out.
Dave has played this venue in the past and hung out there when he was staying in Mill Valley recording with DMB & TR and I think he would hate to see this venue disappear. In my 8 years with TR we have played this venue many TIMes and I always hear the stories. Hell, they even have a picture of him hanging on-stage. I see it every TIMe TR plays there. Dave looking over TR's shoulder while he is onstage we always joke. LOL
So here is the quote from the petition:
Tucked away in the heart of Mill Valley, the Sweetwater music club has been the premier live music location in the North Bay. Hosting both nationally and internationally known acts, the Sweetwater has been a pillar in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for over 30 years. Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, John Hiatt, Dave Grisman, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews, John Hammond, Elvis Costello and Train are just a few of the thousands who have graced the stage at the Sweetwater. This place is history right here in the San Francisco Bay.
On August 5, 2007 it was made public that the Aversa family (owners of the building) is forcing the Sweetwater (business owners) out of the current building and is planning for pending 'repairs'. The current rent payments far exceed local property values and the Aversa family plans to raise rent by an unheard of amount, although at this point the conversation is not even open to allow the Sweetwater to move back into the building no matter what the rent is. We need your help in raising positive awareness that the Sweetwater is worth saving for music, for the merchants and residents of Mill Valley, and for the culture of the Bay Area.
By signing this petition you are using your voice to show support for this community doing what needs to be done to keep this piece of music history right where it is.
Please show your positive support for the Sweetwater by signing this petition now. Forward it to everyone you know. We need you. This only takes a few minutes and it is so important.
For the complete story and to sign the petition please click on the following link:
http://savethesweetwater.com/
THANX FOR THE HELP!
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| 4 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ranting Thespian |
Posted - 08/18/2007 : 03:41:56 AM
to quote Tolkien: the Battle of Unnumbered Tears :( |
| Fluffy |
Posted - 08/13/2007 : 11:59:15 AM
Mill Valley's Sweetwater to close
Paul Liberatore
Article Launched: 08/04/2007 11:05:56 PM PDT
After more than 30 years in Mill Valley, Sweetwater, the rock club
that became a Marin County cultural institution, has been told to
close by the end of the month.
Sweetwater owners Thom and Becky Steere have been given a 30-day
notice by their landlord to vacate the landmark Throckmorton Avenue
nightspot, where greats like Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana, Elvis
Costello, Bonnie Raitt and other rock stars have performed over the
past three decades.
The building will undergo major improvements, requiring rent increases
that the Steeres cannot afford.
Mill Valley Mayor Chris Raker, who was surprised to hear of the
closure, called the news upsetting.
"I'm extremely distressed to hear it. It's a major loss to the
community. While I welcome the improvements to the building, I wish
some accommodation could have been made to allow Sweetwater to stay."
In an emotional meeting Saturday morning, the Steeres gave their dozen
employees the news. "There were lots of tears," an upset Becky Steere
said, her voice cracking. "We're a family. This is our life. We're all
devoted to Sweetwater. We're feeling deep sadness and sorrow right
now. It's heartbreaking."
The Steeres say they've been looking for a new home for Sweetwater,
but it will be impossible to re-create its living-room-like ambience,
to replace its barnwood walls decorated with memorabilia and photos of
musicians who have played there.
"How do you move an institution?" Becky Steere asked. "You can't carry
away the memories of all the musicians who have performed here, the
magic that's been on that stage. If you move an institution like
Sweetwater, you lose the soul of the place."
The Steeres, who saved the club when they took it over from previous
owner Jeanie Patterson in 1998, clashed with their landlord in 2004 over
rent increases and other issues.
They threatened to leave during those negotiations, but managed to
work out a month-to-month lease.
But now they've been told to be out by Sept. 1, at the latest.
"We've had this scene before, but this time it's real," Becky Steere
said. "Unless some miracle happens, this is the end."
The Sweetwater building at 153 Throckmorton Ave. is owned by the
Aversa family, longtime proprietors of adjacent La Ginestra restaurant.
The Aversas are planning "major repairs" that will require the
building to be vacant "for an unknown but extended period," according
to a statement signed by the Steeres and by Fabio Aversa for his family.
"Once these repairs are completed, the intent is to re-rent the space,
but the increase in rent to offset the improvements will make it
impossible for Sweetwater to reoccupy the space," the statement said.
"It also makes little sense for Sweetwater to move and then move
again, perhaps months later."
The Aversas say they plan to tear back interior walls to make sure the
building meets seismic safety standards and to improve the plumbing
and electrical systems.
"While there have been ups and downs in the relationship between the
club and the building owner, both of us are proud of our long-term
relationship and regret that it is coming to an end," the joint
statement said.
Fabio Aversa did not immediately return calls for comment.
John Goddard, whose Village Music record store closes in September due
to issues including escalating rents after some 40 years in Mill
Valley, blasted the Aversas.
"Anyone who has eaten at La Ginestra in the past 10 years has given
tacit validation to everything the Aversas have put the current and
former owners of Sweetwater through," he said. "They ought to be
ashamed of themselves."
The Steeres recently took over operation of the Larkspur Caf Theater,
which they had hoped to run in addition to Sweetwater.
"It will never become Sweetwater," Becky Steere said. "Sweetwater is
Sweetwater, a place where big-name musicians come and play, not for
the money, but because of the history of this great room.
"Everyone loved the place." |
| PJK |
Posted - 08/12/2007 : 10:18:39 AM
ditto #2,815 I also posted your message on a "musician's lounge" page on a non-DMB site. Hopefully people there will sign up and spread the word too.
It is upsetting to see small business, mom & pop type venues being replaced by big business. Likewise I was sad to hear that Star Hill in C'ville is no longer a music venue. Of course I guess that was Coran's doing. I think he already owned Star Hill, not sure though, so maybe that isn't a good analogy. They moved their music to the Satilite Ballroom, across from UVA. (which I hear is a good venue too)
A better analogy would be my favorite venue near my house, The Point in Bryn Mawr, PA, which had to close down a number of years ago because the town wouldn't let them expand, even though they were going to do it in a way that would have promoted music and would have been very good for the local economy. The Point is where TR, Chris Whitley, and many many great musicians graced the stage. It was a quaint coffee shop, complete with comfy chairs, sofas, and a wonderful ambiance. Gosh I miss that place! |
| Ranting Thespian |
Posted - 08/12/2007 : 01:38:51 AM
Signed up. |
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