Now that the fate of Satellite Ballroom’s current location is no longer in doubt, the next big story as it concerns the Charlottesville music scene is what will fill the hole that the Satellite Ballroom’s closing has now created?. It’s a good question and the answers, at least for the time being, seem elusive.
The Problem
Here’s what we know. On the morning of June 1, Charlottesville will no longer have a medium-sized venue that can hold between 400 and 600 people and play host to a number of national and regional bands as they pass through our area. Not only does this not bode well for music fans in Charlottesville, it also creates a concern for local musicians and for the local music industry as well.
The Satellite Ballroom served as a venue where up-and-coming local musicians could step into a larger spotlight. For now that spotlight is greatly diminished. But the larger problem at hand is the fact that without a venue of Satellite’s size, Charlottesville could essentially find itself ‘out of the loop’ so to speak on the live music touring schedule. Come June 1, where would bands like Band of Horses, M. Ward, The Avett Brothers, They Might Be Giants, and others come to play?
When looking for answers, one of the often-mentioned solutions is the current renovation of the Jefferson Theater taking place on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. Hoping to find out where things stand in regards to the Jefferson Theater, I gave Kirby Hutto, the general manager of the Charlottesville Pavilion, a call to see if he could shed some light on the progress being made.
.
The Jefferson Theater
When it was reported in June of 2006 that the Jefferson Theater was closing it seemed to mark the end of an era for the historic movie theater that was built in 1912. But when it was also announced that Coran Capshaw had bought the theater and had plans to restore it to a past glory and re-cast it as a live music venue, any sadness soon turned to hopeful optimism. So now, almost two years later, let’s get an update on how things are progressing. A quick visit to the Jefferson Theater’s Home Page and you find the following announcement:
The historic Downtown Mall landmark closed its doors on June 15, 2006 for mammoth renovations that wil wrap up in 2008.
So when I spoke to Kirby Hutto, I asked him where things currently stand and if indeed the Jefferson’s renovations would be completed in 2008. His reply underscored the equally mammoth difficulties in renovating a building whose age and design are major hurdles to overcome. He said that they are “hopeful that serious construction will begin in 30 to 60 days” but noted that “two of the biggest delays facing the renovations are the theater’s limited existing physical footprint and the state of the building’s ancient mechanical systems.”
Hutto also stated that some work has already been completed in regards to stabilization, interior construction as well as some demolition aspects. He added that they continue to work through the design phase to find an outcome that fits within their budget, and that to-date, the current design is ninety percent approved. At this point in time, Hutto said that it would be twelve to eighteen months until completion of the renovations. Once complete, the Jefferson Theater would be able to hold between 700 and 750 people and would become a vital piece to the live music community in Charlottesville.
It should be also added that Hutto is acutely aware of the existing hole currently created by the closing of the Satellite Ballroom on May 31. He said that dealing with the current situation at hand is an “urgent priority“. Which leads us to the possible solutions.
Solutions
As you can see much is still up in the air. Is it possible that the Satellite Ballroom could re-appear in another location? Anything is possible but in some ways Charlottesville is a slave to its own success. One quick glance around town and you’d be hard pressed to find a suitable location that is both finacially feasible and offers enough space to host a music venue of Satellite’s size. And as we just highlighted, the renovation of the Jefferson Theater, while moving forward, is not going to be completed in time to serve the immediate needs of the music community.
I am certain that there are a number of people working very hard behind-the-scenes to find an answer to Charlottesville’s current lack of a medium-sized concert hall. Until that solution presents itself, what we can do as music fans in Charlottesville is get out there and support our local musicians and our existing music venues. Their continued success is now more vital to our music scene than ever before. This can be our way of ensuring that the doors of other venues in town continue to stay open and it will show those folks currently working to sustain the Charlottesville music scene that their efforts are not only justified but greatly appreciated.
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Tagged as: charlottesville, Jefferson Theater, live music, news, Satellite Ballroom
Checking the show calendars on Pollstar or Jambase.com, it appears as though those people are all over in Richmond.
Richmond is going to get those shows because of what’s missing currently in Charlottesville. I agree Richmond has become the hot spot. I again think that part of the problem to a degree is Charlottesville’s economic success. Rents are higher, space is limited, margins are tighter. Richmond at this point has more room to grow than Charlottesville. The sad thing is that Satellite didn’t close because of poor performance. Instead it found itself in a situation beyond its control. In Richmond, places like Toad’s Place and the National are seen as economic bonuses. Due to Charlottesville’s success, Satellite, in the eyes of a few, doesn’t appear the same way. Just my thoughts.
[…] I wanted to make sure everyone saw cvilleMUSE’s coverage of the Satellite Ballroom closing. […]
I might add that someone we have come to rely on in this area seems to be promoting more events far from home. Staff Hill Presents was already associated with Superfly events like Bonnaroo and Vegoose, but now it’s listed as one of the groups behind the Outer Lands Fest all the way out in San Francisco and the Mile High Fest out in Denver.
I wish they’d throw us locals a bone.
What about Starr Hill? Isn’t that building still empty? Somebody could probably make that space work again much more quickly than it is going to take to renovate the Jefferson. And considering how the Pavilion seems to have suddenly given up on booking any acts that appeal to people under 60, I don’t trust the Capshaw people to bring anyone good to the Jefferson anyhow. Its probably going to be a bunch of country and oldies.
Couple things of note darkstar and this is strangely coincidental considering your handle, but there are rumors surrounding the Starr Hill location as reported on cVillain at the beginning of the month. Read about those rumors here. I’m not sure those rumors have been proven true or not.
As for the Pavilion line-up, I don’t know anymore than you do at this point, but call it a hunch…they’ve got some goodies to announce. I want to guarantee it but I really don’t like the taste of my own foot in my mouth. BTW-You should become a member of the My Morning Jacket Lobbying Committee (see post from earlier today 04.23).
I read this article in the Daily Progress:
http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/corner_losing_2_musical_favorites/20665/
Who is Jeyon Falsini? Did he put on shows at the Satellite Ballroom?
I also saw him mentioned in the new C-Ville Weekly as being the #2 in this town to Coran Capshaw - our own “Rick Rubin”?
Jeyon Falsini is a local music promoter/booking agent, who promotes/books shows at local venues for area bands and touring indie bands of every flavor and style from trance to bluegrass and back again. And from my brief interactions with him, he’s seems like a pretty swell guy in my book.
What shows has he promoted at the Satellite? Actually, what shows anywhere? Just trying to stay up on the local scene and all don’t you know.
Satellite Presents promotion more so than the Satellite itself. Twisted Branch, Outback, Miller’s, Rapture, Mono Loco, and Zinc (soon)…hey Jeyon! If you’re reading this man, I’m charging 10% to promote the promoter.
Not to be thick Shaun, but I don’t get “Satellite Presents promotion more so than the Satellite itself.”? What does that mean?
And again, I’m just wondering what shows - especially what touring indie bands?
Here’s Jeyon’s booking/promotion MySpace page. That should answer a few questions Heck.
Shaun - Honestly, I still don’t understand what you meant by “Satellite Presents promotion more so than the Satellite itself.” Of course, if you can’t/won’t explain, I’ll live
I can be a stickler sometimes, but it’s only for the sake of clarification.
I looked at his MySpace page. I guess all of the shows listed are shows he booked and is promoting? Not that you would know necessarily. Actually, maybe you should do a little interview with him or have him guest blog? It’d be interesting to hear more from him about the Cville music scene.
On a related topic, I looked at the Outback’s calendar the other day and it seemed pretty solid. There’s something about that place that I both love and hate - all at the same time. I think they stand to benefit from the closure of the Satellite Ballroom. I almost wish that the Outback would get a makeover and re-open “new and improved” (maybe even with a new name).
While I’m rambling…with all the complaints about the Satellite closing, it seemed like the packed sold-out shows were outnumbered by the not-so packed not sold-out shows - which was fine by me since that place was often a sweaty cluster-f*ck when packed. I’m just saying, maybe Cville’s “need” for a 500 capacity is overstated? Most of the sold-out shows probably could have sold more tickets and been more enjoyable at what the Jefferson will hopefully be and the not-so packed shows - shows that did 100-300, would probably be better in a smaller place where 300 is the maximum capacity. Maybe not…
That might be because some audiophiles find the sound and set up at Satellite so objectionable that they’d rather stay home than deal with it. I’m not positive, but I’ve heard people bash the place.
Starr Hill’s set up wasn’t awesome either, but at least they were able to book acts like Galactic, Dumpstafunk, NMAS, Derek Trucks, KDTU, moe., etc. Satellite has come close to filling the gap that Starr Hill left (Sharon Jones, TLG, Jason Isbell), but only a few times.
I hope the info about Starr Hill reopening as a music hall is true. We need something…or I’m going to be spending a lot of money on trips to Richmond!
@13 - I agreed with almost every word you wrote. I am sort of over the whole ‘fighting’ for a venue. I liked the Satellite and I liked it since it opened - even when it was a big old room with no attempt at controlling acoustics. However, the fact remains it is a big empty space and even when there’s a couple hundred people there (a good turnout by most standards) it feels embarrassing and empty for the audience. On the other hand a show like that at the Outback is packed with energy and it FEELS like a rock club. Satellite has always felt like a warehouse. And I find it crazy that there is all this hubbub about the place. When Tokyo Rose closed I cried. For real tears. I loved that place and had sentimental attachment to it - I would have fought tooth and nail alongside my brothers to keep it going. I don’t understand 90% of the battle for the satellite. Coran is opening the Jefferson in a year or so - it’ll be bigger and nicer and hopefully not as empty feeling when it’s not packed.
Also, Jeyon is the man. I’d be happy to interview him!
@Heck, indeed those are the shows he’s booked/promoting.
“…Satellite itself”–I was referring to shows actually at the Satellite Ballroom
“Satellite Presents”–There are times when Satellite puts together a show that actually doesn’t take place at Satellite Ballroom. (for the most part these have been held at the Twisted Branch). Other promoters would be involved with these shows to help add opening acts or because they promote the shows at the particular venue.
@14 - I consider myself somewhat of an audiophile and I couldn’t disagree more about the Satellite Ballroom sound and setup being objectionable. In fact, what are you talking about? You’re not positive, but you’ve heard other people bash the place? Huh?
There were some rough shows back in the day, but the last few shows I went to at the Satellite sounded good to me and honestly, I couldn’t help noticing that it even sounded good all the way in the back when I was ordering drinks.
FWIW, I’d be willing to bet that the same people that booked Starr Hill have been doing shows at the Satellite. Clearly some of the shows seem more in line with the pre-Starr Hill days, but Martin Sexton, Shooter Jennings, Mutemath, those were definitely Starr Hill shows i.e., if Starr Hill was still open, those shows would have happened there, not at the Satellite.
@15 - the Satellite definitely had a size issue. Too bad there wasn’t a way to cut the room in half, like a big folding door that you might find in a hotel conference room.
for TheUpstart and others, I wouldn’t worry about venues. Rumors abound about the old Starr Hill space, Orbit aka The Joint, and now I’m reading rumors about the old Under the Roof building (over at cVillain) - and maybe those are more wishful thoughts than rumors, but still. Also, someone recently mentioned another space to me that used to house a local arts organization.
At the end of the day, I think the bigger issue is still getting people out to support music. For all the talk of Richmond, does anyone really think 2 1500 capacity venues are going to survive?
The old Under the Roof building was bought by UVa and will house some computing services, they are building parking underneath. This is not a rumor. This is fact. I did hear that the bathrooms downstairs in Old Cabell Hall have some of the best acoustics in town. I know of a band that recorded at least a few songs down there.
My apartment is going to be the next popular venue. It’ll house 4-5 people, there’s free booze, and play whoever you want. Hell, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke played there just last night and you all missed it!
I just hope that Coran gets My Morning Jacket to play the rotunda, cause you know Casteen is down.
squid - There are bands that play living room shows! I think that would be cool. In fact, maybe we could line up My Morning Jacket for your grand opening? “The Squidtank” is already a perfect name for a venue.
The subs at satellite throw too far to sound good near the front of an empty room. It takes time for those low frequencies to develop and when there aren’t bodies there’s no low freq in the front 1/3 of the room. But that room could sound good because there’s a venue in DC (is it Black Cat?) which has a similar set up (long narrow room, crazy warehouse type ceiling) and the room sounds perfect, although when a venue has an $80,000 mixer you know they’ve sunk serious cash into getting it to sound that way. I heard it sounded better once they through Starr Hill’s PA in there, but I haven’t been to that many shows recently.
I think the lack of a good 100 - 300 capacity venue kills Charlottesville’s music scene. In my post the other day I said I was surprised that Satellite never put up a certain in the middle of the room to accommodate smaller shows because I know a lot of venues do that. I’ve only seen two shows at Outback but I was surprised at how good it sounds, even if the room set up leaves a lot to be desired, so I guess Outback is a good smaller venue, but I’ve only heard of metal and pickin’ shows booked there, it would be nice to see some [indie] pop/rock shows there.
One more thing just because I clicked the link to the promoter’s myspace and saw ‘tea bazaar (capacity 100+).’ I know I’m going to create some enemies because people love that place. But Tea Bazaar is NOT a rock club, its a place to get tea. and hummus. and smoke a hooka. So, maybe 100 people can fit inside, but that doesn’t mean they could hear the band out of the PA on a stick they pass off as their sound system. If tea bazaar at least moved the tables out of the hallway in front of where the bands play, it might be an ok space for small shows, but they don’t, and the tables are glass. And they don’t just book quiet acoustic bands, they book bands like Evangelicals who play scary vampire rock and blow fuses at real rock clubs. /end rant.
I’m not positive that acoustics are the reason shows aren’t packed. Sorry that wasn’t clear.
Has anyone there besides me posted inside info about music-related happens here and been correct? Perhaps someone in the know recently arrived, but cVillian has not been the font of good info when it comes to music (maybe this is why they started this site).
Bahaha! I love you!
@18, UVa bought the old Under the Roof space? That’ll be news to the new owners
Its privately owned, vacant, close to grounds, and enormous… if they’re not planning to knock it down in the immediate future then it’d be a perfect fit for a music venue till it either does get demolished or ‘new Starr Hill’ or the Jefferson comes along. But thats just my opinion. If I had the horsepower to make it happen I’d call Bill Atwood myself
As an insider, the only thing I can say is that most of you are totally clueless, these rants and raves are ridiculous, and they give me a headache.
@NF. As an insider, there’s obviously information that you’re not at liberty to share. But knowing what you know, what would you tell the average music fan in Cville about where things stands or where things are headed? What do the folks involved in the local music business need from the folks who love being an active participant in the Cville music scene? I ask because these are not the kind of conversations we get to have on a regular basis and it could shed some light on the difficulties and/or opportunities that may present themselves.
Things are headed in a good direction. Buy tickets, bring your friends, tip your bartenders, enjoy the music, be respectful of the venue and staff.
That’s well said. I also think that those kind of sentiments are what we need to hear more of.
I also think it’s safe to say that indeed some people are clueless when it comes to the process of making live music happen. But it’s really through no fault of their own. It’s not really their job to be aware of how it all works. The music fan’s concern is where am I going to go now to see my favorite band play and can I afford it?
My point is this: Obviously you can’t let everyone in on the process, nothing would ever get done. But as an insider, it doesn’t really help the overall cause to put down those people down who are the paying customers. I’ve worked a few years in the restaurant business and the mantra is: “The customer is always right” even if you think you know better or because of your position, you know you know better. But the minute you tell them they’re wrong is the minute when you begin to risk losing their business.
Your comments at #26 are indeed what the music fan needs to hear. The more the insiders and the outsiders talk with one another, the better off everyone is going to be in the end. It’s the best way to achieve a win/win.
Thanks Shaun for being so diplomatic. Too bad NF is not. Comment 24 is not exactly helpful and misses the point of this conversation. Local musicians and fans are just really worried that they may lose what they have learned to love. The speculations and wild guesses are a result of this. To insult them from a high horse is certainly not the way to go.
Btw I also mourn the loss of Atomic Burrito (Charlottesville needs a 25 people venue…)
I can see NF’s point to a certain extent - there is definitely a lot of griping but I also believe venues should at least listen to their patrons with a positive ear, dismiss the bullshit, and try to find ways to improve. For example, I have been yelled at for talking at a normal volume in back of the Gravity Lounge. I didn’t realize the sound carried all the way to the front. Most venues will have a thick curtain separating at least part of the entry way from the audience if it is an open format like that. Might be a good idea for Gravity to do the same. Then their guests who might want to linger in the back or go outside to smoke wouldnt disturb the audience. I think this is the venues fault just as much as the concertgoer.
Also for previous comments I didnt respond to, I was (and am) pretty sure that UVa has plans for that place but I could be wrong. I’ll have shows at my house as soon as I get a place with a basement.
i’m really confused squid. what part of the conversation are you following? i’m trying to figure out what bs we’re supposed to be dismissing to be honest with you.
here’s the thing…if you now realize that sound carries all the way to the front, then why should gravity have to pay for a curtain when it costs nothing to respect those around you who paid to hear the music and not your conversation? i’m not sure how that’s the venue’s fault.
@30
Just because Squid knows to be quiet at Gravity doesn’t mean that everybody knows it, and I’m sure that same mistake is made nightly.
@the topic
Under the Roof won’t become a club. It would cost millions to make it into a decent sounding room, and even then the town isn’t big enough to support a club the size that it would become (possibly 1200-1500. It was a freaking grocery store originally.) The Box doesn’t seem to be hosting the same shows Atomic did, and I’m nervous that the hotel construction will hurt its business badly. Starr Hill might become another club, it might not.
So where does that leave us?
The next couple years are going to be difficult. The economy is struggling. I suspect more businesses will close than open. Gas prices may force a lot of mid-level bands already struggling with label support to stop touring altogether. The bad is obvious: less live music. But the good might come in the form of more open space in which to run a club. (personally, I hope The Gravity becomes a dirty basement rock club in the vein of Tokyo Rose eventually.) Charlottesville has always had a pretty good live music scene, and in the past five years we’ve been very lucky. Sadly, a “market correction” may be the only thing that restores the luster of the local scene, and we may have to wait for it.
@30 I think this post made me think of recent discussions on Cvillain (like that cross-site thread following?) and when we were talking about clubs it made me think of things the club can do to make it better for the audience. I haven’t seen a show there in a long time but I would imagine if you can hear people talking in the back you can hear people coming in the door and getting their tickets taken, talking then, etc. If I am wrong please correct me.
Also, I wasn’t suggesting that Gravity fork over $$ for a curtain so that assholes like me could be loud in the back. I don’t even think it would encourage people to be loud in the back. I just think that it would deaden what little noise is back there anyway. The bar noise - clinking glasses, bottlecaps, cash register, etc causes noise too, and they sell drinks during performances.
I am a rock guy but I don’t think that my feet tread too heavy for a place like Gravity. I like Gravity Lounge. Like Greg I wish they had some diversity of shows there but I understand why they don’t. I am sure their rent is exorbitant and it’s a nice place. Unfortunately most of the Tokyo Rose type shows we could bring there wouldn’t draw the kind of money every night they would need to keep open. Of course I am hypothesizing - I don’t know numbers. They bring artists in for $10-$40 a ticket that they know will sell. I can’t fault them for that.
Chatter at a show sucks. Besides annoying the patrons, it often upsets the performer, which is a sure fire way to make a show really suck. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand why anyone pays money to see a show only to then stand in the back of the venue and talk. Forget the curtain, if you want to talk, save the price of the ticket and go to a bar or stay home.
And really, “most venues” have curtains? I’m trying to think of a venue with a curtain. I’ve been to venues with lobbies that sometimes have doors separating the lobby from the performance space, but I’m not sure I’ve seen many curtains?
I saw a story about the Satellite Ballroom on NBC29 news and they called CVS and apparently, it’s a done deal with the lease. I had given up hope, but there’s a group called “Satellite Unite” and they’re pretty motivated and now I’m thinking maybe CVS could be convinced to extend the lease for at least another 6 months.
Or maybe pressure can be put on the city that ties CVS up in typical nit-picky developer stuff and maybe CVS could let the Satellite and Just Curry stay - not sure what would happen to Higher Grounds since Plan 9 is leaving either way?
FWIW, it most certainly would not cost “millions” to turn Under the Roof into a club. You could build an ugly clamshell design pavilion for millions of dollars
If the owners of The Joint do it up right, that could be a decent music venue with a 200 capacity.
Did you hear they were writing letters to save Satellite?
@34. I actually have the details on that in my CVS Deal Drawing Closer? post on 4.21. You can find the story here.
BTW–If you want to find out more or get involved: satelliteunite@gmail.com
@33 Maybe I’m thinking about the strip clubs. Chatter really sucks when I’m trying to pay attention to some nubile.. [okay I’ll stop] For the record I paid to see the show, was quiet at the show, then got up to get a beer after one song and was talking quietly (I thought) in the back with a friend about halfway between the bar and the door. I didn’t have a problem shutting up but I was surprised that I could be heard all the way up front - I was conscious of the space and my speaking volume and thought I was being quiet. Maybe I should get my hearing checked or stick to rock shows. I don’t like that I feel like I’ve been labelled as a chatterer! I may be a jerk…