Hello folks,
I've never posted on this forum before, and don't know all of you regulars, I feel inclined to throw in my two cents on this issue, for whatever that's worth. I think this is a good conversation to be having right now on a highly relevant (not to mention very interesting) issue.
Although I don't know most of you, I'm a friend of snailhook and callat703 (and have collaborated with both of them musically), and since I'm a fan of the music that they both make, the environments in which my friends and I make music are of interest to me. All of us (show-goers, musicians, all of the above) are affected by the way in which venues conduct their business and operate on a day to day basis.
I wasn't at the Red and the Black on the night that the Barkitecture incident went down. I've heard the story from the points of view of the band and from the club, and honestly I think that the level of disrespect towards the band is pretty alarming. Beyond being treated badly from the get-go (apparently because of their age?), the bottom line is that there's no reason to ever push another person in the midst of a verbal arguement, period.
And okay, maybe this particular bouncer is just a macho jerk, whatever- most distasteful to me is the lack of an appropriate response on behalf of the club following the incident. This was a golden opportunity for the club to show that it cares about its patrons and the bands that they invite to play. They could have set a positive example by taking some sort of disciplinary action towards the bouncer in question. You know, just to say that pushing a young girl is not within their definition of acceptable behavior of the people they employ.
Instead, the message that I gather from the club is "we can treat you however we want, and don't dare defend yourself, because we will ban you." 25 bands banished from these three venues in about a year? I think it's fairly obvious who the common denominator is in all of this.
I have had pleasant experiences in the past playing at DC9 as well as H Street clubs, and have attended loads of great shows there (granted, most of them were booked & managed by people who are no longer involved). Obviously there are people who staff these places who care about music and work hard to create a comfortable atmosphere for people to enjoy hearing and playing music.
My personal concerns are more with the unnecesarily strict policy that excludes people under the age of 21, the silly 'door tally' system that is only really helpful to large-scale national acts and local bands (I've seen too many touring bands leave a crowded room with little more than $10 in their pockets to get them to their next destination), the apparent 'ban-happy' way of conducting business, and ultimately, the lack of concern for someone literally being pushed around by one staff member.
It's important to me that the live music experience is one that is comfortable, inclusive, and fair. A fundamental aspect of my being involved with music is the spirit of bands and venues working together to put on interesting/cool/enjoyable shows.
There are loads of venues in this area that are able to put on shows all the time without these freakishly frequent bannings- Galaxy Hut, Iota, Black Cat, 9:30, Velvet Lounge, Sangha, 611 Florida, and numerous other DIY and house venues.
Really, when was the last time you heard of anyone being banned from the Galaxy Hut? I doubt it happens very often. Why not? Perhaps it's because the Hut is just one example of a venue that is run by and for fans of music, and where community is just as important as anything else.
I have no interest in willingly walking into a situation where I could potentially be treated as if I don't belong there- like what happened to Barkitecture.
Music is sacred to me. I imagine that music is sacred to mostly everyone else on this forum as well.
Of course, these venues have the right to run their business in the way that they want to- more power to them. By the same merit, I have the right to make the choice to not be a part of it. My personal opinion is that patronizing these clubs basically amounts to acceptance of their ways of operating. Thanks, but no thanks. I am sure that they couldn't care less about whether or not my humble little band plays there. This isn't really my concern. My concern is in having a clear conscience about playing and hearing/seeing music in a way that I'm comfortable with.
