Tech boom reverberates in music venues
The technology boom has sent ripples through the landscape of the music scene, once a center for West Coast jazz, psychedelic rock and punk. To fans, the closures of several of the city’s high-profile venues and rumors of changes coming to others might signal troubling times. Combined with the skyrocketing cost of living, the shrinking housing market and the rising number of noise complaints in neighborhoods that were once havens for nightlife, it certainly feels as if an epidemic is brewing.
But is the situation really that bad, or is it part of a larger, ever-changing pattern that’s as much a part of Bay Area music history as the Grateful Dead?
“If I learned anything from the first time around, it’s that it’s shortsighted to see this as good or bad,” said Eric Shea, a veteran musician who is a member of the bands Sweet Chariot and Hot Lunch, as well as an employee at Pandora. “It is what it is. It’s another gold rush that brings some money into the city and it takes away money for other things. As a musician, I’m really sad to see my favorite venue, Cafe Du Nord, change. As a grown man, I try to embrace the change and be thankful for what we had and look for the next thing.”
As history has shown, movement doesn’t necessarily mean doom.
High: Following lengthy negotiations with the San Francisco Planning Commission and various neighborhood groups, concert promotion company Live Nation finally opened the doors of the renovated Masonic Auditorium, unveiling several major upgrades at the 3,000-capacity entertainment venue in the heart of Nob Hill. “This is a prize venue,” said Jodi Goodman, president of Live Nation Northern California. “It was too important for San Francisco to walk away and not make a deal.”
Low: Cafe Du Nord — a Prohibition-era speak-easy-turned-live music venue that for decades presented local showcases and intimate concerts by acts such as Neil Young, Mumford & Sons and Train — shuttered its doors this year, with plans to become a more refined space in light of the 200 new residences going in next door. “We just have to be sensitive to community needs and work with hundreds of new residents,” said Dylan MacNiven, head of the large ownership group that will take over the building that also included the Swedish American Hall. “With a rock club, it’s not just about noise, it’s about traffic and people drinking alcohol, too.” Translation: no more rock club.
Top 10 The best quotes of the year:
Mark Kozelek
Q: Your writing seems much more stream of consciousness these days. Do songs come more naturally now? A: Much more naturally. Far less work. Less metaphors — those are a pain in the ass.
Riff Raff
Q: Is it hard to switch off your brain? A: If I grow an interest toward something, then I become almost addicted with that situation. My mind is always thinking, “What’s next, what’s next?” If I get a yellow Lamborghini, then I want a yellow Lamborghini private plane and then I want banana pudding to match the color outside the plane and then I want Air Force One to match the banana peels.
Tune-Yards
Q: I had a nerve-racking moment watching you on “The Tonight Show,” thinking mainstream America isn’t ready for this. How did it feel on your end?
A: You might notice the first 20 seconds I’m scared. I don’t remember to breathe and my voice is all trembly. Honestly, if it weren’t for the back row of that audience — I could see their faces for some reason, and they had this look of wonder. That’s what got me through it.
Bart Davenport
Q: You’re dressed as a superhero on the album cover. What are your powers? A: Really good at changing the strings. Not so good at leaping off tall buildings.
Sharon Van Etten
Q: You’re on tour right now. Is it fun reliving all the traumatic episodes in your life every night? A: It’s like going to therapy every day, except I can drink. I think my therapist wouldn’t like it if I showed up with a glass of red wine.
Robert Smith of the Cure
Q: Did you read the Morrissey autobiography? A: Strangely enough, no. I haven’t got to that one yet. There are about 101,000 other books I would like to read first.
Paul Stanley of Kiss
Q: Kiss was such a visual band. Why did you leave things with “Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park”? A: When you do something of that caliber, where can you go? After that, what is there left to do? I still don’t understand the end of that movie.
Jenny Lewis
Q: Do you think all the pain and suffering you went through to make this album was worth it in the end? A: It aged me a little bit. The whole not-sleeping thing — I looked into the mirror after two years and said, “Who is that graying creature?”
Patrick Carney of the Black Keys
Q: It seems like yesterday you were playing tiny venues like Bottom of the Hill. What did you do right to get where you are now? A: That show was in 2003. I have no idea what happened. The whole thing still boggles my mind. If I did know the secret, I would be the best manager in the world. Everything in our career has been purely accidental.
Beck
Q: I wasn’t sure you would ever be back onstage doing the splits and karate kicks again after your back injury. A: I didn’t really think I would be able to do it, either. We started playing shows together in 2012, and last year I felt like I was getting stronger and stronger. Sometimes I do overdo it. But it’s worth it. Even in the best of conditions, I don’t think anybody would be advising me to jump off an 8-foot riser anymore.