Bitter Tonic: On the Closing of NYC Night Clubs, and the Discussions of Indie-Blog Readers
Last weekend Tonic, a well-known Manhattan night club, self-described as "a home for avant-garde, creative, and experimental music," closed its doors for the last time, priced out of the Lower East Side by a large and expensive condominium tower. The proprietors say they still hope to re-open in another location. Meanwhile, supporters of the club staged what they're calling a Tonic Eviction Musical Protest last Saturday, which resulted in the arrest of two musicians, as well as a press conference this afternoon outside City Hall:
"Let it be a wake-up call to say that small music and cultural spaces can no longer pay these outrageous rents and that important music and culture is being forced out of NYC! We need YOU to come to our press conference at City Hall, so that city government sees how many people need and support all kinds of non-mainstream music. ... City Councilman Alan J. Gerson of District 1 is supporting this press conference and will stand in support of our group; and will challenge other members of the City Council to come to the table on the issue of public interventions to save artistic creation in NYC."
When CBGB's closed last October, I considered the fuss Patti Smith made about "the empty new prosperity of our city" a rather pretentious display of "bourgeois sentimentality." But my feelings about Tonic are mixed. I have no illusions about the space itself -- I always found Tonic cold and inhospitable -- but neither am I optimistic that a new place will soon emerge where the free and open exchange of musical ideas would take precedence over the needs of finance. The kind of music that once played at CBGB's, or Sin-é (another recently closed and bemoaned rock club), will find a new home -- as long as that music is popular and potentially lucrative (which it still is). The music at Tonic, however, was of marginal interest from the start, and it offered limited financial incentive to either the club owners or the musicians, most of whom make a better living performing in Europe or Japan than they can anywhere in the United States.
The organization of a mass rally outside City Hall is therefore a well-intentioned, if somewhat misled, effort -- to show the officials "how many people" support a music that is, by definition, not widely supported. The task that these organizers ultimately face is in fact quite different -- and more formidable: to convince not only the officials, but the public at large that certain music must be valued and supported, regardless of its unpopularity or commercial promise, simply because it places more emphasis on the act and process of creation than on the creation itself; that the products of an artistic pursuit may be less valuable than the undertaking -- not only for the artists, but for the community as a whole.
To give an idea of how formidable it will be to convince even a sympathetic audience of this, I'm posting a series of comments about Tonic, retrieved from the message board of a popular indie rock blog called Brooklyn Vegan. The comments indicate a formidable, if latent, hostility among indie rock listeners, not only toward music of limited commercial appeal but -- what is more distressing -- the people and institutions that would support it. (These comments are conspicuously different from those posted on Brooklyn Vegan last October, when CBGB's gave its final performance, most of which were about celebrity sightings... )
From Brooklyn Vegan
(see all the comments, originally from two posts, here and here):
What can really be done though? That's capitalism, right? And also the reason that parts of Brooklyn and Queens are flourishing.
They seriously hope to accomplish that? Why should an indie club have more of a right to exist than some other business? Furthermore, why should people devote their political efforts to this cause, rather than something that would benefit a greater proportion of the population?
what do you suggest be done about this?
force the owner of the property to not get (or try to get) more money for his investment if someone is willing to pay it? or force the owners of tonic or other venues to run their business smarter so they can make more money so they can pay more rent or to negotiate better lease agreements...such that they could stay where they are forever?
Tonic or any another venue (CBGB's...) that looses its' lease can surely open up somewhere else if they've planned appropriately. surely they knew the day of reckoning would come and they would have to consider such a move. i think that is the issue that one should attack - their lack of planning or just plain bad business sense. the owners of these establishments have let us down, not rising real estate prices.
one business or neighborhood changes or goes away, another replaces it...THAT IS WHAT NEW YORK IS ABOUT...and this is nothing new.
Exactly. Why should taxpayers support a business that can't make money on it's own? In the cases when taxpayers do provide subsidies, it normally goes toward the greater good of the public. I loved Tonic, but it's patrons do not constitute the greater public by far. Keep the government out!
cant expect landlords to lose money in the name of experimental music and what is the mayor supposed to do about it anyway?
Get a job.
-all people that live in condos are bland and boring
-people who have or make money should be willing to lose it to investing in something that is historically a money sieve.
You sound like a bunch of naive, xenophobic hipsters. start something yourselves, sponsor something yourselves. stop complaining start doing.
And Elsewhere...
Similar perspectives can be found on Curbed, a blog dedicated to New York City real estate:
What is it with you socialists. You want evryone else to foot the bill for your "art". Okay, I think taxpayers should provide a fund so that teenage girls can buy Britney Spears albums. How is that different?
As it regards Tonic, if they either cannot pay the rent and/or the landlord refused to reup the lease, then that is life in the big city. Take up your shit and find another place like the rest of us do.
These comments are not intended to represent the majority opinion of either blog's readership, or of most indie rock listeners -- only of a tendency that exists, prominently in this case, among the audience (perhaps I should say, consumers) of the so-called independent media.
Also, the comments on Curbed feature one very intelligent exchange, between the authors of comment #3 and comment #17, which is followed promptly by the amusing retort of comment #18.
More Thoughts on Closing Tonic:
Neither More Nor Less (many lovely photos, in three parts: I, II, III)
Tiny Mix Tapes
William Avery Hudson
The New York Times
Village Voice
TimeOut New York
New York Magazine
Gothamist
Take it to the Bridge is the organization that put together Saturday's Tonic Eviction Musical Protest. They have a petition and an update on Tuesday's City Hall press conference.
"Let it be a wake-up call to say that small music and cultural spaces can no longer pay these outrageous rents and that important music and culture is being forced out of NYC! We need YOU to come to our press conference at City Hall, so that city government sees how many people need and support all kinds of non-mainstream music. ... City Councilman Alan J. Gerson of District 1 is supporting this press conference and will stand in support of our group; and will challenge other members of the City Council to come to the table on the issue of public interventions to save artistic creation in NYC."When CBGB's closed last October, I considered the fuss Patti Smith made about "the empty new prosperity of our city" a rather pretentious display of "bourgeois sentimentality." But my feelings about Tonic are mixed. I have no illusions about the space itself -- I always found Tonic cold and inhospitable -- but neither am I optimistic that a new place will soon emerge where the free and open exchange of musical ideas would take precedence over the needs of finance. The kind of music that once played at CBGB's, or Sin-é (another recently closed and bemoaned rock club), will find a new home -- as long as that music is popular and potentially lucrative (which it still is). The music at Tonic, however, was of marginal interest from the start, and it offered limited financial incentive to either the club owners or the musicians, most of whom make a better living performing in Europe or Japan than they can anywhere in the United States.
The organization of a mass rally outside City Hall is therefore a well-intentioned, if somewhat misled, effort -- to show the officials "how many people" support a music that is, by definition, not widely supported. The task that these organizers ultimately face is in fact quite different -- and more formidable: to convince not only the officials, but the public at large that certain music must be valued and supported, regardless of its unpopularity or commercial promise, simply because it places more emphasis on the act and process of creation than on the creation itself; that the products of an artistic pursuit may be less valuable than the undertaking -- not only for the artists, but for the community as a whole.
To give an idea of how formidable it will be to convince even a sympathetic audience of this, I'm posting a series of comments about Tonic, retrieved from the message board of a popular indie rock blog called Brooklyn Vegan. The comments indicate a formidable, if latent, hostility among indie rock listeners, not only toward music of limited commercial appeal but -- what is more distressing -- the people and institutions that would support it. (These comments are conspicuously different from those posted on Brooklyn Vegan last October, when CBGB's gave its final performance, most of which were about celebrity sightings... )
From Brooklyn Vegan
(see all the comments, originally from two posts, here and here):
What can really be done though? That's capitalism, right? And also the reason that parts of Brooklyn and Queens are flourishing.
***
The Tonic protesters want "to ask for public and political intervention to protect new music/indie/avant/jazz in New York City"They seriously hope to accomplish that? Why should an indie club have more of a right to exist than some other business? Furthermore, why should people devote their political efforts to this cause, rather than something that would benefit a greater proportion of the population?
***
music venues are businesses. they may represent something culturally significant or worthy, but make no mistake, they exist to make money. real estate owners and investors are also businesses. they also want to make money. this is what makes the world go round.what do you suggest be done about this?
force the owner of the property to not get (or try to get) more money for his investment if someone is willing to pay it? or force the owners of tonic or other venues to run their business smarter so they can make more money so they can pay more rent or to negotiate better lease agreements...such that they could stay where they are forever?
Tonic or any another venue (CBGB's...) that looses its' lease can surely open up somewhere else if they've planned appropriately. surely they knew the day of reckoning would come and they would have to consider such a move. i think that is the issue that one should attack - their lack of planning or just plain bad business sense. the owners of these establishments have let us down, not rising real estate prices.
one business or neighborhood changes or goes away, another replaces it...THAT IS WHAT NEW YORK IS ABOUT...and this is nothing new.
***
"yeah, blame the owners of these places for not making enough money booking shows that have artistic merit."Exactly. Why should taxpayers support a business that can't make money on it's own? In the cases when taxpayers do provide subsidies, it normally goes toward the greater good of the public. I loved Tonic, but it's patrons do not constitute the greater public by far. Keep the government out!
***
so anon 9:15pm, instead of criticizing, why don't you offer a suggestion? Let me guess: raise taxes so that the government can subsidize Tonic and other venues that cater to YOU.***
Whats the point? If you cant pay the rent go find a cheaper space.cant expect landlords to lose money in the name of experimental music and what is the mayor supposed to do about it anyway?
Get a job.
***
dont any of these people have jobs?***
my favorite part about your porous arguments:-all people that live in condos are bland and boring
-people who have or make money should be willing to lose it to investing in something that is historically a money sieve.
You sound like a bunch of naive, xenophobic hipsters. start something yourselves, sponsor something yourselves. stop complaining start doing.
***
And Elsewhere...
Similar perspectives can be found on Curbed, a blog dedicated to New York City real estate:
What is it with you socialists. You want evryone else to foot the bill for your "art". Okay, I think taxpayers should provide a fund so that teenage girls can buy Britney Spears albums. How is that different?
As it regards Tonic, if they either cannot pay the rent and/or the landlord refused to reup the lease, then that is life in the big city. Take up your shit and find another place like the rest of us do.
***
These comments are not intended to represent the majority opinion of either blog's readership, or of most indie rock listeners -- only of a tendency that exists, prominently in this case, among the audience (perhaps I should say, consumers) of the so-called independent media.
Also, the comments on Curbed feature one very intelligent exchange, between the authors of comment #3 and comment #17, which is followed promptly by the amusing retort of comment #18.
More Thoughts on Closing Tonic:
Neither More Nor Less (many lovely photos, in three parts: I, II, III)
Tiny Mix Tapes
William Avery Hudson
The New York Times
Village Voice
TimeOut New York
New York Magazine
Gothamist
Take it to the Bridge is the organization that put together Saturday's Tonic Eviction Musical Protest. They have a petition and an update on Tuesday's City Hall press conference.
Labels: CBGBs, independent media, music blogs
posted by John E. Uhl at 3:15 PM
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