The club at Central and Pecan (formerly the Steeple and now the Spot) has had three owners since the last year or so. Soon, it will be looking for a fourth.
According to building owner Jimmy Margiotis, the current tenants weren't paying their rent -- so after they do the court thing, he'll be looking for new tenants for the location.
All of this shook out rather recently. Saturday's burlesque show was hastily moved to the Visulite Theatre.
Microphone Monday's, a hip-hop open mike, has moved to Fire & Ice, which is across the street from the Spot. Tonight is first night for Microphone Monday in the new home (which might also be temporary, more on that in another blog). Doors open at 9:30 p.m. It's free for ladies until midnight. It's $3 and $5 for men. Wolly Vinyl will host.
Here's the lineup:
Silent Hill
The One Kemist
Charles Herron
Open Mic Follows
Were you a regular at the Spot? If so, why don't you think it succeeded? And what would be a good concept for that location to complement the Penguin, Thomas Street Tavern and Dish. Post your replies below.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Turmoil at the Spot
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4 comments:
Tonya, I heard a rumor that Jackalope's was leaving its 7th Street location and moving to the Spot location. Any truth to that?
forget a club/live music venue.
What Plaza Midwood really needs is a theatre. (one that isn't run by some crazy lying wacko sociopath, that is).
I was pretty regular at The Steeple as well as The Spot and The Room for that matter and I could see it unfolding. Just a matter of when. It's sad, too, because there aren't many places like that left. Just need to find someone to run it who isn't deaf to the new world.
The potential for a successful club most certainly exists in that location but more consideration on bookings and atmosphere should have been considered. The Steeple pulled it off nicely with it's highly eclectic calender ranging from DJ's to goth nights to punk and rock bands, to theme parties and performances. The list goes on. They catered well to the Plaza/Midwood area's tastes and interests and were thus successful. Although this not paying rent thing really seems to be a running gag there doesn't it?
One thing I really noticed at the Spot was the lack of attention to the building and atmosphere itself. It was The Room, part II, die harder with a vengeance. They went in with good intentions but the place was really just left to fall apart. They let the bathrooms rot ala The Room, the windows upstairs were all cracked and shattered, proper club lighting was not installed, upstairs had no sound or lighting except for the few events that brought in their own. The wall graffiti was nice but again often unseen due to the lack of lighting.
Bookings, aside from the few highly successful nights there (due mainly to the efforts of the promoters and not the spot), also seemed to be sparse and often hip hop-centric. Don't get me wrong, I love hip-hop as much as anyone but I think Pure Platinum proved that Plaza/Midwood is not a very hip hop-oriented neighborhood. I rarely saw locals, indie bands, acoustic sets, and the like being booked there. And sure, alcohol sales aren't as high for these kinds of shows but it would draw fresh blood and help get the word out about the place. It would've at least drawn more local neighborhood support.
And there was a website and a myspace page but the myspace page wasn't utilized like it could have been and the website was a disaster in and of itself. We're lucky they had event date listings on it. It remained underdeveloped and down most of the time they were open and did not show off the club or give any real information the way a club site should. It's not wise to dismiss one of the fastest growing advertising markets out there. Gotta jump on it.
All in all the Spot had a lot of potential in the beginning. The idea was solid, the enthusiasm was there, the intentions were good. But the owners got lazy just like with the Room and the interest and integrity of the place just plummeted over the last few months of it's life. There was no attention to detail and no interest in expanding horizons. It was the "Same Room Flava" in a new location (quoted from one of their Mic Monday flyers). No kidding guys. How about trying something new for a change. It may just be crazy enough to work! Hell if I had the money I'd get in there and do it myself. Too bad I'm broke.
...
Also if something else besides a club were to go there, I'd say turn that place into an art gallery. Seems like it'd be a good locale for one.
Just my thoughts anyway.
I know this is blasphemy, but how about moning the Milestone operations over there?
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