Cat's Cradle & Durham?

Bryon Settle ployntabs at embarqmail.com
Fri Sep 19 10:21:56 EDT 2008


Yeah, I saw that David Byrne was playing Asheville. Does Frank feel that 
he needs to expand if and when he has to move?

James Hepler wrote:
> No acts come to mind directly, but it does seem as though the Orange Peel
> (950 capacity to the cradle's 650) in Asheville is becoming the new
> destination for bands that draw in that 1000 people range.  Smashing
> Pumpkins I guess might be an example, albeit a poor one.  Perhaps New
> Pornographers, Peter, Bjorn, & John, etc?
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Sep 18, 2008 at 6:34 PM, Bryon Settle <ployntabs at embarqmail.com>wrote:
>
>   
>> So what acts would we see if there was a thousand seat space?
>>
>> grady wrote:
>>     
>>> It all sounds like a bunch of hooey to me. Specifically, the type of
>>> hooey that developers toss around when they're getting frustrated at
>>> local opposition to their projects. Sort of like "well, we appreciate
>>> your concerns, but if we don't get the green-light to proceed with our
>>> project by FRIDAY then circumstances beyond our control might force us
>>> to build a Wal-Mart with on-premise strip club instead."
>>>
>>> Except since it's Carrboro we're talking about, and the developers
>>> probably aren't evil, but rather just getting impatient with some
>>> late-term naysayers who apparently didn't bother to raise their concerns
>>> during any of the opportunities for public input over the past 3 years
>>> (remember this thread?
>>>
>>>       
>> http://groups.google.com/group/alt.music.chapel-hill/browse_frm/thread/32360402f81bf7bb/400074a8ace20151
>>     
>>> ), the doomsaying takes the somewhat more passive-aggressive form of
>>> Laura Van Sant making vague statements about how she sure hopes the
>>> Cradle doesn't up and move to Durham due to the uncertainty surrounding
>>> the development.
>>>
>>> Or, to quote (extensively) from the Schultz & Menconi article in the
>>> CHN/N&O:
>>> ------- begin quote -----------
>>> A developer proposing the renovation of the nightclub's East Main Street
>>> shopping center urged the Carrboro Board of Aldermen to approve the
>>> project Tuesday night, saying any further delay could send Cradle owner
>>> Frank Heath packing.
>>>
>>> "It's absolutely an integral part of our project," Laura Van Sant said
>>> in an interview Wednesday. "It is a fact he has landlords in Durham
>>> offering him free space."
>>>
>>> But it's not clear that delaying the 300 East Main Street project would
>>> force the Cradle to leave Carrboro. In an e-mail statement, Heath said
>>> he gets regular inquiries about relocating the Cradle to a larger space
>>> in one of the Triangle's other cities.
>>>
>>> "It can get a bit frustrating knowing that our current spot really is
>>> where this venue needs to stay, while also knowing that we could benefit
>>> from a larger space," Heath wrote.
>>>
>>> When asked about Van Sant's claim he'd been offered rent-free space in
>>> Durham, Heath answered that it was more along the lines of booking shows
>>> elsewhere than a space of his own to operate as Cat's Cradle.
>>> --------- close quote -----------
>>> http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1221382.html
>>>
>>> I'm not attempting to predict the future, but what I *am* saying is that
>>> this project has been in the works for well over three years, and while
>>> I'm sure Frank Heath has done a good job of formulating contingency
>>> plans, the fact that he hasn't moved before now would indicate that he's
>>> unlikely to up & move just because the project is *not* moving ahead.
>>>
>>> And just to provide background that's missing from the current coverage:
>>> the plan, as it was explained to me, was for the Cradle to move into the
>>> Performance Bikes space once it came time to bulldoze the stripmall
>>> itself, and then eventually move into a custom-built space near the back
>>> corner of the project, along with the ArtsCenter.
>>>
>>> Obviously grandiose plans such as those are exactly the sorts of things
>>> to get amended &/or jettisoned once time & money get tight, and it would
>>> be nice to see the coverage address some of that.
>>>
>>> Our friend Dave Menconi is fond of citing the shows that *don't* hit the
>>> Triangle due to the lack of a ~1000-seat venue, but unless there's a
>>> 1000-capacity building with all the requisites (parking, plumbing, etc)
>>> just sitting unused in Durham or elsewhere, I don't think that's going
>>> to play into this particular decision.
>>>
>>> One other bit of missing information: what's the planned capacity of the
>>> "new" Cradle that's featured in the plans for the East Main development?
>>>
>>> Ross
>>>
>>> Gary Miller wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> I was walking down the hallway in my building today and spied a
>>>> headline on the front of the Daily Tar Heel that caught my eye:
>>>>
>>>> "Durham Eyes Cat's Cradle"
>>>>
>>>> The article is about the proposed development at 300 E. Main St. and
>>>> quotes someone from Main Street Properties as saying "He's literrly
>>>> getting offered free space by folks in Durham."  The "he" in that
>>>> sentence is Frank.  Frank is quoted as saying he's keeping his options
>>>> open.  "Given the uncertainty with regards to the timing and future of
>>>> the Carrboro project, Cat's Cradle is trying to keep an open mind
>>>> about any future locations and configurations for the club."  It goes
>>>> on to say he's isn't currently planning to move the venue.
>>>>
>>>> I realize I'm probably way out of the loop.  But, although I knew
>>>> about the development, this is the first I've heard about the impact
>>>> it could potentially have on the Cradle's location, esp. being
>>>> recruited by Durham.
>>>>
>>>> Anyone else?
>>>>
>>>> Gary
>>>> -- ch-scene: the list that mirrors alt.music.chapel-hill --
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>         
>>> -- ch-scene: the list that mirrors alt.music.chapel-hill --
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>>>
>>>
>>>       
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