RTP-area local music and culture

[Rawls <jcmidrange AT yahoo.com>]

>Hillsborough Street just isn't really a destination
>for those of us who aren't NCSU students anymore, 

     Homeowners and various other powers that be
really clamped down on the parking situation around
that main stretch of Hillsborough St, which is
understandable but...in summer '93 I'd just seen a
horrible Hammerbox show at the Brewery and came
outside to find my car had been towed from behind
Cup'a'Joe's (it was towed around that time from the
parking lot next to the Garage as well), then there
were the parking tickets that appear on your car at
night around there...so seeing mediocre bands at the
risk of parking fines and towing really soured me on
the Brewery.  

     But then a parking deck was built near by and
parking wasn't as much of a problem, but....then I
don't know what happened but the quality of shows at
the Brewery went WAY way down.  When the Cradle went
on hiatus in '93, the Brewery was celebrating it's
10th anniversary and only seemed to reign in a few
shows it normally wouldn't have had while the Cradle
was closed (Unrest with Stereolab, Flaming
Lips)...around '93 I recall a Menconi article in the
N&O mentioning the drinking age being raised as a
deterrent for club goers (being the teetotaler that I
am I never would've noticed, that article has proven
to be prophetic I guess) as the '90's wore on it
seemed like quite a few local bands were soured by
their experiences in dealing with the Brewery...and
then King's opened...I think the Pour House put a dent
in the Brewery as well.

     I don't want to sound like I'm picking on the
Brewery but there's a latent message to quotes such as
"Sheryl Crow played here when her first album came out
in front of two people".  It makes for a great story
but no one was there, no money was made, then Crow got
big fast and played a venue way bigger than the
Brewery her next time in town.  That's part of the
downfall to catering to "national recording artists"
and "newly signed artists" who's likely fan base
doesn't go to see people they've never heard of at a
rock club coupled with the club booker acting shady
towards local bands who fill up the room everytime
they play (re: Regraped, Trucker, I could name many
more).  The Cradle has it's share of "so and so played
here for 5 people before they got big and were on Mtv
a month later" stories but for whatever reason they
also had a better rapport with the bands sprouting up
around the neighborhood.  

     The Brewery was indeed a great sounding room and
Jac kept it sounding great when he took over the
board.  Some of the best Superchunk shows I saw were
there, Melt Banana (opening for Mr. Bungle in '95),
C.O.C, I saw Johnny Quest there an unfathomable amount
of times.  Ratt played an acoustic show there in '88
(weird...), I was not at that one.

     I was sad when the Fallout Shelter closed, but
somewhat amused when it became a swordfight
bar...maybe if they clear out some space in the
Brewery it can be used for that nascent roller derby
team.http://www.carolinarollergirls.com/

                                          Rawls 

     




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