Everything changes, especially in the shifting world of live music. Last year's favorite rock haunt might no longer be around - the past few years have seen a significant number of clubs shut their doors or discontinue live music - but odds are good a new hangout has materialized to take its place. In recent months a plethora of nightspots have opened their doors, begun booking shows, or altered their musical identities. Judging from the new lay of the land, the watchwords in clubland - as in the larger music world - are diversity and accessibility.
First, the bad news. Live-music casualties include the Kirkland Cafe, Tir Na Nog, and the Skybar in Somerville; Zeitgeist in Cambridge; and by the end of the month the Bulfinch Yacht Club near North Station. ZuZu in Cambridge, Common Ground in Allston, and the Baseball Tavern in the Fenway still thrive as bars but have discontinued live music. Avalon and Axis are temporarily closed for renovation and aren't expected to reopen as the Lansdowne Street Music Hall until at least mid-fall.
Shuttered clubs are part and parcel of the business's cyclical nature. But many people, including talent buyer Dan Millen of Rock On! Concerts, who books shows at mainstays Harpers Ferry and the Middle East, among others, believe that the club scene is healthier than ever. Millen is especially excited about the chance to book the new 400-capacity rooms: Oliver's at the Cask 'n Flagon in the shadow of Fenway Park and the Hard Rock Cafe in Faneuil Hall at the old home of the Rack.
"There are always new places springing up to have bands playing," says Millen, who also mentions Church as a potential magnet for rock fans. "I think there's definitely a renaissance."
Church, which took over the old Linwood Grille space in the Fenway, opened in October with five nights a week dedicated to local and national bands. "We're still seeing what works and doesn't work," says booking agent Nick Blakey, who's programmed everything from garage rock to spoken word to heavy metal. Across the river in Somerville, Toast Lounge has become a popular destination for fans of roots rock, reggae, and pop. And the Beehive, which opened in the South End last fall catering to the mature tastes of the over-30 crowd, has recently expanded its jazzy palette with edgier bookings like underground vaudeville and a prog-rock organ trio. The recently renovated O'Brien's Pub in Allston has retained its name but has spruced up everything from the bathrooms to the PA and is booking a greater variety of music from alt-country to hip-hop.
Other players in the live-music scene generating buzz are Outpost 186 in Inman Square, neighborhood bar Razzy's in Somerville, the Alchemist in Jamaica Plain, Castle Bar in Brighton, Atwood's Tavern (formerly the Overdraught) in Cambridge, which has become ground zero for roots rock in the past year, and Tommy Doyle's in the old House of Blues space in Harvard Square. Oliver's kicked off a Friday music series this week and will introduce music on Thursday nights next month; Millen, WBCN DJ Chris Rucker, and longtime scenester Shred will handle the club's programming.
The Paradise Rock Club and its smaller front room, the Paradise Lounge, are in the process of changing hands as nightlife impresario Patrick Lyons seals a deal to sell the complex to concert giant Live Nation and McGann's and Lir owner Joe Dunne.
The renaissance isn't limited to the host of new and revamped clubs, some of which we've already mentioned; growing numbers of nontraditional spaces like lofts, churches, and even a martial-arts studio (Brookline Tai Chi) are in on the action (see related stories), attracting all-ages crowds to a wide variety of performances.
One trend that's emerging in the reconfigured landscape is a welcome proliferation of music spots in previously underserved neighborhoods.
"There are more interesting venues for live music in areas where you need it: Church in the Fenway, Hennessy's at Faneuil Hall is having more shows," says Carl Lavin, who books Great Scott and O'Brien's in Allston. "They're reaching people that wouldn't have found it before."
Additionally, many clubs - including Church, Toast, P.A.'s Lounge, the Alchemist, and Razzy's - are now being booked by working musicians, who bring an insider's perspective to their task. Conversations with musicians, fans, and bookers reveal a new emphasis on good working conditions and the kind of customer service that promotes repeat business.
"Personally I'm really hoping Toast can take over where Tir Na Nog left off, because I'm way past the point in my life where I'll play places I don't like or that are run by jerks," says Mike Barry, singer and guitarist for the rock band Supergenius. "Robert [Elliott, who books Toast] is a musician and gets it."
Image-busting is also high on the agenda. Where in the past clubs tended to be associated with a certain style or specific crowd, "I don't think you can get away with that anymore," says Millen, who notes the fragmented nature of most people's listening habits. "I don't think there can be a jam-band room or an emo room or a metal room unless it's really small. People aren't doing the formulaic thing."
