I Am So Popular: Open Letter To Jody Denberg
The Last Waltz Done Live At Club Deville
Review: The Cherry Orchard at The Blue Theater
Album Review: The Alchemy of Sunset's 'Gold Dissolves to Gray'
EAST Interview: Beth Hempton of The WonderCraft
Editors’ note: The opinions and ideas expressed in The Accidental Gentrifist are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the outlook and belief of anyone else in the Ist network.
I live next door to real-live musicians. I suppose that since they’ve aggregated into a kind of group, they should technically be referred to as a ‘band’. Whatever. As far as I’m concerned, their most impressive feature is the presence of a drummer. Because, as many of you are aware, percussive reverberation tends to permeate wood and sheetrock and blocks of cinder in ways that higher-range sonic vibrations don’t. This means that if he wants to practice his atonal, arrhythmic pounding at the same hour I want to listen to Mystery White Boy at a low volume, record a new answering machine greeting, or form a semi-complex thought—well, as my mom used to say, I’m just shit outta luck.
I consider it a microcosm of the latest chapter in the epic battle between Austin culture and those who seek to destroy it. By which I mean the “condo people” and the latest target of their soulless fury: live music over 75 decibels.
Oh, Austin, we are in love with ourselves, and we love to count the ways. Number one: how different we are from everywhere else in America. After all, we’re far too removed from the senseless fray to ever be terrified by ‘the Other’, to lose sleep contemplating how many anthrax-snorting, box-cutter-wielding Wahhabis are currently giving out free night-vision goggles to pregnant teenagers from Coahuila. Of course not.
(But Ben, our conflict is real. Those wart-faced So-Cal condo dwellers just won’t rest until they’ve subjugated the whole city under their homogenizing chokehold. I mean, of course you wouldn’t mind a condo or two cropping up here or there. It’s dense and it’s good for revenue. But would you really want your daughter dating a condominium dweller? Her naked body tangled up in silk sheets, her pale skin goosefleshed by central air, her blue eyes all soft and sleepy, equally opiated by a breathtaking view of the lower Colorado and never having to look for parking? You know what they say: once you go condo, you’ll move to Redondo.)
Oh, Lordy.
Yes, I love rock. No, I’m not in love with 100% of the city’s recent development. And while I have spent a fair share of my privileged time in this venue ridiculing those ‘if you don’t like it, move’ people who are responsible for 98% of the shittiness still to be found in this city, I hafta stand with them on this one. Well, I don’t want the condo-ers to move, necessarily. I mean, how offensive can they be, 140 feet off the ground with windows that don’t even open? It’s actually kind of lucky, as if the dumbest people in town all spontaneously volunteered to live in terrariums. If anything, I want them to go higher, in either of two senses: either move to the penthouse, where I can’t see you and you can’t hear the music, or smoke this and chill the fuck out.
Because my musician neighbors and I live on the ground, we are left with only the latter option, either literally or figuratively. My real estate agent didn’t disclose that my house was situated a dozen feet from an amateur percussionist with a penchant for banging skins at tea time, but, if someone would have asked me, I’d have been forced to admit that it was squarely within the realm of possibility. Even if I scoff at Austin’s self-anointment, ‘live music capital of the world,’ I’m more than capable of realizing others take it at face value. And I’m not one to move to Bangalore and bitch about the smell of curry.
But apparently others are. And these noise complainers are no figments, no bogeymen. At a recent town hall meeting on proposed noise ordinance changes, no fewer than “a small handful” of supporters showed up to lend their voices, presumably at a reasonable volume.
And then there is the legend of ‘That Guy Who Lived Across the Street from Stubb’s.’
(Okay, what I’m about to tell you may not be true. So don’t hold me to it. And anyway, the point of its telling isn’t veracity, but rather the very real fact that it was [justly or un] canonized by bar employees, show goers, and the rest of the whiskey-breath'd throngs of Sixth Street and Red River, circa three or four years ago.)
Apparently, the cat who lived across the street from Stubb’s was quite vocal in his complaints of late-night music. So vocal that the proprietors of the venue offered him recompense in the form of employment. Instead of turning down their amps to whisper levels, they gave their neighbor a lucrative bartending job with a twelve second commute. Apparently, he was less than loved among his fellow Singapore slingers, because the nature of his situation meant he couldn’t get fired, no matter how poorly he twisted his limes or forgot to put the parasol in the Blue Hawaii.
Now, there’s only so much Rilo Kiley/Reckless Kelly/30-odd Foot Fall of Grunting Cunts one can take. But live shows really are about the best thing this town’s got going at night. And it’s becoming this defining moment for free expression and generic civil liberty. Whereas a person can make the valid argument ‘your rights end where mine begin,’ I personally believe that the whole point of a real, functional democracy within a free society is that the freedom of the individual is never infringed upon by the hypothetical good of the many. Because ‘the many’ is in actuality a group of individuals, any of whom may find themselves opposed to a different ‘many’ at a later ideological juncture.
But then again, a concert crowd is also a group of individuals who, in theory, have a right to hear music loud enough to drown out the asshole trying to talk on his cell phone during a St. Vincent encore.
For years, the block facing Club Deville (and what is now Mohawk) housed nothing more than the decayed remains of the Reddy Ice building, where rats and raccoons ran roughshod over soiled sleeping bags and broken crack pipes. An ideal neighbor for a live music venue. But what happens when real estate potential overturns entropy, and that lot becomes a different kind of rats' nest, specifically a condo development based on the Seattle mixed-use model? Will Richard Buckner or the Starlight Mints have to cut their sets short because somebody across the street has a poli-sci midterm in the morning? Or because they just want to sleep and don't particularly care what’s going on across the street?
This is the little-discussed alternative future: the idea that this city’s character is aging. That Austin has finally graduated from its late-twenties, has outgrown its tight jeans and patch-quilted hoodie, and has begun to set its sights on more mature pastimes. That this city, like a former concert-goer grown older, now cares more for the attendant rights of real estate than spiraling ticket prices, relegates the idea of 'music' to their iPod, and at night wants nothing more than network programming and a little peace and quiet.
All things must pass. It is distinctly possible that rock n' roll is organic, and cannot be created by nor protected from any committee whose minutes are kept by mortal men—meaning it was never possible that any worthwhile elements of this tourism-industry conceit, this mantle of ‘live music capital’, could have lasted forever anyway. It was merely one extension of our local personality, and like any good rock entity, was from the outset destined to die young, bloated, and slumped over a vomit-filled toilet bowl.
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For the five billionth time, it's NOT THE CONDO PEOPLE that are complaining about sound - it's the people in the Zilker and Bouldin and Eastwoods and Hancock neighborhoods living in old houses (most of them have been there for a very long time; and are constantly raising this issue; if you've been here even five years, this hasn't been the first time).
While working the FFFFFFFest at Waterloo Park, a concerned citizen from NORTH CAMPUS (lived near 29th and San Jacinto) rode up on his bike and requested that the festival "turn it down" because it was so loud in his backyard that he couldn't read The New Yorker in his hammock or some shit. I 'splained to him that it was the echo down the creek, that it was physics who was harshing his buzz (just as what happens with Stubb's) but he seemed convinced that all of Austin was being destroyed by The Rock and that we were simply being difficult about it. Perhaps he’s right. I’m not fit to judge.
What I do know is that wherever you find someone DOING something, you will also find their loud detractors. Everyone has been (or will be) on both sides of that fence.
The question here is whether or not the condos being built next to established booze/music venues will suddenly start crying about the noise level when they knew damn well, WAY beforehand, that the noise would come with the real estate. My guess is yes, they will complain. Loudly. And if they choose to rally for more quiet, they will be victorious, probably for the reasons Ben mentions: "scene maturity".
If that comes to pass, then the new meeting point of Austin's evolving youth culture will likely need to move. Maybe to The Domain. And Austin will, again, change.
Takes all kinds, I 'spose.
Another day, another baseless crybaby rant about condos.
I could hear FFFFest from Mopac virtually anywhere central. ACL can be heard all over the place. Why is it assumed condo owners would be complaining when these areas are full of regular housing? Oh, right, because condos are the symbol of evil in Austin.
M1EK,
You are not absolutely correct here. While the latest public chapter in the noise issue has been championed by NAs, I know several bar owners who have been approached numerous times by condo dwellers asking that they turn it down or not even have bands on certain nights. Hell, one even went as far to ask for bands to only be allowed to play on certain nights, because he goes out those nights and he wouldn't have a problem with that, but that they should really consider not having bands play the nights that he stays in because he said he really needs his rest those nights. Just a little selfish maybe - or even better, an example of what type of people are really moving into the condos?
I really wish the Austinist* would do some mediocre investigative journalism and talk to existing downtown condo residents about noise violations, show attendance, etc etc etc.
Other than the building mentioned in this entry (across from Mohawk) and (if you want to grasp for straws) the new Sabine Condos (above/behind Habana Calle 6), all the new condos are blocks and blocks away from any music venues. Unless you count the new buildings near La Zona Rosa/Austin Music Hall -- both of which are about as soundproof as you can get. And, I'm guessing that these kinds of nonsensical rants about condo-dwellers who might wind up shutting down live music in Austin really have more to do with Red River and less to do with La Zona Rosa, Austin Music Hall, or Cedar Street, right?
Anyway, you've got hundreds of people living at the Railyard, Brazos Lofts, Avenue Lofts, etc who are closer to loudness than 99% of the new condo dwellers EVER will be. How many of THOSE people are complaining about live music vs the fire station, Harleys, dumpster clanking, whatever? It doesn't take Walter Cronkite to figure out that the people living at The Shore or Milagro or Monarch aren't complaining about loud live music, so why even pretend that its the case -- even if it does make for a slightly hysterical hair-on-fire op-ed piece?
Here are some other thoughts, specific to the Reddy Ice condo building--
1. Why would DeVille expand into a music venue (of sorts) knowing that a condo building is coming if they didn't think they could survive as a music venue? Years ago, what made DeVille awesome was that it was NOT a music venue and you could go unwind in a dark quiet bar with the same people you'd go to shows with. I suppose Side Bar and Creekside have taken that role for many of us, but DeVille's owners knew a condo building was coming so becoming a music venue seems counterintuitive.
2. Same with Mohawk being opened and/or expanding outside. The condo building was zoned and coming when that place was Velvet Spade (and probably Le Priveledge and/or Caucus Club). Why put all that capital investment into a great new music venue across from a potential clusterfuck?
Both DeVille and Mohawk probably could have succeeded as non-venue spots and increased their business because they would have hundreds of new customers across the street. Now it seems like they're both set up to be points of contention because of potential noise violations.
Side question: How the hell are people who live in condos complaining when most of the condos aren't even built yet?
*Feel free to substitute the Austin Chronicle or Austin Statesman; This isn't a very difficult journalism task.
mdahmus,
If Allen says it's cool, from now on I'll write in cyan or magenta whenever I feel like being especially ironical. Just to be, you know, clear.
Grape,
I find it hard to believe that any existing music venues are close enough to existing condos to cause noise complaints, unless you're talking about 6th street pseudo-venues that back up to the Avenue Lofts.
The Houlihans on 3rd went out of business, so the Railyard can not complain about live music from their rooftop stage any more.
What bars are you talking about?
When I was in jr. high, my best friend lived across the street from Retarted Elf.
That is all.
If condo owners are already complaining in any official capacity (not, "I heard about this dude who complained to a guy about..." because those complaints don't change public policy), then it's the first I've heard of it.
But that doesn't mean it isn't a possibility worth bringing up, considering the circumstances.
Cram, I often wonder the same exact thing about Deville and Mohawk, and what their owners' visions of the future for Red River are. Why choose NOW to expand? But they were both, though perhaps to a lesser extent, music venues long before the plans for the condos were drawn up. So was Stubb's, which last I heard, was expanding all the way out to those abandoned-looking warehouses across the street from the condos' south side.
Are all these music venues just shit-outta-luck if the condo-owners-to-be deem the noise to be suddenly unacceptable? I'm guessing yes.
Sure, I'm just speculating here, because I can't see the future. But I'm having trouble believing that those who can actually afford to live in those condos will forever be cool with being half-surrounded by late-night outdoor music venues.
Though I'm open to being wrong about that.
Op-ed = opposition (or opposing) editorial, written and published in response to a non-hyphenated variety of editorial.
The comments section is pretty much the "open" op-ed section of the ist.
Several along W. Sixth Cram. My main point was a bit of sarcasm in response to M1EK's assertion that absolutely no condo owners complain about noise and that its is only the NAs that don't share his view of the perfect city brining complaints.
True,
I don't know why I put op-ed. I meant to just put editorial. It must be Monday.
I agree with what you're saying there, and I'm glad to learn that I'm not the only one scratching his head about Deville/Mohawk's expansion decisions.
For what its worth, its not impossible (nor THAT expensive) to soundproof (relatively speaking) those new condos during construction. If they did an even half-assed job doing that, most of the owners would probably be ok with it. Just think about it: Who is buying a $200-500k condo across the street from 3 venues (Deville, Mohawk, Stubbs) without some sort of expectation regarding noise? Those people are probably unaware that the Mohawk is loud as can be on a Tuesday night, but they're also stoked to be able to walk to Stubbs to see Willie. Point is, they're not going to be appearing from a vacuum without knowing what they're getting into on their investment.
Grape,
Understand your point completely, but I'm still wondering who/where these bars/condos are.
There's a set of older condos (very Melrose place, btw) diagonally behind Opal Divines (I think Sandra Bullock's Bess or whatever is in front of them). I could see music from Key Bar (Is that what its called next to Wahoos?) or Mother Egans or Opals causing havoc for these condos. But, none of those places are really music venues -- only Momos could possibly be considered a venue. Is the music on too loud at Little Woodrows and people are confusing that with a live music venue?
And there are all the new condo buildings (Plaza, Tower, etc) on W 5th/6th. But, once again, I can't imagine how the volume at any "music venue" could possibly be loud enough given that the residences in those new towers don't start until the 3rd, 4th, or higher floors up.
The existing condos have been there for years and years, so these noise complaints aren't anything new. There are so few condos in that area that I'm just really skeptical that its not just a bad egg or two (which yes, is all that it takes). I just don't buy it.
Cram, YoYoMa, please see comment No.6.
It's pretty clear that I'm lampooning the people crying about the condos, not joining them
Further Cram, speaking of irony, I think it's pretty odd you suggest I do research for a tongue-in-cheek editorial, then offer your off-mark opinions on the Deville/Mohawk expansions. I worked there for a little over six years, so if you want to actually know about timelines and reasons, you can ask me. Or them. Don't know if that qualifies as a 'journalism task', editorial-talkin'-guy.
For the record, and to contribute to the above noise violation anecdotes, most of our noise complaints came from a residence on the hill (now gone), and guests in a large hotel a couple blocks away... guests who no doubt moved here later, and then bought condos.
(Please see comment No.6 again-- no cyan just yet)
Lucky you, living next to a band! All the bands that used to live on our street have been gentrified out of our central 'hood.
Stubb's will be moving their stage to face south/southwest towards 6th Street during the remodel.
Benj,
The sarcasm in your entry was borderline obvious, just because so many people in Austin actually think what you were lampooning. You weren't over the top enough, I suppose, for me to be completely sure.
Anyway, I just thought of those questions about the expansions the other night. I haven't had a chance to ask around if anyone had any more insight.
I'm not sure how they are "off-mark" though. It's been pretty obvious that a condo building was going into the Reddy Ice lot for a long time, the Mohawk and Deville only recently really started expanding outside, etc. Is it "off-mark" to think that set of residences across the street from Deville wouldn't add to Deville's business?
Like I said, I'm assuming the owners' of both of those establishments know what they're doing even if it seems counterintuitive right now.
I agree with an accumulation of points mentioned in here.
1) You move to downtown Austin, you should damn well know what you're getting into.
2) It's not that hard to soundproof the new condos since they DO know what they're getting into.
As for all the festivals (ACL, FFFFest) they're only freaking once a year... It's not like people in Zilker or the North Campus area can't say, "Gee, this weekend is that big festival. I hate music. I should go out of town that weekend so I don't have to deal with it."
Kat,
There's actually a great market for renting condos downtown during SXSW and ACL Fest to out-of-towners. I know a few people that leave town and rent out their condos, because SXSW isn't their thing. I would guess that the Zilker condos will have the same demand for ACL Fest.
cram, the simple fact that so many other people have jumped in here to say "YEAH, THOSE CONDO DWELLERS SHOULD JUST SHUT UP!" might be a hint that the sarcasm wasn't detectible for many, not just me.
GrapeApe, you're hopeless.
I get to hear a lot of the Eastwoods/Hancock complaining about Stubbs. And they're not new - these are the same people who have been complaining about noise for at least as long as I've been here; and they live in HOUSES, not condos. There is no evidence whatsoever that's remotely reliable, as truecraig has pointed out, that the complaints are condo-driven - everybody who has been verifiably complaining in public at these meetings has been a single-family homeowner.
Oh no, Austin, please don't grow up.....stick with the tight jeans and patch-quilted hoodie and I can live vicariously through you.
I got nothing. Transmission is a hedge. DeVille expanding is a value grab anticipating a buyout/condo. JMO.
Short memory, Arse? The Deville expansion was a basic, straight-up desire, made possible by an internal change within the company just after most of that block narrowly avoided becoming a condo. If I recall, at one point 3 or so years back, it was within the realm of possibility that Deville would be leveled and move shop to the mixed-use currently erecting itself across the street.
You prolly right. I just don't really care but increasing apparent value is good for a buyout even if it's on the cheap as it apparently is. Potential revenue is a bargaining chip for higher value vis a vis a buyout. Positioning/negotiation. I'm a little suspicious. The advance of development hasn't really progressed beyond knocking down a wall and erecting a rented fenced/tent/crappy back bar area since a few months. Seriously. That place is doomed.
I'm also drunk at the moment.
I don't think Deville is doomed. Sacrificial lamb for another venture, maybe. But certainly not doomed.
I know a missing wall and scary circus tent isn't 'progress', but I'd argue that not doing anything in the moment beats making the wrong move, or even a good move at the wrong time. They usually know what they're doing, and now that I've left that sphere for 'the world', I can appreciate how smart and savvy those guys are.