Live Shows Update

Photo c/o http://www.flickr.com/photos/graye/
I recently posted excited announcements about the upcoming Brickyard shows featuring White Lung and Petroleum By-Products. Unfortunately, both of these shows (and all shows at the Brickyard) have been cancelled due to venue licensing problems and neighbour complaints. The Brickyard was a fun, central albeit cramped, narrow, sweaty, claustrophobic venue whose tiny back room permitted only a handful of people to actually watch bands who were performing. Although the venue wasn't ideal, it worked well enough--especially when it allowed the under-19 set to watch its concerts.



Photo c/o Sves Yeung
Camas Book & Infoshop, also known as "the anarchist bookstore" at the corner of Quadra and Kings, has also been barred from hosting all-ages concerts from May 15 onwards. I feel particularly saddened by this closure; Ryan, Cody, Troy, Tyler, myself and many other people organized so many memorable shows at that space. I really thought that the Camas crew had finally found a way to make an all-ages venue work--bookstore and workshop space by day/ venue by night, volunteer-run, inclusive, well-loved and well-used by numerous music and activist communities. From my understanding, Camas does not violate by-laws; however, the zoning of its building does not permit live shows. Two years is a good run for an all-ages space (unfortunately), but the way Camas functioned in a seemingly more sustainable, less covert way gave me false hope that Victoria might actually have a lasting all-ages venue. Go to the Famines/ B-Lines show tonight (8pm), because there won't be many Camas shows left. Show your support for the venue/ bookstore/ home base at Quadra Village Day next Saturday (May 9) where Old Life bands will be playing.

What now? We've collectively ended our grace period at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (you can only get away with loud rock music and people--however subtley--drinking alcohol for so long a residential church that holds AA meetings and houses a pre-school), so that all-ages space is now out of the picture except for quiet, seated shows on Saturday nights only (their youth group now meets on Friday nights). We are now left with the Bayanihan Centre, the (costly) Sunset Room, and the (small, joyfully illegal, enthusiastic, cigarette-fumey) Fifty-Fifty Arts Collective. Community halls and churches are less than ideal for all-ages community organizers because their function in a given music scene is often fleeting and temporal, while artist-run spaces like the Fifty-Fifty--who supports and participates in all-ages events--must maintain a certain level of exclusivity and secrecy in order to go undetected by by-law enforcement officers, fire marshalls, and police.

I really believe in all-ages shows. They kept me sane, out of trouble, and engaged in some sort of community when I was a teenager, and they have allowed many bands who aren't suited to bar venues to play to audiences. Victoria should have a sustainable, affordable, legal all-ages venue, but like many other cities, we don't have one--yet.