DEMISE OF LIVE MUSIC - JADE MONKEY

THE DEATH OF THE AUSTRALIAN LIVE MUSIC SCENE

AGAIN!!

Jade Monkey

JADE MONKEY

Jade Monkey bar

Story, review and photography by Allison O’Donoghue

The Jade Monkey is closing its doors. Another Live venue bites the dust. The demise of the live music industry in Australia is very distressing and Adelaide is not immune. In fact, Adelaide has been suffering for quite a long time, and so have other states with the exception of Melbourne, which I think has a lot to do with culture and punters willing to turn up. Melbournites have always supported live music and will go out rain or shine to see their favourite bands. Sydney went through a decline in live music in the late 1990’s when pubs and clubs shut down largely due to the gentrification of the city and the introduction of poker machines. When the gentry move in, noise complaints go up. The Hopetoun Hotel in Surrey Hills is a case in point, management had to spend millions sound proofing the venue to appease the gentry. And all it takes is one complaint.

Port Adelaide - Empty - could be a hotel and tea rooms

Gone are the days when the pubs were full to overflowing, punters spilling out onto the pavement – which caused its own set of problems, but it was exciting and fun. The only real issue we had was deciding which bands to see as there were so many gigs to choose from. We’d start off at the Annandale Hotel, then head to the Lansdowne Hotel, cross the road to the Phoenician Club, see what was on at the Trade Union Club and if we still wanted to kick on, end up at the Taxi Club. A great night out. We’d stagger home to Bondi to watch the sun came up over the beach, pop in to the Gelataria café’ for bacon and eggs, then head to bed and do it all over again the next night.

By the end of the 1990’s it was over. The death of live music venues had begun. Around this time Sydney musicians made a mass exodus to Melbourne or anywhere but Sydney and the live music scene hasn’t really recovered.

Bondi Pavilion

The Sandringham Hotel in Newtown, affectionately known as the Sando, is closing it doors after decades of live music service to the community of Sydney. The Sando offered underground metal, thrash and punk bands a stage to play with no cover charge providing the bands pulled in a crowd. Currently a Save-The-Sando campaign is under way, but if the punters don’t front up then no revenue is coming in, so they have no choice but to put up the shutters. It’s an ongoing problem with no real solutions.

Kings Cross

Sure, music will always evolve and change, as peoples taste change and evolve but that doesn’t mean we should throw the baby out with the bath water. Sure I remember the high energy of the Doff Doff days and nightclubs that never close catering to those punters high on substances that keep them alert and awake for days on end, often ending up in the ED department having a psychotic episode from sleep deprivation. But can’t we coexist? Coz nothing will ever replace the pure raw energy of a live band and the atmosphere of a packed out sweaty pub full of people with a common cause – to meet up with mates, have a few ales, make a few new friends, listen and rock out to live music. I miss those days and at my age don't really want to be up all night, but the youngins' do and so they should. 

Jade Monkey

Venues like the Adelaide’s Jade Monkey are important for musicians, providing an intimate venue where bands get to hone their skills, get exposure, learn to work a crowd, combat the dreaded nerves and become skilled at improvisation when they stuff up, and test out new songs. Live venues are also important for cultural relevance. Pubs provide acts with a platform to develop a fan base especially if they get a residency. And more importantly, develop an Australian musical identity and expression through songs and music, then send that sound out to the world. It’s happened plenty of times in the past, albeit the old fashioned way, by touring, TV exposure and putting out albums and will no doubt continue via the Internet and the video-sharing site U-Tube, but it’s a long shot. You have to somehow get your video to go viral to reach a lot of people in the vain hope that word of mouth spreads and before you know it, you’ve got a record deal. But don’t hold your breath. Record companies are still struggling to make money in an environment of free music sharing, and as a consequence, have become risk adverse in the process.

Jade Monkey

The music-sharing site Napstar was shut down thanks to the likes of Metallica, namely drummer Lars Ulrich who campaigned to protect their copyright. Fair enough. They’ve worked hard for it with decades on the road honing their skills, not to allow some upstart steal it from them. Interestingly, Metallica got their start from the underground tape sharing movement of the 80’s. Their demo Life til Leather (which became their debut album Kill em All) ended up in a bargain bin at a New York flea market, then landed in the lap of Megaforce records and the rest as they say is history. Now the underground music sharing business is all online and free sites pop up regularly continuing to bypass record companies while backdooring recording artists. This problem is ongoing and difficult to police, although record companies and artists continue to innovate by selling songs on iTunes for as little as a couple of bucks making a motzer in the process. Record companies will always be necessary as they have the big bucks to market, promote and distribute music to a wider audience, however they don’t always have vision so U-Tube is a handy site for those who can’t get a look-in. And so is playing live.   

Which still doesn’t solve the problem of the demise of the live music industry in Australia. Generally when times are tough as they are now, punters come out to play if only to add spice to a dull unrewarding life, but not this time. Everyone is staying indoors networking on their computers. What happened to real life contact? Has the Internet made us more isolative and disconnected?

Film, TV, music and publishing industries are all struggling in this economic climate of doom and gloom. Which begs the question: where are all the bands screaming about it, whipping us into a frenzy with antiestablishment songs and the antiauthoritarian ethos we Australians are known for? Where are you? Still practising in the garage? Come out and play, but then again, where to play is the problem?

I’ve got a suggestion - Port Adelaide would make an excellent entertainment precinct. I look around that area and salivate, unfortunately it is stigmatised and depicted as a low socio-economic suburb. So what? So was Bondi when I lived there in the 1980s. I lived there for 10 years and had a ball amongst all those colourful eccentric characters of grungy old Bondi. It was full of bohemians and considered a low socio-economic working class suburb. It was a run down and dishevelled with fading facades and we were all in the same boat – poor. 

Surfers, artists, singers, dancers, writers, producers, directors, actors, the homeless and the mentally ill all cohabited in peace and we loved it. That was until the Japanese and Americans saw in Bondi what no one else did $$$$$$$$$$. Now look at the place – overrun with wanna be celebrities, tourists and millionaires galore.

Port Admiral pub - 1849. 

Boarded up. Waste of a great space

Port Adelaide is another golden opportunity waiting to happen, especially when the tramline is finally built. It will take visionary savvy entrepreneurs to turn all those huge magnificent empty warehouses and boarded up pubs into a thriving suburb with live venues, theatres, art galleries, dance clubs, cafes, restaurants and groovy shops. And there’d be no noise pollution problems. Well not until the gentry move in!

Similarly, the Adelaide Big Day Out is under a cloud. Only 12,000 punters attended in 2012 – if that continues they will be forced to shut it down and you’ll have to go to Sydney or Melbourne to see your favourite bands. And that will be a crying shame, as Adelaide tends to miss out on the big bands. At least the BDO attract big names that ordinarily would not visit here. However, it was the cancellation of Kanye’s Adelaide leg of the BDO tour that saw scores of South Australians go for a refund, collectively offended by the snub. But really folks is Kanye worth that much disappointment? I don't think so. It has more to do with Adelaide's huge chip on its shoulder regarding Melbourne and Sydney blah, blah. 
But that's another story.

Empty Warehouse - could be a Live venue

Empty space - Live venue?

Why is the Jade Monkey closing its doors - I hear you ask - to make way for a car park! Yep, that’s right. It’s a travesty that a beautiful old building should be bulldozed for a bloody car park. Why can’t they knock down one of those ugly asbestos filled 1970’s buildings? And where is the militant Heritage Society when you need them? Why aren’t these buildings protected? These questions come a little too late the save the Jade, but may however save other iconic sites in and around Adelaide.

Zac, the owner/manager of the Jade Monkey has spent 9 months looking for a suitable building to start over but has not found an appropriate venue as yet. Maybe he should check out Port Adelaide? Anyway, you’ve got until the end of October to see the last gigs at the Jade Monkey before you park your car in its place.

THE GIG - JADE MONKEY

Stomp the Orange

September 7^th 2012

STOMP THE ORANGE

There is a really good vibe at the Jade Monkey tonight as friends and supporters gather to see their mates play. Kicking the night off is two-piece band Stomp The Orange comprising of Gerry Considine on guitar with Curtis Brownjohn on drums and keyboard warming up the crowd with an assault on the senses and a surprisingly phat sound from a two hander. Drummer Curtis is full of energy and vim, happily crashing his drums flamboyantly and wildly, adding vocal back up, while singer guitarist Gerry did his best to project his vocals over the din. They pack a punch and have fun doing it. They stuffed up a few times, made light of it and kept going. Brilliant. The crowd went along with them. And that’s what venues like the Jade are all about – giving bands an opportunity to play on a stage, with songs like Motions eluding to their bowel movements– you get the picture. I need to hear these guys a few more times if that’s possible, as I recon they’ve got a future if they tighten up their act a little more. Good fun, check them out.    

Stomp the Orange

OneDogOneBone

The headliners OneDogOneBone have been playing for years in various guises but the stalwart is Robert Williams on guitar and backup vocals. They are experienced seasoned players who mainly gig for fun. I doubt very much they nurture delusions of grandeur – they’ve never given up their day jobs but play for a creative outlet. And why not? That’s not to say they aren’t professional – they are. They take the gig seriously and played a repertoire of original songs, and that's about their only rule - that all songs are original. Paul Mead on bass and lead vocals has a monotone raspy voice that suits their style of music, there isn’t much colour and movement in his voice but it works. It’s akin to say Tom Waits - deep, flat and raspy. William McCarron on Lead guitar stayed put in the background happy to fiddle his guitar with little fanfare. The surprise for me was drummer Jeff Gillis’ tight and concise playing style. The more I listened the more I valued his minimalist melodic rhythm keeping the band on track with the mix by Phil Bungey at the sound desk helping to project a clear audible sound in the small snug space of the Jade Monkey.

OneDogOneBone

OneDogOneBone

The gig went down well. Apparently the keyboard player was a no-show but I don’t think they need keyboards. The sound is adequate enough without adding too many layers. OneDogOneBone would be great to have at a party and if they could get a residency, say every Sunday arvo at a little pub they could build a fan base, and somewhere to jam on a regular basis. The punter would be rewarded with a reliable, unpretentious, professional rock and roll gig. The pub would be rewarded at the bar. Everyone wins. You know, good ole fashioned honest pub music.

Thanks to social media websites a few people turned up having heard of the impending closure of the venue. The crowd tonight are frequent venue goers who get the value of seeing and hearing a band play live rather than on U-Tube or music channels. 

Bands like Stomp The Orange and OneDogOneBone are worth seeing live as exuberance and experience shine through their performance. Good vibe night. Catch them next time around. 

Stomp the Orange

OneDogOneBone

Stomp the Orange