Venues, venues, venues.
If you live in Halifax, or if you did, or if you've been reading this for awhile, you might know that venues have been closing (and opening) in Halifax for a long time. The Khyber is the most recent casualty I can think of. But really, I've only been there a handful of times since Craig gave it up (love him on Global News), and those were mostly Burdocks or Dog Day shows (and one System Shit show). The Hold were booked to play their first and only Khyber show, when the city prematurely decided to change the locks. The club somehow got them to let them stay open to the previously agreed to date, to allow for the festival they had been planning for close to a year, but by then we had cancelled our show. At least I got to play there with the Briefs twice.
The Seahorse has been referred to by me as "R.I.P." That's not entirely accurate as the placed never closed (save for some renovations). They also changed formats. Some people felt they were unwelcome there anymore. Some people asked me if I was boycotting the place. I still haven't been in, but I'm not boycotting the place.
Progress. Progress is hard because it has to be smart and change can be difficult. I understand. I don't cope with change well, even if you don't know what I'm thinking and don't know a change in plans is happening.
Many people are nostalgic to the Seahorse as a rock bar. The city's oldest tavern. Now it's called the Seahorse Room. Another part of the Shoe Shop. There's a staircase from upstairs into or near the smoking/pool room. I am nostalgic too. I loved the place. I'd say my favourite shows to play and attend were there, but I was so drunk I don't remember them. Years later, that makes them worth less.
But I remember before it was a rock bar. Am I really that old? I still feel like a kid.
I went there on my nineteenth birthday. I was living in Liverpool. I became a Christian, grew my hair, and almost quit smoking. I realized that I wanted to go to university, and that I wanted to take science, but I had dropped all my science and high math in grade 12 due to depression and the beginning of my addictions.
Anyway, it was a Monday night, and we went to the Tickle Trunk just after dinner. I didn't know what to get, so KC ordered me a "girly drink" because I was turning nineteen and I didn't know anything about it. As a teen, I just drank beer, or hard liquor mixed with pop/juice. I didn't know the names of drinks. He gave me something pink.
Then we went to the Seahorse. They had just started having shows there, and Jeff Gay and the Distractions were playing.
So yeah, it's evolving. Businesses change to keep up. It makes sense for that power bar on Argyle to have roam of the basement too, and not have it full with messy, stinky, noisy riff-raff. Give them Hell.
I'm very excited for Hell to open up again. When Dog Day played that Marquee show, it felt so weird to be in there. It had been so long. I wanted to go downstairs. I want to play downstairs.
Two years ago, I posted the lyrics to a JD song.
