Vernons’ plans to convert 2 S. Barstow into cultural space gain momentum

I'm going to wait patiently and hope this happens...and hope no one screws it up somehow once it does open.

Nick,
Yeah I only know the cost of 2 of the 5 things you mentioned.
To answer the other question,
House of Rock's cap is 300. Stones Throw I think was 250 including the basement. So a 220 cap is not bad considering the market.
Some acts that are used to filling 700-1500 seat rooms might not want to bother but there are some that like an occasional intimate gig or don't like taking days off.

What seems interesting to me is that you talk about appealing to a wide audience, but you don't mention the younger people of Eau Claire (18 and under). "All ages" has been mentioned a couple of times, but I think this could really help to support a place like this. These people actively seek out the music they like. At places like Infinitea, it's obvious that this age group of people supports the music scene pretty dang well with the right place for them to go. If the Vernon's do it right, they should account (and seem to be accounting) for this age group, especially since I believe many of the connections they have are with bands that appeal to a younger crowd. Not to mention the many talented young musicians who could benefit from the other benefits this place will seemingly offer.

220 cap seems a little small to bring in the Nat. level acts I was picturing when I first started reading this. What is the cap of Stone's Throw and House of Rock?

Good discussion questions Brent K. I agree the outdoor shows and indoor shows are different animals. (However, I would say that the overhead is probably not as low for Phoenix Park gigs as you might think... Sound, park rental, insurance, bands, event permits, etc - several thousand dollars a summer)

But more importantly, you're right, it is absolutely CRUCIAL that all aspects of the community feel welcome in some way or another. If it gets too cliquey it could be doomed. That's where nurturing the "cultural center" vibe over the "nightlife" vibe (while keeping it in mind) I think is important for longevity.

Given the parties involved with this, I see something similar to Sacred Heart up in Duluth developing.

Would the 40 year olds come out in droves if there is a cover charge?
Comparing free outdoor shows with corporate backers and low overhead to indoor venue shows with ticket sales and building costs is like comparing apples to oranges.
Also most of the 30+ crowd seemed to have migrated up to the Red Parrot for their live entertainment. Would they be willing to make the trip back down town?

Felix, turn outs and sales for the V1/House of Rock early shows weren't consistent and that is why that experiment was ended.

I think that in order for this to work ALL aspects of the community will need to feel welcome here.

YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH! Bring it! Can't wait!

Felix, I think you've got something there. Look back at the audiences at Phoenix Park last summer. There were a ton of old codgers (40 somethings) like me there. Did anyone else notice?

This reminds me of Mpls’s Open Book www.openbookmn.org except for music. My guess is if the venue is not financially viable, the whole idea will fail. So the big question, can EC support another venue? Stone’s Throw was a descent venue and it failed numerous times. As a trend, I think less people are going to shows compared to 10 years ago and I don’t think it’s a booking issue. I have been to numerous shows where attendance for a national indie band is less than 10 people.

I think there is potential for a venue by tapping into 30 age groups. Whatever the House of Rock does, do the opposite. Get a descent soundsystem, break the mentality you need to crank the volume after every song, offer a trendy café. Rock of House claims the indie crowd does not drink much anyway, that’s why they charge for water.

I remember when V1 went after the older crowd on Thursday nights (smoke free, low volume music). I thought the turn-out was good, but the House of Rock did the opposite of what V1 pitched so I stopped going.

I tip my hat to the Vernons, I’m excited about this news.

As someone who walked by that building and wondered what could become of such a great space, I'm thrilled that someone's finally taking on the challenge.

Thank you guys for demonstrating an interest in your hometown right away. Thank you for trying to give construction guys a few jobs in the short term, and musicians a venue in the long run. This will be your first venture in something like this, I wish you luck with it fellas.

BTW pookums - thanks for the reference to the Otto-cycle engine, my great-great-grandfather Nikolaus invented it. :)

Speaking of budgets, I wonder how much money will need to be spent on industrial strength protein removers and glory hole fillers

(yes, I know, bad jokes)

Brent -

i was assuming the budget would be there, as Vernon (a musician running a venue, and not a bar owner) would be in charge.

Hold on now, Agent P. I mean the highly-talented Mr. Vernon no disrespect whatsoever. I just have a keen sense for what makes hounds howl, having dabbled in the techniques myself in the past. I have noted ear-perking in response to Neil Young and Frankie Valli, but never in the same setting, of course. I presume that Mr. Vernon would be proud to find his name listed among these fine men. There may be something to a Neil-like emulation going on by Mr. Vernon. Perhaps a distant genetic link?

Will there be taco dip?

Well, I'd just like to go on record to state that while I would totally make out with crotchety old John Mogensen, I would most certainly not make out with Justin Vernon 'cause his beard is just too damned creepy.

Seriously, it's like an infinite nest of enfiladed creepguns

That said, I totally wish him the best! Perhaps the beard will become a useful tool when up against Mogenson and the City of Eau Claire.

Dude, toddy... that's Justin you are talking about. A little respect, please. With a simple flick of his wrist he could destroy this whole website.

And I am not able to address everyone's beefs with Mogenson, but I do know the methods he uses to acquire his property can be underhanded, he has been known to flaunt city rules and timelines, and he has built much of his fortune through slumlording. Mona's serves a great pasta, no doubt, but John could certainly stand to be a little more community minded (which, hmmm, is what everyone says about Menard. Maybe we could get them together and arrange a visit from the ghosts of Xmas past, present, and future).

Two things of relevance:
1) I believe people are much too eager to criticize John Mogensen. I don't know him personally, but I am really glad he was there to inject life into the downtown area. Those who dislike what he's done may have difficulty debating the benefit of his work, unless they feel he has no right to profit from chancing his personal funds on these projects.
2) I hope that coincidentally a group of roaming hounds happen to amble by during one of Justin's soon to be common impromptu crooning sessions. The response vocalized by the dogs may cause John Mogensen to branch out into the recording artist managerial industry. He could end up backing the next great dog Christmas album band and overtake John Menard as the most universally disliked rich guy from the Chippewa Valley.

by the by - it's not mentioned in the audio clips, but it looks like the Vernons are planning on an all ages situation.

Put me down as cautiously optimistic.

While I am glad that Mogenson might be denied another down town building, there are still plenty more steps in the process so lets not get to giddy this early in the game.

On the booking end of things, it takes more than a motivated booking person. It also takes a decent budget for talent, good negotiation skills, and good turn outs. All the motivation in the world isn't going to mean anything if your talent budget gets blown by a string of flop shows.

Kudos to the Vernon brothers on a successful first step, may the next 120 days be just as successful.

It sounds like a really good idea, although I would argue with the point that the reason we don't get "national" touring acts is because we don't have a venue for it. It seems to me that a super ambitious booker would get the job done with what we have now, although I guess a super ambitious booker with a brand new awesome indie venue would be even more amazing. I hope that whoever will be in charge of booking will really want to set the world on fire.

As someone speaking from the 18-21 year-old demographic, am I not going to be allowed in this thing? That would be a bit upsetting. I mean, eventually I'll turn 21, but the Mayans will have destroyed the earth by then.

And that's assuming all goes well and it is indeed constructed.

Damn, well, what would happen if you shot Nitric Oxide into downtown's engine?

Dem dukes.

God I wish there was an edit function.

C'mon Mike, it sounds like you really need to start thinking outside the box.

The Vernon clan is obviously planning on being the difference makers that leverages the already warm engine of downtown, as you put it. Indeed, I predict that they'll of the project in their own way and recreate it as Downtown 2.0 I suspect that they'll really be able to drill down and touch base with what really matters, not just the low hanging fruit.

PS, you obviously didn't study the Dukes of Hazard enough as every red-blooded American knows that it's Nitrous Oxide that gives Otto-cycle engines their boost, not Nitric Oxide.

That's not to say that a one atom difference lessens the importance of Nitric Oxide as it was voted 1992's molecule of the year

I thought downtown was clipping along. It's packed for Phoenix Park's numerous events, there are very few empty storefronts, the streets are full, and people are about. I thought we'd been largely successful. Am I wrong?

But far more important than that, to address Pookum's point, before the Vernons become oligarch overloads, they will need to defeat Mogenson in a battle for Eau Claire. At first it seems like a no-brainer - Justin is wood-chopping-outdoor tough, and Mogenson is a spindly, slight, little man. But you forget that Mogenson has an evil scientist quality about him, and just when Vernon would be about to break Mogenson over his knee, John would activate his army of tiny beard-seeking battle-bots, and while Justin was distracted Mogenson would climb into his mech-style suit, much like Krang from Ninja Turtles.

Who knows who the winner would be, but most of downtown will undoubtedly be leveled in the skirmish.

People are always talking about "jump starting" downtown, and I totally understand why, but to extend the metaphor, downtown's "engine" has been running for a long time now. But the bus needs more passengers. It's like the vehicle is there, ready to go, but people need to hop on board and actually use the thing. That's when truly exciting growth happens. People need to get down here and use what's in place - and that will help direct the bus to awesome town.

SO, if this cultural space actually comes to fruition, it'll be more like a shot of nitric oxide into an already warm engine. (Everything I know about cars I learned from them Duke Boys.)

But don't fool yourself. As amazing and paradigm-shifting as this whole deal would be, and as much as it could broaden downtown's audience, it won't magically transform downtown Eau Claire. It's a large and squeal-worthy part of the puzzle, but we're talking about engaging 66,000 noble Midwestern-ers, most of whom have never heard of Bon Iver.

Just sayin'.

I, for one, welcome our new Vernon oligarch overlords.

ALL AGES ALL AGES ALL AGES

If the hailstorm of age-limiting legislation Eau Claire is famous for destrois this place...

I'll cry and cry

Great news. I hope they figure out how to utilize the building's position on the Eau Claire river to their benefit. Wouldn't it be cool to have a big multilevel deck over the river?

Cool update! Hope it works out this could be just the thing to jump start things!

I think it all sounds great, just what we need to boost our under-rated downtown

I get that liquor pays the bills but I am hoping that this will be more than a bar. We need as many more places that are 'all age' friendly too.
I don't think it should be a teen gathering spot but there are lots of 14 yr old & up's in the area that could use some exposure to good music in a venue where they can observe how music is created as well as performed.

The article says there will be a bar... First, are there any liquor licenses available? Second, could that turn this venue into another that hangs on drink prices instead of transcending what we already have for performance spaces?