Wildcats in the Firehouse
2
may 27 - june 3, 2010 BIRMINGHAM WEEKLY 18 Wouldn’t you rather be on the beach? Cool Crib Along 30 A. Email or weekend pecial. judyjone06@gmai l.com www.fi estarCoa talvacation .com Wildcats in the Fire House I’ve spent the last decade o my lie skulk- ing around the ringes o grung y clubs and other rock-type hidey-holes in this town and more than a ew other burgs, and one o the ew things I never get tired o seeing is the transormative power that a stage and an audience can have on even the most unas- suming mist. There’s nothing like seeing an individual so uncomo rtable in his own skin that you start squirming in yours step up to a beer-soaked microphone and turn into the momentary god o the room. The sad thing is, it’s a dying miracle. As popular media becomes ever more over-produced and even Youtube becomes the domain o the beauti- ul people, the dirty stages o your local dives may be the last space available or real people to make a glorious noise. Not that you should expect to have your expectations blown away at the drop o a hat. There’s plenty o crap out there or consump- tion, too, but I’d slog through all the medio- cre shows you can throw at me i it meant I got to see one that made me shout, one that reminded me why I started haunting these spots in the rst place. DIY venues used to be great places in Birmingham to mi ne or this kind o an experience, but sadly two o the best we had, Cave 9 and Greencup Books, both olded in the great music collapse o ’09 that took out City Stages, the Heritage Festival and Beta Fest. But this isn’t a story about destruction or loss, it’s a story about renewal. Like so many underground eorts, the DIY community here reuses to die. As each venue closes or gets shuts down, the community regroups and moves on. So it has been and so it shall a lways be, so it was only a matter o time beore a new venue suraced to carry the torch. Sure enough, a stone’s throw rom Avo ndale Park, the heart o DIY beats once again in the his- toric walls o the Spring Street Fire House. Built in 1890 to house the horse-drawn re trucks o the day, the two-story red brick structure at 412 41st St. South has a quaint charm. Its painted red doors recall the color- ul trappings o a smal l-town station, and the old railroad carts behind the building have been converted into garden beds by the current tenants and venue operators Nathan Barrett and Eric Wallace. That’s right, ater they acquired the building Barrett and Wal- lace renovated the second foor and moved in. “One o the coolest things about doing this is getting to say ‘This band is playing at my house.’ That’ s really un,” Barrett say s. “It does aect what we do. I try to be very conscious about not overbooking. Ideally we want to do eight shows a month, though this summer we’re doing more, closer to 12.” Nathan is also the lead singer o local band Wildcat Revival, and I jumped at a rec ent opportunity to see hi m perorm on his home tur. The usual crowd o pierced and tat- tooed youth were already milling around the entrance waiting or the show to begin and looking mildly out o place. I nd Barrett and ask him i he has trouble getting good turnout. “The community is in a weird place right now because Cave 9 shut down, and ev- erybody got older, so all those k ids rom Cave 9 got uprooted and now they’re o age so we lost some o them,” he says. “How to get new kids to come is the g reat debate. It’s impo rtant to reach the people we want to reach and to get them here, but is that worth risking being exposed to the people who don’t understand what we’re doing. My band has toured or ve years on and o, enough to know a lot o these places around the country disappear ast. Just knowing that makes me c autious about what I tell people, but just this week I made a Twitter and a Facebook page to start putting a little inormation out there.” We cut our interview short because the rst band’s sound check overpowers my micro- phone and I head to the nearby Parkside Caé or some adult rereshment. When I return, Wildcat Revival is taking the stage, and people are beginning to push their way to the ront o the room. Nathan grabs a micro- phone and turns his back to the audience as the band begins to churn, and there among the peeling plaster and bare-light-bulb ambi- ance my wish comes true. The sober and earnest intellectual who answered my ques- tions moments ago is beginning his trans- ormation into a snarling, renetic dynamo. I can’t understand a word he’s saying, but it doesn’t matter because the energy emanating rom him is as compelling as it is cathartic. His hunches over and spits his lyrics at the foor, he climbs the risers and yells out to the enthusiastic crowd, he fails about wildly. He is, in a word, alive. And so am I. For more inormation and show listings or Spring Street Fire House visit www.myspace. com/springstreetfrehouse or email them at [email protected]. Sam George is a sta writer or Birmingham Weekly , concerning himsel with popular mu- sic and, increasingly, other topics. Send your comments to [email protected] m by sam george Local DIY band renovates historic landmark and saves a scene music feature Fire House operator and tenant Nathan Barrett lets out his inner wildcat. Photo by Matthew Waine. “Every Tuesday - Jazz night with Jose Carr & Co. 7:30-10:30pm”
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Transcript of Wildcats in the Firehouse
8/6/2019 Wildcats in the Firehouse
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/wildcats-in-the-firehouse 1/1may 27 - june 3 , 2010 BIRMINGHAM WEEKLY18
Wouldn’t you ratherbe on the beach?
Cool Crib Along 30 A. Email or weekend pecial. [email protected]
www.fiestarCoatalvacation .com
Wildcats in the Fire Hou
I’ve spent the last decade o my lie skulk-ing around the ringes o grung y clubs andother rock-type hidey-holes in this town andmore than a ew other burgs, and one o theew things I never get tired o seeing is thetransormative power that a stage and anaudience can have on even the most unas-suming mist. There’s nothing like seeing anindividual so uncomortable in his own skinthat you start squirming in yours step up toa beer-soaked microphone and turn into themomentary god o the room. The sad thingis, it’s a dying miracle. As popular media
becomes ever more over-produced and evenYoutube becomes the domain o the beauti-ul people, the dirty stages o your local divesmay be the last space available or real peopleto make a glorious noise.
Not that you should expect to have yourexpectations blown away at the drop o a hat.There’s plenty o crap out there or consump-tion, too, but I’d slog through all the medio-cre shows you can throw at me i it meant Igot to see one that made me shout, one thatreminded me why I started haunting thesespots in the rst place. DIY venues used to
be great places in Birmingham to mi ne orthis kind o an experience, but sadly two o the best we had, Cave 9 and Greencup Books,
both olded in the great music collapse o ’09 that took out City Stages, the HeritageFestival and Beta Fest.
But this isn’t a story about destruction orloss, it’s a story about renewal. Like so many underground eorts, the DIY community here reuses to die. As each venue closes orgets shuts down, the community regroups and
moves on. So it has been and so it shall a lways be, so it was only a matter o time beore anew venue suraced to carry the torch. Sureenough, a stone’s throw rom Avondale Park,the heart o DIY beats once again in the his-toric walls o the Spring Street Fire House.
Built in 1890 to house the horse-drawn retrucks o the day, the two-story red brickstructure at 412 41st St. South has a quaintcharm. Its painted red doors recall the color-ul trappings o a smal l-town station, andthe old railroad carts behind the buildinghave been converted into garden beds by thecurrent tenants and venue operators NathanBarrett and Eric Wallace. That’s right, aterthey acquired the building Barrett and Wal-lace renovated the second foor and moved in.“One o the coolest things about doing thisis getting to say ‘This band is playing at my
house.’ That’s really un,” Barrett says. “It doesaect what we do. I try to be very consciousabout not overbooking. Ideally we want to doeight shows a month, though this summer
we’re doing more, closer to 12.”Nathan is also the lead singer o local band
Wildcat Revival, and I jumped at a recentopportunity to see hi m perorm on his hometur. The usual crowd o pierced and tat-tooed youth were already milling around theentrance waiting or the show to begin andlooking mildly out o place. I nd Barrettand ask him i he has trouble getting goodturnout. “The community is in a weird placeright now because Cave 9 shut down, and ev-erybody got older, so all those k ids rom Cave
9 got uprooted and now they’re o aglost some o them,” he says. “How tokids to come is the great debate. It’s to reach the people we want to reachget them here, but is that worth riskiexposed to the people who don’t un
what we’re doing. My band has toure years on and o, enough to know a lplaces around the country disappearknowing that makes me cautious abtell people, but just this week I madeand a Facebook page to start puttinginormation out there.”
We cut our interview short becau band’s sound check overpowers myphone and I head to the nearby Paror some adult rereshment. When Wildcat Revival is taking the stage,people are beginning to push their wront o the room. Nathan grabs a mphone and turns his back to the audthe band begins to churn, and therethe peeling plaster and bare-light-bance my wish comes true. The sobeearnest intellectual who answered mtions moments ago is beginning hisormation into a snarling, renetic dI can’t understand a word he’s sayindoesn’t matter because the energy erom him is as compelling as it is caHis hunches over and spits his lyricfoor, he climbs the risers and yells o
enthusiastic crowd, he fails about wis, in a word, alive. And so am I.
For more inormation and show lisSpring Street Fire House visit www.mcom/springstreetfrehouse or email [email protected].
Sam George is a sta writer or BirWeekly , concerning himsel with popsic and, increasingly, other topics. Secomments to [email protected]
by sam george
Local DIY band renovates historic landmark and saves a
music feature
Fire House operator and ten
Nathan Barrett lets out his inwildcat. Photo by Matthew Wa
“Every Tuesday -
Jazz night with
Jose Carr & Co.
7:30-10:30pm”
