Doomed Places

Have you ever tried to do something with a venue that JUST DIDN'T WORK ?

There are venues, in this town, that just won't cut it. Whatever marketing efforts you put in them, or lack of, seeing they are usually motivation-drainers, nobody will come to the nights & you'll go bankrupt. There are places like this all over Montreal and it sucks to promote them. Big time.

I wrote about Robot Tears earlier. The event was held at Felix Bar, next to the Banquise, on Rachel St. Before Felix Bar, the place was known under another name. When George, Felix's owner, sold the place to the same guys who owned Edgar Hypertaverne, they decided to follow the 281 example and call it "980", its address. The focus of the place really wasn't clear and it was "for lease" to anybody that had an idea for a night... and the bucks to cover it.



Some amazing acts were booked in there - I vaguely remember Ignition Technicians performing - but the thick curtains in front of the door & windows kept people in the streets from seeing what went on inside, and that's a big no-no ! It didn't last. Now it's operating under a new name, and some suicidal promoters are trying their best to keep it alive.

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Ever been to Jingxi ? The place was amazing. There was a stripper pole right on the dancefloor and some aquariums carved into the walls, so when you were peeing you could see people enjoying themselves in the main room. Populated by guys in black shirts and slick hair, and all kinds of underage girls, the place offered up some nice house, often inviting guests like Crazy Penis, and showcasing residencies by people such as Nic B and Fred Everything. I remember spending some magical evenings there, the "magic" in question motivated by the impressive decor and the pumping house served up by a real decent sound system.



Problem was that you had to pay before seeing if anybody was there. There was a coat check, and then a really long "L" aisle leading to the room. The interminable stairs you had to climb up to get there also didn't help.

After a new management kicked in (I was refused at the door during one of their first nights, don't know why exactly, maybe they didn't like tattooed guys... so I went downstairs and stayed in front, telling everybody passing by that the place was exceptionally closed for the night) the place went schizophrenic and just crashed.

Then came Béliza. The idea behind it was a "world beat" club with a friendly atmosphere and international vibes. The marketing genius behind the concept had previously managed... the Campus Bar, in fuckin' Shawinigan.

Needless to say, it didn't last. Now the guys behind the Dogue own it. They have renovated the space and changed a few things, and linked it to their main "Dogue"space by a staircase. It is now simply called "Dogue Lounge" and is pretty much a room that isn't used too much.

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Did you ever walk on St-Denis, between Ontario and Sherbrooke, on the west side of the street ? Just south of a weed parlor called "Woodstock" there's a place currently called "Macao Bar". Thing is, it's no longer a bar.

I don't remember what it was called before, because it's that kind of place : you never notice it ! Some guys bought it recently, changed the name to Macao, and wanted to host some "urban" evenings that would have suited your dad, your brother & your cousin from Ste-Perpétue : "lounge / housey" music playing not too loudly while well dressed patrons would sip on their expensive drinks. A lounge with no soul, and a bar with no guts. It could have worked in 1998.



The guys are nice : they tried allowing as many people as possible to perform there, but there was a volume level that you couldn't go over. According to them, the "neighbors were complaining". If I am going to live above a place that is called something like MACAO BAR, on ST-FUCKIN'-DENIS STREET, I think I have to expect some NOISE on a SATURDAY NIGHT.

But that's just me.

Thanks to this "we would like to please everybody" attitude, the place has abandonned its party place pretentions and is now a bring-your-own-wine restaurant. If you pass by, you can see that the place, most of the time, is empty.

Now, who would like to buy a nice soon-to-be-closed place on St-Denis and try to make something out of it ? I'll pass on this one.