I know. It’s been a minute since I’ve posted on this thing. Back in August, I reentered grad school, and since then updating this blog on the regular has been nearly impossible for me given the limited hours in the day. Of course, if any of you have been keeping up with social media or the news today, you probably have a pretty good idea of why I have chosen to break my nearly four month silence: the Hi-tone is closing.
As I look at the many Facebook posts from friends claiming they are not surprised this venue is shutting down, I can’t help but agree with them, though my reasons are different from theirs. One night while attending a show, I remember standing outside the venue, smoking a cigarette and talking to one of the Hi-tone’s door guys, who will remain unnamed.
“I hate working these hipster shows,” he said.
When I inquired why, I have to admit his logic was pretty solid. On a nightly basis, he dealt with attitude from early twenty somethings, who felt that rather than having the door money ready, they would instead present to him an argument as to why they should not have to pay to enter the venue. One thing I can say about Jonathan Kiersky is that he at least hired doormen who weren’t going to take this sort of shit out of patrons. Often times, the folks working the door were members of local bands themselves, so they at least recognized how important the cover money was in making sure that the bands got paid. The doorman told me about how sometimes the patrons would return with a few loose bills and change to satisfy their cover cost, but if this was how they were paying to get in, you can pretty much rest assured that they did not have any cash leftover to spend at the bar or to contribute to band merchandise.
I have heard some talk about how rude the staff at the Hi-tone is, but I personally have never seen it. While I have certainly been friends with many bands over the years, I have never actually been in a band, and I’m pretty sure that the lion’s share of the staff has no idea that I even run this blog. They have never had any reason to kiss my ass or treat me like royalty, but I have always received nothing but the utmost respect and the best service from everyone over the years who has ever stood behind that bar. I think some people forget what it might be like to work a customer service gig. If the person serving you isn’t smiling, it might have nothing to do with you. They may just be having a bad night.
Of course, we can’t ignore what really killed the Hi-tone. I remember reading about Mark McGehee’s reason for ultimately closing the old Antenna club in 1996. Tripping Daisy had come through, and he had given them a $680 guarantee. By the time the show was over, after combining all money made by the bar, the door, and the cigarette machine, McGehee only had $400. The Hi-tone has been meeting the guarantees of national touring acts now for several years, whether 30 people or 300 people came to see the show. Sometimes, this has even resulted in the local bands who have opened up for the touring acts not getting paid. I’m really not sure who to blame here. Over the years, I have seen some heavily buzzed acts like The Fiery Furnaces, Devandra Banhart, Cursive, and even a pre Hissing Fauna, Are You Destroyer? Of Montreal play the Hi-tone to a rather disappointing sized crowd. Maybe Memphis’s musical tastes just cannot sustain an indie rock venue. It’s unfortunate, but it may be the truth. I have also seen people enter the bar and pull out beers or flasks that they have smuggled in, which only exasperates the problem further. Some have complained about the prices of the Hi-tone’s liquor, but in all honesty, they have always been on par with many of Memphis’ other dive bars like Murphy’s, The P&H, The Buccaneer, and The Poplar Lounge, so I’m really not sure what the problem is. If you think the prices of beer and liquor at the Hi-tone are too expensive, then I can not wait to hear what you have to say, when all of the shows that previously might have gone to the Hi-tone end up at Minglewood Hall.
That being said, I really am sad to see the Hi-tone leave. I still remember the first show that I saw there. This was during the era when the Hi-tone only booked swing, rockabilly, and Americana acts. Some friends of mine who had been part of a semi-popular pop punk band in the late 90’s called The Kuldips were looking for a venue to play a reunion show. At that time, John Murray was in a band called The Dillingers and he agreed to let them open a show that they already had booked. The Kuldips had not played in nearly two years and sounded awful. They were rushed off the stage rather quickly, but I stuck around to hear The Dillingers and loved the way that everything sounded in that building. During that time, most indie and punk rock shows typically ended up at either the Young Avenue Deli or the now defunct Last Place on Earth and there was definitely a certain quality lacking in both of those venues. I remember going back to the Hi-tone to see Lucero and The Dempseys during the venue’s early days, and being floored the first time someone asked me if I was going to the Snowglobe show at the Hi-tone because I couldn’t believe they were actually booking bands like that.
I got to see The Shins, Dick Dale (twice), Beach House, Helio Sequence, Spoon, Band of Horses, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Matt Sharp, Daniel Johnston, Dillinger Escape Plan, Asobi Seksu, The City on Film, Camera Obscura, The Headlights, Exene Cervanka, The Queers, Forgetters, Guitar Wolf and just one month ago Roky Erikson all courtesy of the Hi-tone. I’ve also seen numerous Oblivians reunion shows, and the multiple local acts like Snowglobe, The Glass, The New Mary Jane, The Lost Sounds, Noise Choir, Reigning Sound, Tiger High, Mouserocket, The Subteens, The Bulletproof Vests, The Third Man, Richard James and the Special Riders, The Coach and Four, Twin Pilot, and so many other acts too numerous to name that have served as a sort of soundtrack to my life.
I hate to see the Hi-tone go, and I can’t imagine seeing Gonerfest or Rock For Love in any other venue. That being said, sometimes these things happening are the nature of the beast. One friend posted on Facebook that he was bummed when Barrister’s closed down, but the music would live on. I agree with him. The Hi-tone opened two years after The Antenna closed. During that time, The Last Place on Earth and Young Avenue Deli served as placeholders until the Hi-tone took over as Memphis’ best independent music venue. What I don’t want to hear is how another poorly run club has shut down. Memphis has never been a Field of Dreams. If you book them, there is no guarantee that they will come. Show promoters in this city have worked tirelessly to bring quality bands to Memphis and have only been met with complaints about how much the cover is (and to be honest, cover is actually quite cheap here).
We had something precious, and as Harlan T. Bobo said, “Sometimes precious things don’t last.” Honestly, going from 1998 to 2013 is a pretty good run for a Memphis business. Kiersky will still be booking shows for different venues as Ping Pong Booking & PR. Maybe some devoted Hi-tone patron might even buy the venue at the last minute. One thing I will say: It has never been the air conditioning, the cover prices, the quality of bands, or the prices of alcohol that have killed this venue. It is the attitude of the average Memphian who attends shows.
Memphis Rock City! 