Now Where Are We Supposed To Go???

Why is it that the city of Baltimore cannot have a decent place to hear music without someone closing the doors? For the past seven years I have been not only a spectator, but a performer in the Baltimore club scene. My band Evolve played at almost every club this town had to offer, from Fletchers to the Brass Monkey.

Never had we found our niche amongst the dying population of indie rock kids until I walked into the Lo-Fi Social Club in Brooklyn, MD. A huge warehouse on Hanover street, that is so isolated you would never know it was the place to be.

The indie rock kids of Baltimore are a different breed. They are a part of a "scene" yet do not want to be scenesters, which is kind of like wanting to be wealthy without using money. So I was saddened that the Baltimore City inspectors, or whatever you want to call them, decided to shut down the Lo-Fi Social Club. The name fits exactly what this place was. A chill hangout for any scene to come and listen to music for a $5 cover and an open bar.

Never in the seven years that I've been trolling around this scene has a place welcomed the Baltimore music scene with such open arms. The pool table was free, there were couches lined along each room and interesting art work on the walls. The separation of the rooms was such that if you needed to talk without the blaring music you were able to do so. The staff (maybe three people) is extremely friendly, and I had the chance to meet with Neil, the club's owner one night when I saw Heroin U.K. I told him that I really respected what he was doing and looked forward to playing his club. I was disheartened to see the message on his Web site just a few minutes ago saying that he was shutting the club down until he got the OK from the City.

It's amazing to me that the only way a scene can upstart in this town is if no one knows about the place, and there is free booze. To get 100 people to go to a Fletchers show for $5 is like asking someone to jump through a hoop of fire with a blindfold, and charging them $5 to do it; However, no matter who is playing on a Friday at the Lo-Fi Social Club there are at least 60 people looking to enjoy some tunes and get a little tipsy.

Cheers to Neil and his attempt to keep a good thing going, and give a little spice to a dying rock scene!