First Avenue Nightclub Expecting Changes:

Minneapolis - First Avenue the venue that really started it all in the Minneapolis music scene by hosting local talent into the national spotlight such as the Replacements, Soul Asylum, the Jayhawks, Semisonic and Prince to name a few, has been served with an eviction summons.  Owner Allan Fingerhut has been in serious default on the club�s lease obligations, and by refusing to meet a deadline of last Friday imposed by the landlord to commit to correcting the defaults, his club stands to be evicted in the next few weeks.

Ironically, the management team that Fingerhut let go this past summer, Steve McClellan and Jack Meyers, are set to join longtime ally LeeAnn Weimar in starting a new music venue at 701 First Avenue North. Steve McClellan, will oversee the non-profit sector of the business developing talent as he has for the past 30 years, while Jack Meyers takes on the title of General Manager and LeeAnn Weimar has been named Marketing Manager of the yet to be named business to operate the new music venue.

Re-establishing 701 1st Avenue North as the number one music venue is the main goal. With many structural improvements on the horizon and an era of experience between them, this management team looks to create excitement in developing new talent as it always has, along with showcasing the top touring bands of the day and bringing the cultural diversity of our marketplace into the spotlight.

The story of the ownership fight at First Avenue, 2000-2004:

Longtime Club Finally Safe at Home (September 22, 2000)

First Avenue's Day in Court (August 27, 2003)

First Love: An oral history of First Avenue (September 3, 2003)

First Av. nightclub settles principals' lawsuit out of court (scroll down) (November 23, 2003)

First Ave to McClellan: May we cut in? (June 23, 2004)

McClellan Out at First Avenue (June 23, 2004)

First Avenue owner: Club will stay open (June 27, 2004)

The First Avenue Massacre (June 30, 2004)

First Avenue Dances to a New Tune (July 2, 2004)

First Avenue Being Evicted? (October 8, 2004)

Discussion of the news at TC Punk (October 8, 2004)

First Avenue partners seek to oust club's frontman (October 8, 2004)

First Ave. Battle (October 15, 2004)

Minneapolis Club Factions Strike Deal (October 29, 2004)

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST IN NEW ORLEANS OCTOBER 17

The best hip-hop group of all time (here's their official site) is reuniting next weekend in one of my favorite cities, at Voodoo '04. Anyone want to fly me there?

WELLSTONE WORLD MUSIC DAY

Email from Jim Walsh (this actually came a while ago):

Greetings.

You�re receiving this email because of your interest and/or participation in last year�s Wellstone World Music Day. That day brought together hundreds of musicians of all stripes in over 70 venues in 20 cities across the United States. Many folks have suggested there be a second such celebration, so plans are now afoot for Wellstone World Music Weekend, to take place Saturday and Sunday, October 23rd and 24th,  the thinking being that Saturday will be a big day for bars, clubs, and theaters, and Sunday a natural fit for, but not limited to, churches.

Monday the 25th will be the second anniversary of the plane crash that killed the Wellstones and friends, and eight days before the presidential election.

As with last year�s festivities, Wellstone World Music Weekend is a grass-roots effort in which any and all sorts of musical expressions make sense. To quote the organizing email from last year: �We�re going to start something right here, right now, and we�re going to call it Paul and Sheila Wellstone World Music Day. On that day, every piece of music, from orchestras to shower singers, superstars to buskers, will be an expression of that loss and a celebration of that life. It will be one day, where music�which, to my way of thinking, is still the best way to fill in the gray areas that the blacks and whites of everyday life leave us with�rises up in all sorts of clubs, cars, concerts, and living rooms, all in the name of peace and love and joy and all that good stuff that gets snickered at by Them.

�Now. This is no corporate flim-flam or media boondoggle. This is me talking to you, and you and I deciding to do something about the place we live in when it feels like all the exits are blocked. So: First of all, clip or forward this to anyone you know who still cares about grass roots, community, music, reading, writing, love, the world, and how the world sees America. If you�ve got a blog or web site, post it.

�If you�re a musician, book a gig now. Tell them you want it to be advertised as part of Paul and Sheila Wellstone World Music (Weekend). If you�re a shower singer, lift your voice that day and tell yourself the same thing. If you�re a club owner, promoter, or scene fiend, put together a multi-act benefit for Wellstone Action! (www.wellstone.org). If you�re a newspaper person, tell your readers. If you�re a radio person, tell your listeners. Everybody talk about what you remember about Wellstone, what he tried to do, what you plan to do for Wellstone World Music (Weekend).�

There are no official organizers for Wellstone World Music Weekend, though the web site (www.wellstoneworldmusicday.com) will be up and running soon to chronicle news, chart events, and help people hook up with each other.

All the best,

Jim Walsh

EMAIL FROM JON DOLAN, OTHER SMILE OPINIONS

Psst:

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at October 7, 2004 5:17 PM

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