For 35 years, a converted church in Newmarket has had almost legendary status among touring musicians. The Stone Church Music Club has also served as a favorite performance space for local artists. Last September, the owners announced they were selling the building, and today the future of the venue is still uncertain. Correspondent Pierce Woodward reports.
[SFX - SAY ZUZU LIVE - #2]
WHEN ROCK & ROLL BANDS FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE GO ON TOUR AND MEET MUSICIANS FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, ONE QUESTION SEEMS TO COME UP AGAIN AND AGAIN.
#6 20:03 - WE HAD NEW HAMPSHIRE PLATES ON OUR BUS, SO WE'D PULL INTO A VENUE AND THE BAND WE WERE PLAYING WITH WOULD SAY, GEE, YOU'RE FROM NH, YOU KNOW WHERE THE STONE CHURCH IS?
TIM MCCOY PLAYS BASS IN THE PORTSMOUTH BAND WEED INC.
20:25 - WE'D BE OUT IN NEVADA OR CALIFORNIA AND WE'RE LIKE, YEAH, IT'S DOWN THE STREET FROM US, WE PLAY THERE ALL THE TIME. THAT'S PRETTY COOL, TO HAVE A ROOM RIGHT IN YOUR HOMETOWN THAT'S KNOWN EVERYWHERE.
NEWMARKET�S STONE CHURCH FIRST OPENED ITS DOORS AS A MUSIC CLUB THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO. SINCE THEN IT HAS BUILT A NATIONAL REPUTATION BY HOSTING THE LIKES OF BONNIE RAITT AND THE BAND PHISH EARLY IN THEIR CAREERS. MEANWHILE, LOCAL MUSICIANS HAVE COME TO THINK OF THE CHURCH AS THEIR HOME CLUB. JON NOLAN OF NEWMARKET BAND SAY ZUZU.
#6 3:00 - I THINK IF YOU TALKED TO ALL THE BANDS & SINGER/SONGWRITERS THEY WOULD SAY THE SAME THING...IT'S HOME TO LOCAL MUSIC.
BUT LATELY THOSE BANDS HAVE CAUSE FOR CONCERN. LAST SEPTEMBER, PAUL LEBRUN AND STEVE CAPRON, OWNERS OF THE CHURCH, ANNOUNCED THEY WANT OUT OF THE BUSINESS, SO THEY�VE PUT THE BUILDING UP FOR SALE. THEY HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY HOPE TO FIND A BUYER WHO WILL CONTINUE TO USE THE CHURCH AS A MUSIC VENUE. BUT THEY HAVEN�T FOUND ONE YET, AND THEY HAVE SAID THEY�LL BROADEN THEIR SEARCH BEGINNING THIS SEPTEMBER.
AS A RESULT, MUSIC FANS LIKE JULIE ROWE OF NEWMARKET WORRY ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE STONE CHURCH ENDS UP IN THE HANDS OF SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO USE IT AS SOMETHING OTHER THAN A MUSIC VENUE.
#32 1:55 - IT WOULD CHANGE THE WHOLE TOWN OF NEWMARKET. IT WOULDN�T BE THE SAME CROWD OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD CROWD INTO THE BREAKFAST PLACES IN THE MORNING OR WALK DOWNTOWN IN NEWMARKET OR GO AND RIDE THEIR BIKES ALONG THE TRESTLE. IT�S JUST NOT THE SAME. IT WOULDN�T BE THE SAME WITHOUT THIS PLACE HERE.
BUT IF THE STONE CHURCH CLOSES AS A MUSIC VENUE, IT WOULDN�T BE THE FIRST TIME THE BUILDING�S ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY HAS CHANGED. UNIVERSALISTS BUILT IT IN 1833 AND WORSHIPED THERE FOR THE NEXT 60 YEARS. CATHOLICS TOOK IT OVER AROUND THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, AND IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED THE BUILDING BECAME A VFW HALL, A ROLLER SKATING RINK, A SHOE FACTORY, AND BEGINNING IN 1967, A MUSIC CLUB.
[ZUZU LIVE]
PART OF WHAT MAKES THE CHURCH SO SPECIAL TO SO MANY MUSICIANS AND FANS IS THE ATTITUDE OF ITS CURRENT OWNERS, LEBRUN AND CAPRON. TALK TO HEM AND YOU�LL FIND OUT: THESE GUYS LOVE MUSIC, AND THEY LOVE BEING ABLE TO OFFER THE PUBLIC A PLACE TO EXPERIENCE THE BEST OF WHAT�S OUT THERE. STONE CHURCH CO-OWNER PAUL LEBRUN.
#2 7:05 - THEY CAN COME IN HERE ON THE WEEKEND AND FORGET ABOUT THEIR STUFF AND NO ONE'S GOING TO GIVE THEM A HARD TIME. THEY'RE GOING TO SIT BACK AND ENJOY A REALLY GOOD BAND AND DO A LITTLE DANCING. THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT FOR US. WHEN THE ROOM'S FULL OF PEOPLE AND THE BAND'S CLICKING, THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT WORTHWHILE. THERE'S REALLY NOT MUCH ELSE THAT COMPARES TO THAT.
AND LEBRUN SAYS IT�S GETTING HARDER TO FIND VENUES THAT SUPPORT SUCH A WIDE RANGE OF MUSIC.
#2 18:18 - THERE'S NOT MANY PLACES LIKE THIS, AND I'M NOT BEING JADED SAYING THAT. I KNOW MUSICIANS THAT TRAVEL AND I TALK TO THEM. THERE'S A CLUB IN HOMER, ALASKA THAT PEOPLE TELL ME IS A LITTLE LIKE THIS. THERE'S A FEW SCATTERED AROUND THE COUNTRY, BUT IF THERE'S MORE THAN 50 I�D BE SURPRISED. CLUBS THAT ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THE BANDS, DARE TO LET THEM PLAY THEIR OWN MATERIAL, AND HOPE PEOPLE SHOW UP TO SEE IT...THERE'S NOT MANY PLACES LIKE THAT LEFT AND THEY'RE GETTING FEWER BY THE DAY.
WEED INC. BASSIST TIM MCCOY AGREES IT�S HARDER THAN EVER TO FIND VENUES FOR ORIGINAL MUSIC.
#6 - 3:54 - PEOPLE JUST DON'T SEEM TO BE GOING OUT TO SEE LIVE MUSIC LIKE THEY USED TO BE. AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS FOR THAT. I THINK IT'S EVERYTHING FROM BEING INUNDATED BY LIFE IN GENERAL TO DVDS AND HOME VIDEO...THE WEB CERTAINLY. PEOPLE JUST HAVE EVERYTHING AT THEIR FINGERTIPS NOW.
THERE�S NO DOUBT PEOPLE HAVE MORE WAYS THAN EVER TO SPEND THEIR ENTERTAINMENT DOLLARS. BUT STONE CHURCH OWNER LEBRUN THINKS THE SHRINKING NUMBER OF OUTLETS FOR ORIGINAL MUSIC MIGHT ALSO HAVE TO DO WITH THE TREND TOWARD CONSOLIDATION GOING ON THROUGHOUT THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
#2 19:08 - THERE IS A TREND TO BUY THE CLUBS AND TO BUY UP ALL THE RADIO STATIONS. PEOPLE SHOULD GET WISE TO THAT BECAUSE THEY WILL HAVE NO CHOICES BEFORE LONG. THEY'LL GO AND WHATEVER THE HOUSE OF BLUES OR THE HARD ROCK CAFE OR SFX WANTS TO OFFER THEM IS WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO GET.
WHILE THE STONE CHURCH SEEKS TO PROVIDE EXPOSURE FOR INDEPENDENT ACTS, LEBRUN SAYS THE TRADEOFF IS THAT OFTEN PEOPLE AREN�T FAMILIAR WITH THE BANDS PLAYING THERE.
#2 24:25 - IT'S ASKING PEOPLE TO SPEND MONEY ON SOMETHING THEY'RE NOT SURE WHAT THEY'RE GONNA GET, AND IF THEY DO, THEY'RE NOT SURE THEY'RE GONNA LIKE IT [LAUGH].
[SFX � MOON BOOT - #35]
ON A RECENT SATURDAY NIGHT, PEOPLE SEEMED TO LIKE WHAT THEY WERE GETTING AT THE STONE CHURCH. THE HEADLINER WAS MOON BOOT LOVER, A BAND THAT�S BEEN PLAYING THE CHURCH SINCE THE EARLY NINETIES. THE ROOM WAS PACKED, PEOPLE DANCED, THE BAND CLICKED.
[MUSIC � MOON BOOT #35]
WATCHING FROM HIS USUAL SPOT BY THE FRONT DOOR, PAUL LEBRUN LOOKED CONTENT. TONIGHT, THE BAND REWARDED MUSIC FANS FOR LEAVING THEIR COUCHES AND COMPUTERS AND TAKING A CHANCE ON ORIGINAL MUSIC.
#2 24:50 - IT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN'T GET ANY OTHER WAY. WHETHER IT'S FROM LOOKING AT A PAINTING OR READING A POEM OR SOME SONG HITTING YOU JUST THAT WAY. THERE'S NO OTHER WAY TO GET THAT BURST OF EXCITEMENT. YOU DON'T GET IT ON TV.
THE STONE CHURCH IS SCHEDULED TO CLOSE THIS JULY AND AUGUST TO MAKE TIME FOR CLEANING AND REPAIRS. IT PLANS TO REOPEN IN SEPTEMBER WITH A FULL SCHEDULE OF LIVE MUSIC. IN THE MEANTIME, THE PLACE IS STILL ON THE MARKET, AND MUSICIANS AND FANS ALIKE ARE KEEPING THEIR FINGERS CROSSED THAT THE NEXT OWNERS WILL KEEP NEWMARKET�S TRADITION OF ORIGINAL MUSIC ALIVE. FOR NHPR NEWS, I�M PIERCE WOODWARD.
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