City November 27, 2012 9:05 AM

Rust Belt Bands to Pay Tribute to Final Days of Mohawk Place This Friday

Rust Belt Bands to Pay Tribute to Final Days of Mohawk Place This Friday
Mike Puma
Mike Puma 11

A longtime favorite venue for indie rock music, Mohawk Place (47 E. Mohawk), will be closing its doors on January 12, 2013. Unfortunately, this seems to be a continuing trend in Buffalo as we have also lost two other venues in recent years, The Buffalo Icon and the Showplace Theater. This Friday, Falling Hollywood of Erie, PA and three acts from Buffalo, Coterie of Stern, the Larkin Plan, and the Albrights will pay their final respects to the club.

Falling Hollywood blends tight vocal harmonies with memorable hooks to create catchy, yet ground acoustic rock that draws comparisons to the Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, and The Strokes.

Coterie of Stern is influenced by The Tragically Hip, Weezer, SoundGarden, Tom Waits, David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots. These varying influences meld together for unique twist of rock that includes everything from classical to punk. Formed in 2009, the band released their self-titled debut album in Marc 2011.

The Larkin Plan touches on triumph, tragedy, industry, vice, power, murder, family, invention, and rebirth all within a lens focused at the City of Buffalo and its history. From a song cycle about the 1901 Pan-American Exposition and the assassination of President McKinley to songs about steel mills, grain elevators, captains of industry, and a waterfront that was once a colorful mix of ships, canal boats, trains, sailors, and prostitutes. The Larkin Plan finds hope in Buffalo's future without smoothing over the rough edges of its past.

The Albrights are soulful, emotional, versatile, and real while delivering pop-steeped indie rock in the tradition of The Beatles and The White Stripes. This year has been filled with new highs for the band, including performances at Austin's SXSW festival, an opening slot for Fountains of Wayne at Buffalo's Thursday at the Harbor, and the honor of being named Best Original Music Act by readers of Artvoice.

Doors open for the show at 8 pm and admission is $6 at the door. The show is open to everyone 16 years and older with an accompanying adult.

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11 Comments Leave a comment
flyguy
November 27, 2012 9:37 AM
flyguy

What is the underlying reason for these venues closing? It is sad news.

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JM
November 27, 2012 10:21 AM
JM

I think it's a combination but the main one is the kid jumping off the stage.

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flyguy
November 27, 2012 10:35 AM
flyguy

Yikes! Thanks for the information. Nice job kids who cant control yourselves and need to jump off the stage, creating risk for yourself, the establishment, and other patrons looking to watch a show! Now you have nothing...Sad.

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benfranklin
November 27, 2012 10:55 AM
benfranklin

Some small part of any bar closing has to be tied to people concerned about DWI. Maybe it's part of getting older, but it seems like it was much less frowned upon thirty years ago than now.

It was fairly common 40 years ago with two state troopers in a car, when they pulled over a drunk driver, one would get out and drive the car home (no harm, no foul). Today that story sounds like it's form another planet.

I think in a very small part, it's partially responsible for drawing people back into the city. No DWI worries living downtown. That's a huge advantage.

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queenseyes
November 27, 2012 11:08 AM
queenseyes

There has been a recent trend towards bars and restaurants booking live music acts that would not normally be considered music venues - Hardware, Mixology, Blue Monk, Canvas, etc. These places are located right in the middle of residential neighborhoods and are easy to walk to and tend to attract a built-in clientele for live music shows.

Then, mixed in with the bars and restaurants are places like Filigrees, The Foundry, The Vault, Sugar City (currently looking for a new home), Main (St)udios, etc. that tend to incorporate live music with social causes, which helps to attract a younger fan base. SoundLab was a spinoff of this same sort of "underground" music scene.

Let's not forget about all of the free outdoor concerts throughout the summer - Canalside, Bidwell Parkway, Larkinville, Riverfest Park, Outer Harbor, Albright-Knox...

There are a lot of places to listen to live music these days, which could have also contributed to Mohawk Place unfortunately closing.

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https://me.yahoo.com/a/N18go5EbkZjMKpLcrKLccjw6v4rW18qAZA4dGheT#41c7e
November 27, 2012 2:53 PM
https://me.yahoo.com/a/N18go5EbkZjMKpLcrKLccjw6v4rW18qAZA4dGheT#41c7e

The Mohawk Place was a dirty, smelly, hole in the wall. Gee, can't imagine why it is closing. The bathroom looked like it was in Somalia or some other third world country. How much effort does it take to keep a place reasonably clean?

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https://me.yahoo.com/a/N18go5EbkZjMKpLcrKLccjw6v4rW18qAZA4dGheT#41c7e
November 27, 2012 3:21 PM
https://me.yahoo.com/a/N18go5EbkZjMKpLcrKLccjw6v4rW18qAZA4dGheT#41c7e

I guess my comments weren't positive, so they excluded them.

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the_flats
November 27, 2012 3:40 PM
the_flats

The elephant in the room as to why they are closing:

http://betterxtimes.blogspot.com/2011/04/mike-bird.html

Stage-diving/moshing kid decides to ignore the concept of personal responsibility and sue the venue after he hurts himself acting like a fool. Way to bite the hand that feeds you, buddy. Not the first time this type of behavior has directly affected the closing of an important part of Buffalo's music community. You are responsible for your own actions, anyone that believes otherwise is living in fantasy.

Please spare me any comments about how this was Mohawk Place's fault.. these kids go out of their way to act like uncontrollable rabid animals and then cry when they get hurt. RIP MOHAWK PLACE

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LouisTully
November 27, 2012 5:30 PM
LouisTully

Cue the sleaze-ball personal injury attorney music:
-8888888888888888888
-4444444444444444444
-Hurt your head? Call Jed
-et al.

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Craig
November 27, 2012 4:05 PM
Craig

The Icon has been on and off, open then closed, for a long time. Showplace's business model was somewhere between opportunistic and downright exploitive for the bands that played the venue. I'm sure location played a part, as well as the lack of upkeep in the place. Bigger club shows that used to go there moved to the Town Ballroom.

I can't speak to Mohawk's closing, though I'm sure the fan's injury played into it. For me, I'll miss the place a little bit. I played there early in the '00s and I liked he vibe, even if the place was a little small. They treated the bands with courtesy and respect - something that wasn't always common among club owners and the people who booked shows.

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elias
November 27, 2012 4:50 PM
elias

live music is dear to my heart and this is always sad. however there has been work at the showplace and icon, now eden club (who knows what the holdup is, liquor license?), so all is not lost. one can only hope mohawk can be reborn and not end up like the long lost continental...

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