{"id":19806,"date":"2020-09-17T17:50:44","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T00:50:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=30000014948"},"modified":"2020-09-17T18:06:57","modified_gmt":"2020-09-18T01:06:57","slug":"how-are-local-music-venues-doing-pretty-good-not-so-good-desperately-trying-to-survive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/how-are-local-music-venues-doing-pretty-good-not-so-good-desperately-trying-to-survive","title":{"rendered":"How are local music venues doing? Pretty good, not so good, desperately trying to survive"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We hear time and again what people miss most during the pandemic is live music. At restaurants you can get take-out. Movies? There\u2019s Netflix.<\/p>\n<p>But virtual concerts and online festivals, somehow, don&#8217;t translate. There\u2019s just something about seeing music live, and no one has seen live music in Long Beach since March. While that\u2019s tough for spectators, it could prove life-altering for the local business owners who own those music venues.<\/p>\n<p>We checked in with the owners and operators of Long Beach\u2019s leading live music venues to see how they\u2019ve been managing in the last six months. In some cases they&#8217;ve been been doing pretty well and others are just desperately trying survive.<\/p>\n<h3>4TH STREET VINE<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000028667\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000028667\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10000028667 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17173604\/Jim_and_sophie_Ritson_4th_street_vine_interior-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000028667\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Owners 4th Street Vine, Sophia Sandoval and Jim Ritson. Photo by Cheantay Jensen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was 2008 and the country was in the midst of a recession when Jim Ritson and Sophia Sandoval opened their craft beer and wine bar. Having not only survived an economic downturn but endured a battle for an entertainment license\u2014destined to become a local favorite spot for live music\u2014they figured the worst was behind them. Then March came and went and, you know the rest.<\/p>\n<p>Like many bar owners who recently banded together to form the <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/addison-coronavirus-bar-coalition-long-beach\">Long Beach Bar Coalition<\/a>, the future of 4th Street Vine looks grim. It\u2019s been six months without any revenue or concrete direction from government leaders as to when or how bars can reopen. Ritson and Sandoval say the bills are mounting and so are their fears.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re trying to figure out a way to survive financially,\u201d Ritson said. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a lot of city fees that are stacked that we owe. Health fees and entertainment permit fees, business license fees, and ABC license fees that are not insignificant, but rent is definitely the biggest chunk at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite having available street and patio space to serve in the front and back of their business, 4th Street Vine lacks a full kitchen which means they can\u2019t serve food like their brethren with full kitchens can.<\/p>\n<p>But food isn\u2019t where the couple\u2019s sights are set anyway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we wanted to serve food, we\u2019d have opened a restaurant,\u201d Ritson said.<\/p>\n<p>What Ritson and Sandoval value most about their space is the role it played in bolstering the city\u2019s music scene. They provided local, fledgling bands an accessible platform to perform in a professional setting and gave music-loving locals a unique and intimate concert experience nearly seven nights a week. With so few offerings as it is, Ritson said that the impact spaces like his have on the community and the local economy should not be dismissed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhenever I tell someone who\u2019s not from Southern California about Long Beach, the first thing I think about is music. It\u2019s part of our identity, it\u2019s part of everything here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For now, though, they\u2019re pursuing a different path, one that might allow them to reopen without serving food. Consulting with the city\u2019s health department, Ritson said he\u2019s putting together a set of protocols he hopes might mollify the city\u2019s concerns about patron\u2019s lackadaisical behavior in drinking environments.<\/p>\n<p>The crux of the plan involves implementing what he calls \u201ctimed table turnover\u201d in which patrons would be allowed to drink for a set period of time before being required to leave. This, Ritson said, will \u201ckeep people moving and from getting too drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The next best thing, Ritson said, would be financial aid, either through the <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/news\/how-long-beach-plans-to-spend-40m-in-cares-act-money-and-how-you-may-be-able-to-get-help\">$40 million CARES Act<\/a> federal funds or through small-business loans similar to the PPP that could potentially support them until the state allowed for businesses like theirs to reopen at any capacity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe most frustrating thing is that we\u2019re in a pandemic and there\u2019s nothing I can do about that,&#8221; Ritson said. &#8220;I understand a lot of the different positions that the health order takes [\u2026] if the folks in charge think that bars represent a bigger threat to spreading COVID it&#8217;s not my business to tell them different. It&#8217;s my business to run my business.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>ALEX&#8217;S BAR<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000028668\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000028668\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000028668\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17173656\/alex_and_paige_hernandez-1110x994.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"994\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000028668\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Paige and Alex Hernandez of Alex&#8217;s Bar. Photo by Cheantay Jensen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Fall has always been the busiest season for the venue on Anaheim Street. Touring season for bands usually kicks off in September, promising more shows, often featuring high-profile acts that are very good for business. In October, the bar would be packed with costumed college students and locals alike.<\/p>\n<p>But, this fall, instead of wondering how they\u2019re going to manage crazy lines at the door or whether the bar had enough limes cut for the evening, Alex and Paige Hernandez are trying to find a way to get even a handful of patrons to their space.<\/p>\n<p>Alex\u2019s Bar is also without a fully licensed kitchen and is therefore unable to serve food or partner with a food vendor, making their parking lot that could be transformed into a parklet, &#8220;a waste of space now,&#8221; Paige says. The couple hope that after their talk with the city&#8217;s director of health and human services Kelly Colopy today, their situation might change.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from a brief, week-long opening in June, the only other source of revenue generated has been the drive-thru liquor store they launched in April. Paige said, it&#8217;s \u201cbasically functioning as a Total Wine.&#8221; With it, they were able to hire back some of their staff, but the venture is hardly sustainable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re grateful for the people who have come through and purchased just out of the kindness of their hearts, but that only goes so far,&#8221; Paige said. &#8220;You can\u2019t expect people to come back and keep paying $5 over market for a bottle of Jack Daniels. Everyone is struggling too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this month the bar, which celebrated its 20th anniversary Jan. 27, was setting the stage for possibly closing, saying they were unsure if they\u2019d be able to make it through the year without relief\u2014they don\u2019t own their building and weren\u2019t generating any sizeable revenue to pay rent, insurance and other overhead costs.<\/p>\n<p>Although hopeful, the couple doubts that they&#8217;ll see federal relief by this year from two bills recently introduced to congress\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.saveourstages.com\/\">The Save our Stages Act<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bennet.senate.gov\/public\/index.cfm\/2020\/5\/bennet-young-introduce-restart-act-to-support-hardest-hit-small-and-mid-sized-businesses\">RESTART Act<\/a>\u2014that could potentially offer monetary aid for independent music venues through grants or a loan program.<\/p>\n<p>In a stunning response from the community, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/keeping-alex039s-bar-live\">GoFundMe<\/a> campaign asking for $20,000 to help ease the burden on the business has received more than $27,000 in donations, which Alex said will \u201cget them through the year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, Alex and Paige have taken to social media, leading the charge on awareness of their situation and of their fellow bar-owners.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, they began posting bios of their staff online, and on Friday, Sept. 25 Alex&#8217;s Bar will launch its <a href=\"https:\/\/alexsbar.veeps.com\/stream\/schedule?fbclid=IwAR0qTu9RbD5pmCCK7mjQZ9U4yoayQ_3Cgo9GcNDr5n82lWri-WAbPZ7yn6I\">debut live-streaming project<\/a> geared towards bringing greater awareness and exploring all the areas in which the music industry has been devastated by the pandemic\u2014from bands to sound engineers to venues and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>This episode will feature a live-streamed concert with Fartbarf and San Pedro\u2019s favorite bassist, Mike Watt &amp; the Secondmen. Local journalist and musician, Nate Jackson of Devil Season will be interviewing the bands for part of the livestream.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>AT THE TOP (SHANNON&#8217;S)<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000028669\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000028669\" style=\"width: 1023px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000028669\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17173800\/ron_hodges_shannons-1023x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1023\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000028669\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Owner Ron Hodges of Shannon&#8217;s and At the Top music venue. Photo by Cheantay Jensen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ask Ron Hodges how many events he\u2019s had to cancel at his At The Top venue and he doesn\u2019t hesitate to answer with an exact figure: \u201cLots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not just lots of live music, but lots of weddings, corporate events and product launches. And there could be lots more; Hodges says he has events booked for as soon as November while also holding on to multiple reservations in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>He knows why he\u2019s closed and doesn\u2019t doubt the seriousness, but he also believes there is a solution that\u2019s available right now. While watching a program on CNN, he said he learned of a \u201cspit test\u201d for COVID that is about 87% accurate. If you take the test a second time, the next day, the accuracy goes up to the 90s. He said he heard of a group of about 90 people in Torrance that was able to meet because they required the people to take the two tests and then to be tested at the door.<\/p>\n<p>Having seen how much live music means to his customers, Hodges says he believes people would absolutely be willing to put themselves through such a gauntlet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, if it\u2019s a normal thing, if this is just what you have to do, I believe people will do it. You know, \u2018Here are my certificates,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI think some of the health department people don\u2019t realize how motivated people are to come see live music, even a DJ. People would adjust. If someone had to do this to get into the V Room, believe me, they\u2019d do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hodges, who also owns Shannon\u2019s on Pine and The Carvery, downtown, along with Shannon\u2019s Bayshore in Belmont Shore, actually owns the building that houses At The Top, so he doesn\u2019t feel the pressures many venues do about paying the landlord. Still, he says At The Top was often his top revenue producer on weekends, so having it closed has had a significant impact on his bottom line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe whole thing is integrated. One is carrying the other,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, I have to keep [At The Top] dusted and run the air conditioning so it doesn\u2019t bake. But it would be helpful to have it operating, especially on the weekends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To his way of thinking, the procedure to get back the weekends is already out there, as is the will to use it, which is why he has optimism; lots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think if this thing is long lasting, people\u2019s habits are going to change. But I really believe that it will come back strong. People want, need, to get out with other people. That\u2019ll never change.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>DiPIAZZA&#8217;S<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000028670\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000028670\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000028670\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17173928\/steve_guillen_dipiazzas-1110x957.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"957\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000028670\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Owner Steve Guillen of DiPiazza&#8217;s. Photo by Cheantay Jensen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>DiPiazza&#8217;s is the only venue in the city putting on live shows. They&#8217;re mostly acoustic sets, put on Thursday through Sunday, but owner Steve Guillen said the bands and the patrons are flocking.\u00a0 \u00a0<strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With live music accounting for about 60% of Guillen&#8217;s revenue, he said the city&#8217;s parklet initiative that launched in mid-June likely saved his business.Shows like the one on Sept. 11, which featured local headliner Vicious Kinids, performing in the parklet, maxed out the restaurant&#8217;s capacity of 14 tables, or 80 seats.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s quick to mention how lucky he is as well, to have a location with a frontage road at his disposal. The parklet on that road is one of the longest in the city\u2014about 160-feet\u2014and accommodates about 90% of the seated capacity he had available inside his restaurant. It&#8217;s also quite lovely to look at, thanks to artists <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/one-of-the-citys-largest-parklet-gets-the-long-beach-mural-treatment\">Cody Lusby and Melanie Cristofaro<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our current operation is sustainable, completely,&#8221; Guillen said. &#8220;So where we&#8217;re at with the use of the parklet that the city gave us really, really put us in a good position, and basically put us back in business with the use of that parklet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Guillen admits it was hardly an ideal situation he was thrust into; being forced to revert to take-out only operations only <a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/dipiazzas-gave-live-music-a-home-in-long-beach-by-treating-kids-like-rock-stars\">15 days after taking over the iconic restaurant<\/a>. But, on the flip side, he said he &#8220;dodged a bullet&#8221; by selling his former bar, Iguana Kelley&#8217;s months prior.<\/p>\n<p>He also added that he feels for the other venue owners who aren&#8217;t as fortunate as he is. That feeling of helplessness is an emotion he said he&#8217;s &#8220;all too familiar with,&#8221; as several of his past business ventures went south, well before the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>While Guillen is confident that he will see it through the pandemic, he fears for the live music scene in the city, noting that if places like Alex&#8217;s Bar or the concert space adjacent to the Queen Mary don&#8217;t return, that could really hurt the local economy for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s important to the live music scene period, because there are no musicians passing through,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There are no musicians playing at the Queen Mary, and the night before they&#8217;re playing at DiPiazzas or Gaslamp or at Alex&#8217;s Bar as they tour and maneuver through the cities. There&#8217;s a whole ecosystem of live music that is disrupted right now and the sooner we get places like Alex&#8217;s Bar and the festivals down at the Queen Mary and things like that going, the more normal we&#8217;re going to be in the future.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>GASLAMP<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000028671\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000028671\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000028671\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17174001\/gaslamp_outdoor_seating-1110x616.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"616\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000028671\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The outdoor parklet and screening area of the Gaslamp. Photo courtesy Gaslamp\/Facebook.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Owner Michael Neufeld admits it&#8217;s been &#8220;very difficult&#8221; navigating the last six months. Although the Gaslamp is actually a restaurant, they have always been positioned primarily as a live music venue.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our shows bring in the majority of our customers who dine with us,&#8221; he said, noting that overall revenue is down 75%, largely because they haven&#8217;t been allowed to have live shows.<\/p>\n<p>Gaslamp has been hosting virtual &#8220;wall shows&#8221; where guests, stationed outside in their parking lot, can watch a projection of the band performing live from inside their venue.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is basically watching a huge TV while dining at socially distanced tables,&#8221; Neufeld explained.<\/p>\n<p>What revenue Gaslamp is generating now is a fraction, Neufeld said, of what it was before the pandemic and hasn&#8217;t been able to bring back the majority of the staff he was forced to furlough back in March.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I opened in 2009. I have never dealt with anything like this,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s crushing, but I continue to try and stay positive for my staff and my customers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>QUE SERA<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000028672\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000028672\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000028672\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17174102\/ilse_benz_que_sera_exterior-1110x940.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"940\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000028672\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Owner Ilse Benz of Que Sera. Photo by Cheantay Jensen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of all her venue-owning colleagues, Ilse Benz believes that she may be the worst off. Even if she was allowed to serve food at her bar\u2014which she is not\u2014she\u2019d have no place to serve them. Put a parklet out front on 7th street? Even if the city allowed her, she couldn\u2019t do it in good conscience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the 40 years [I\u2019ve worked here] I cannot tell you how many accidents I\u2019ve witnessed on that intersection. People just fly down, it\u2019s too dangerous,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Benz has been a part of Que Sera history for most of the venue\u2019s 46 years in the city, with nearly 25 as the owner. Having now exhausted the rest of her retirement maintaining the closed business over the last six months, Benz said she\u2019ll have to make a decision, likely by the end of this month, as to whether or not she\u2019ll have to close her doors permanently.<\/p>\n<p>Benz said by the time her lease is up in July next year, she\u2019ll owe tens of thousands of dollars in backlogged rent. Without any sort of revenue coming in\u2014or the potential to bring in revenue because of her location\u2014to cover overhead costs like insurance, electricity, internet and licensing fees, she would have to take out loans, money she\u2019s not confident will be worth the time it will take to pay back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m at the end of my career. I\u2019m almost 70. I look at the young owners [\u2026] they at least have time to make up for this and slowly but surely get out of the red again. I don\u2019t have that luxury, am I going to work until [I\u2019m] 80?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s applied for multiple small business grants and is even considering selling Melissa Etheridge\u2019s gold record that hangs on her wall\u2014Que Sera is credited with launching Etheridge&#8217;s career. Whatever it takes, Benz said, she hasn&#8217;t given up. Yet.<\/p>\n<p>On Sept. 7 a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/save-the-que\">GoFundMe campaign<\/a> was launched for Que Sera and seeks $70,000 to help support the business until bars are allowed to reopen at full capacity, a reality Benz predicts may not be realized until Spring next year. As of today, they\u2019ve raised over $14,000.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, what can you do?&#8221; she said. &#8220;I mean, you can either lay down and die or you can try to make the best of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>THE PROSPECTOR<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000028674\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000028674\" style=\"width: 1100px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000028674\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17174155\/Luis_Lemus_photo_by_trevor_roberson-1110x1033.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"1024\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000028674\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Luis Lemus owner of The Prospector. Photo courtesy Trevor Roberson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The stage at The Prospector went dark a couple weeks earlier than most local venues. The band that had been scheduled to play in mid-March, canceled in early March because, according to owner Luis Lemus, \u201cthey were scared to perform [because of COVID].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The time since March has been uneasy at best for Lemus, who says he lost more than $100,000 in the first three months since he was initially closed down. Live acts and karaoke have been a consistent money maker for him, for reasons having little to do with art.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll tell you, live music and karaoke make me money because people are buying alcohol and alcohol is nothing but profit,\u201d he said. \u201cOn food, our prices are very low, so we basically break even.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He has 10 to 12 tables outside these days, about 25% of capacity for dine-in, with that he says he\u2019s able to \u201cjust get by.\u201d Of course, he allows that one of the reasons he\u2019s able to get by is that he actually owns his building.<\/p>\n<p>Lemus is one of local hospitality\u2019s great success stories, having begun at The Prospector as a dishwasher 42 years ago, working his way up\u2014in a week\u2014to lead cook and eventually, in 1992, buying the business. Ten years later, he bought the building, something he says is \u201ca big plus, I can feel for other people who are paying rent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, he says if he didn\u2019t own the building, \u201cI\u2019d probably be locking the doors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since he owns the land, and part of the land includes a relatively large patio\/parking lot, Lemus has been asked more than once if he\u2019s considered presenting live shows outside. He\u2019s fairly definitive with his answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, I will not do that,\u201d he said. \u201cI respect our neighbors too much to do that to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lemus doesn\u2019t believe there will be live music until sometime next year, which bums him out because it\u2019s \u201cso much fun,\u201d then, catching himself, clarifies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cActually, I don\u2019t care much for bands. They kind of get on my ears. But, I love the karaoke.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So much that he never participates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh no,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m too old to make a fool of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>TOXIC TOAST<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10000028675\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10000028675\" style=\"width: 1110px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10000028675\" src=\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/17174305\/toxic_toast_andy_george-1110x740.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1110\" height=\"740\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10000028675\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Owner Andy George of Toxic Toast Theatre and Toxic Toast Records. Photo by Cheantay Jensen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Owner Andy George promises that his all-ages venue isn\u2019t going anywhere. Feeling both fortunate and grateful, he explained that he and his silent partner are in a \u201cfavorable position\u201d because they own the building. It also helps that their mortgage \u201cisn\u2019t crippling,\u201d as his partner bought the building when the market was more partial to buyers.<\/p>\n<p>Considering that it took three years and over half a million dollars to renovate the 350 capacity theatre, George said circumstances would have to be dire for them before they\u2019d consider selling.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, he predicts that live music won\u2019t be returning next year, or the year after. And, even if the state permitted it, he won\u2019t reopen until science supports the safety of it, and \u201cwhether that\u2019s until rapid testing or a vaccine,\u201d he\u2019s prepared to wait years until he can reopen in confidence that he won\u2019t be adding to the problem.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also why he hasn\u2019t reopened his physical record store\u2014adjacent to the theatre\u2014for in-person shopping. He\u2019s channeling all his efforts towards his online store and his other side businesses, for instance, his Etsy shop that sells vintage enamel pins, T-shirts, patches and b-movie related merchandise. That revenue, he says, has allowed him to cover his bottom line, albeit by a narrow margin, but his employees have up and left for work out of state.<\/p>\n<p>Because Toxic Toast is an all-ages venue that doesn\u2019t (and never will, George said) sell alcohol, the venue\u2019s reliance on door sales meant that George would only book shows that could draw a sizeable crowd\u2014at least 50\u2014 so that he could pay the bands, sound engineers and cover overhead costs.<\/p>\n<p>As one of youngest venues in the city, having opened its doors in December 2017, Toxic Toast is still in the early stages of building its reputation as a touring destination for more prominent acts. This year was the first year, George said, that he and his talent buyer, Jacob Williams, had noticed a considerable change in talent relations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBands were responding faster, the booking process was smoother, and it was getting easier to book bands,\u201d George said.<\/p>\n<p>By the time he\u2019s able and willing to reopen, he hopes that he won\u2019t have to start from square one, but he\u2019s also banking that by the time the state is ready for live music again, competition will be slimmer and patrons, starved for live entertainment, will come flooding in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know how important live music venues are to the arts community. I don\u2019t want to see any of the Long Beach venues disappear, [\u2026] but the venues that remain open are going to be packed.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We checked in with the owners and operators of Long Beach\u2019s leading live music venues to see how they\u2019ve been managing in the last six months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":262,"featured_media":71264,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[314],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[8767],"class_list":["post-19806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-live-music","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19806"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=19806"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=19806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}