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 Posted
on Thu, Oct. 31, 2002
10 years and counting
Tin Angel nightspot may be small, but it's a survivor
By JONATHAN TAKIFF
takiffj@phillynews.com
It's
gratifying to witness when a small, independent entity just keeps
on keeping on - doing things in a creative way with dedication
and perseverance, with the hopes the public appreciates the effort
and that a little profit comes its way.
Our
case in point is the Tin Angel, the intimate, 115-seat, live music
club atop the Serrano Restaurant at 20 S. 2nd. This November the
Old City nightspot is celebrating 10 years of continuous operations,
and kicking off the party with an amazing coup - two evenings
with the legendary British folky Donovan - performing in the room
next Tuesday and Wednesday. (See separate interview on Page 48.)
"Sometimes
you get lucky, all the stars come into alignment," said the
club's veteran talent booker Larry Goldfarb modestly of this high-profile
event. Yes, Donovan first played for this promoter at the Academy
of Music, way back in 1972, Goldfarb admitted with goading. "But
for most artists something like that doesn't really matter. Most
have amnesia. All they care is 'What can you do for me today?'
"
Despite
and also because of its small size, Tin Angel does an amazing
job of bringing in noteworthy national and local acts, 220 nights
a year. Among them are all the great Texas alt-country talents,
the happening blues belters, and all manner of sensitive singer/songwriter
- the club's stock-in-trade. Even popping in are some biggies
you'd expect to see in a much larger place - like Donovan, or
Richie Havens, or the late Laura Nyro, who made one of her last
appearances at the venue. Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze keeps coming
back "simply because he loves the room," noted Rich
Machlin, co-owner (with Jude Erwin) of the nightclub and Serrano.
That
goes double for local notables. Grey Eye Glances, one of Philly's
best and strongest music exports, periodically packs the place
- and has done so since it first played the room in 1992 as Sojourn.
So does charmer Susan Werner, who's managed by Goldfarb.
The
Tin Angel has justly earned a reputation for playing only high-quality
acts, an image that it zealously protects. It's also one of the
city's few true "listening" rooms, where the sound is
perfect and audiences are highly respectful of the performers,
where the show starts on time, the air conditioning works and
the place doesn't reek of smoke or stale beer. The hustling of
beverages (alcohol and non) is kept to a minimum and smoking is
only allowed at the rear bar (or, if the artist requests, not
permitted at all).
"I
get 2,500 unsolicited tapes and CDs a year, just from people who
want to be an opening act here," Goldfarb marveled.
"It's
one of the few places where local musicians feel comfortable inviting
their parents to see the show - so we encourage opening acts with
large families," half-kidded Machlin. "And the long,
narrow layout makes the room feel pretty crowded, even if there
are only a couple dozen people sitting down front."
No,
you won't ever get rich running a 115-seat club, especially if
you don't have a way to profit when the newcomer act you discovered
then grows into larger venues (the basic, long range developmental
plan for an act- and audience-builder like Clear Channel Entertainment).
"People
always ask me how I got into this business," said Goldfarb,
who actually teaches a course on the subject at Cabrini College.
"The better question is 'How do I get out?' "
"One
of the most valuable lessons Larry taught me is, it doesn't matter
how much money you make, it's how little you lose," parried
Machlin.
What
frankly keeps the Tin Angel going economically is the synergistic
"lifestyle room" relationship it enjoys with the restaurant
below, encouraging people to enjoy a full night out under one
roof.
"The
audiences who tend not to drink do tend to eat, and those that
don't eat tend to drink, so they balance each other out,"
explained Machlin. "That allows us to bring in a Tom Rush
or Liv Taylor or a Chris Williamson - shows where there wouldn't
be a lot of liquor sales. It actually seems to work out that the
average age of the audience member is the percentage of the audience
that will dine with us before our after the show. So if you have
an audience of 50-year-olds, half will dine here. Also, the age
of the audience generally conforms to the age of the performer."
Competition
has never been stronger for the varieties of artists Tin Angel
presents - with the Point, TLA, the North Star Bar, North By Northwest
and the new Sellersville Theater all getting into a bidding war.
"It sometimes gets down and dirty, but at least we operate
on a level playing field," noted Machlin.
Something
else again is the newly floated plan by noncommercial adult alternative
radio station WXPN to go into partnership with a for-profit operator
on a complex at 3025 Walnut St. that would include new studios,
a 100-seat coffeehouse and an expandable 350-seat to 700-seat
club/restaurant named World Cafe Live after 'XPN's nationally
syndicated radio show.
Just
as is now believed to happen in the interlocking world of Clear
Channel radio stations and concert promoting, one could easily
imagine 'XPN persuading acts to play at its coffeehouse or World
Cafe Live venue instead of for other clubs in town, in return
for airplay. Likewise, the station's music programmers might downplay
or shun acts who don't play ball (as is rumored to have happened
to Britney Spears, when she didn't let Clear Channel sponsor her
last tour).
"
'XPN has been very good to the Philadelphia music scene, including
our club, and we in turn have been very supportive of them. But
to me, this is not morally right," declared Goldfarb. "Others
have been guarded in their comments, but every music promoter
in town feels the same way."
"At
fund-raising time, 'XPN staffers talk about how they're like the
library or the Museum of Art, how they're almost a public utility,
responsible only to their listeners," added Machlin. "They're
throwing that away if this comes to pass. There won't be a single
action they take that won't be held up to scrutiny, that won't
challenge their objectivity."
And
won't threaten the very survival of Philadelphia's venerable Tin
Angel.
Who's
playing at the Tin Angel: Upcoming attractions include Carrie
Newcomer and Don Conocsenti at 8:30 tonight, Nerissa and Katryna
Nields at 7:30 and 11 p.m. tomorrow, David Wilcox at 6 and 8:30
p.m. Sunday, Donovan on Tuesday and Wednesday ( sold out), Glenn
Tilbrook at 8:30 p.m. next Thursday and Friday. Also on the way,
Adrian Legg (Nov. 10), The Epiphany Project (Nov. 15), Lucy Kaplansky/Bob
Hillman (Nov. 16), Kelly Willis Band (Nov. 18), Josh Joplin and
Peter Stuart (Nov. 20), Cliff Eberhardt/Chuck Brodsky (Nov. 22),
Cheryl Wheeler (Nov. 23-24), Ben Arnold (Nov. 27), and Grey Eye
Glances (Nov. 29-30).
For
concert info, Serrano restaurant reservations and tickets, call
215-928-0770.
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