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 Posted
on Fri, Nov. 01, 2002
Favorites return for the Tin Angel's 10th
Anniversary performances will celebrate a spot that aims for prompt,
comfortable concerts.
By
Fred Beckley
For The Inquirer
It's
no use crying over spilled beer - certainly not in this case.
"I was at the Trocadero," Rich Machlin says, explaining
how the Tin Angel got its start a decade ago. "And I got
beer spilled on me and there wasn't anywhere to sit, and I just
felt that there could be a place in town where things were a lot
more comfortable."
At
the time, Machlin and Jude Erwin, the owners of Serrano restaurant
at 20 S. Second St., had leased their second floor to a club called
Purgatory. "It was a very, very tough club," Machlin
says, "and we sort of nicely asked them to depart."
He
first planned to use the space for "a local folk singer up
on a little stage." But a waitress at Serrano was dating
promoter Larry Goldfarb's business partner. "She put us in
touch with Rick Cohen and Larry, and they really brought it to
the next level," Machlin says.
"We
still had the little stage, but instead of a local folk singer,
the first weekend we had people like John Hammond and Ben Vaughn."
And
so from Purgatory there rose the intimate, 115-seat Tin Angel,
where the way to the best seat is through your stomach. Machlin
saves the club's front-and-center tables for Serrano diners. "That's
what really made it fly."
The
mostly acoustic Tin Angel is celebrating its 10th anniversary
this month with shows by frequent favorites - Jeffrey Gaines,
Grey Eye Glances, Glenn Tilbrook - and a special two-night stand
by that '60s icon, psychedelic folk mystic Donovan.
"An
anniversary is always a good excuse to celebrate," Donovan
says. "And we're laying out quite a serious return to work
over the next 18 months, leading up to my 40th year in music.
So it's great to get a little practice at the Tin Angel."
On
Tuesday and Wednesday, he will "wander through" his
early work, play his hits, and premiere songs from his forthcoming
Beatnik Café. "I love to perform in small places,"
he says. "I can speak to the audience and take requests easier.
It's perfect for a solo show."
Machlin
says he wanted the Tin Angel to be a "listening room"
from the start.
"Our
average customers are in their mid-30s to mid-40s, so creature
comforts are important to them," he says. "They want
a certain amount of efficiency. They want the shows to start on
time. They don't want to stand. They want a comfortable, attractive
and clean environment."
Do
they spill beer? "This is not a get-loud-and-yell-at-each-other
sort of rock club," Machlin says. "If there's any sort
of complaint, we're going to intervene and ask people to be quiet
and listen to the act. We're very proactive about that, and I
think the artists appreciate it."
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