The end of an era and a loss to the community

European posters bathed in the warm glow of hanging lamps and strung Christmas lights. Glossy, checkerboard tables held the flickering light of candles. Assorted clocks and barometers told lies as jesters looked on. Classic cartoons played on a small television, tucked high away in a corner over the bar. Barstools and sofas. Smiles and perfect pints. And always … the music. This was home.

In September 2005, as the priorities of Hoboken venues continued their deplorable shift to marketing to the least common denominator, a rag-tag troupe of players and poets found shelter at The Goldhawk. It was a safe haven for local artists to experiment and test new material. Honest feedback was easy to come by and heckling was a sign of affection (usually).

When the door that separated the front and back bars closed, this was our world. You were welcomed to visit and, if you behaved yourself (not that we ever did), you were welcomed to join in. The prejudice was organic, not malicious. It helped weed out those who simply, honestly did not belong.

That unconscious ‘pickiness’ was the reason why the Peoples Open Mic held here every Tuesday was the finest in the metro NYC area. From Tuesdays, the place grew to include other staple showcases including Hoboken Unsigned, Folk You, The Writer’s Hang, The Jon & Dave Show and more. Soon The Goldhawk became the premiere place to see new music.

And even on the DJ nights, you were treated to a different fare than the typical boom-boom-crack of the downtown clubs. You could talk to your date here.

Everyone has their favorite hangout where they go to unwind from the stress of the day. But without an ounce of exaggeration I can say that there was never a room in Hoboken like The Goldhawk. There are other venues in town that have tried to create this scene, but have failed.

From the decor to the open mindedness, this place had the whole package that made creative eccentrics like me feel comfortable. I’ve met some of my dearest friends here and became fans of some amazing artists.

What makes the closing of The Goldhawk so hard for me to take is that it was not a failure. Beside the musicians, dart players, runners and young couples, barflies of all sorts helped keep the bar hopping. The bar would even oblige the neighbors by making the live music run only from 8:00 to 11:00 nightly, something no other place gives a second thought to. As much as it hurts to suffer this loss to the community as a whole, in the end, a bar is a business.

Businesses are made up of several parties who may have differing opinions and goals. This seems to have been the case here. Although I’ll reserve final comment until the dust settles on the battlefield of commerce. I can tell you that, by all accounts, this was not an easy decision.

Rumors are flying about what this place will become. The only agreed point is that it will be completely different than it is now. Will it succeed? That’s hard to say, but I’ve seen this happen before. A bar that is popular suddenly shifts into a new, unexpected (unwanted) direction and cannot survive the backlash. Am I bitter? Hell fuckin’ yeah! But I would never hope for a business to fail.

My thoughts are on celebrating the last weeks of this, the very center of original music and poetry in Hoboken for years. At the same time, I will do what I can to help our community find a new home. Hopefully one that can be an extension of what we had here. It will of course never be replaced.

We’ve been thru this before. Several times in fact. I’m not sure what it will take to get the venues in this town to stay the course, but I know we will rock on as before and be stronger for it.

I want to personally thank those who made The Goldhawk special for me. Former owner Fran Azzarto always showed amazing support for the community. Long-time emcee/booker Dave Entwistle has played a pivotal role in nurturing the Hoboken music scene. Behind the bar, my wonderful enablers Butch, Cheryl, Dave, Justin, Kerry and Rubin who kept me delightfully inebriated over the years. And finally to Margaret for somehow managing to always keep it all together.

Fran told me that most people think of working in the bar industry as just a series of gigs. You stay somewhere for a little while, make some money and you move on. For the most part, that is true. But here, it really was like a family.

Of course, I would be remiss in my duties if I failed to acknowledge the myriad of talent that crossed my path. There are of course way too many to name. If you search my site for The Goldhawk, you’ll see what I mean. Still I thank them all.

Anyone who wants to experience our home before our eviction, check out The Goldhawk’s MySpace page for the most up to date schedule. I’ll also be updating the schedule on my Twitter page as well. The final live band will be Skanatra on July 10. The final DJ night will be hosted by Mike C on July 11.

If you are going on any night, let me know and I’ll try to meet you there.

Have any thoughts you’d like to share? Leave a comment below.