Seasons of a Music Venue

"To everything; turn, turn turn
There is a season; turn, turn, turn,
And a time for every purpose
under heaven."

You can give credit to the Byrds, Pete Seeger, or Solomon, but either way, there is wisdom in these words.  Canal Street has had an incredible 30 year run.  Kudos to Mick Montgomery for a job well done.  He has created a legacy that is a permanent part of Dayton history and culture.

But now change is upon us.  The social media has been buzzing with rumors, gossip, and the articulated worst fears of those who love what Canal Street is and what it represents.  TV screens?  Heaven forbid!  Blenders?  Sacrilege!  And it suddenly occurs to me that my bar going rock and roll friends sound a whole lot like my Sunday morning church going friends sound when a new preacher comes to town.  All the new reverend has to do is utter the word "change" and a holy war has been intiated.  Take out the old church organ?  Heaven forbid?  Drums in the sanctuary?  Sacrilege! I have been part of this conversation many times and I find it interesting and mildly humorous to hear the same arguments used when a, shall we say "revered," secular music venue changes hands.

Allow me to make a simple observation.  There is no canal at Canal Street.  The old canal functioned, ironically enough, for about 30 years. It then sat unused and decaying for 50 years until it was covered up in 1927. Technology and progress had left the canal behind, so it was abandoned.  Patterson Boulevard Canal Parkway, on the other hand, is looking quite spiffy these days.

Far too often, preservation and progress are set up as antagonists.  The thinking is that one must be embraced and the other rejected. The truth is that preservation and progress can be partners and friends.  One could argue that they are the yin and yang of development and growth.  Preservation, left to itself, leads only to the death of thing which was to be preserved.  Progress, left to itself, has no sense of direction or motion.  How can you know if or where you are moving if you have no sense of where you have been? Preservation and progress joined together give sustained life and health to organizations and institutions.

In December of 1981 Mick Montgomery wrote in the CST Newsletter No. 1, "I have been warned that Dayton cannot or will not support a small intimate music club, but I don't agree.  Too many friends and acquaintances have given up on the local bar/entertainment scene for one reason or another-sometimes because of the lack of commitment on the part of the club to maintain and emphasize an environment conducive to listening to music as a communitative art form.  Hopefully the Canal Street Tavern can fill a void.  And hopefully, those of you who haven't been "on the scene" lately will find something here to interest you. I believe a discerning audience exists who will enjoy an informal "come as you are" place where they can relax and enjoy artists and their music."  Obviously, many things have changed in 30 years, but some things have not.

When I was in Canal Street Tavern last week, I heard someone describe it as "tired." I think that was a good description.  Good things of a certain age naturally get tired and that's okay. When it happens, one of two outcomes will occur. Either the old tired thing will cease to exist, or it will be renewed by a new generation.  This new generation will have energy and and some of its own ideas, but it will also have  the DNA, history, and upbringing of its forebears. It can achieve preservation through  progress.  My challenge to the new owners of Canal Street is this, "Honor the past and embrace the future." Do what is necessary to insure another good 30 year run.  My challenge to the "children of Canal Street,"  to those who have been shaped and molded by its influence is this. Support the new owners as much as you can.  I realize that it might not be the same.  It's pretty certain you won't like all the changes.  But keep showing up.  Bring in a friend, listen to a new band, and have a couple beers.  Regale them with stories of how if used to be when you were younger.  Become part of the history and legacy.

But if you can't do that, then go out and create the new version of what Canal Street would look like if it was started in 2013.  Like Mick 30 years ago, I don't agree that Dayton won't support a small intimate music club. Or even a medium sized one. And I don't intend to give up on the local entertainment scene either. Thanks Mick for all you've done. Pass the torch.  Take a break.  Go have a beer. We'll drink to another 30 good years for Canal Street.