New Nola Venue?

[Freakwinox]

Apologies if this has already been posted...

"With the UNO Lakefront Arena and Saenger and Orpheum theaters still dark, the city is short on mid-size concert venues between 1,000-capacity clubs and the 15,000-seat New Orleans Arena. Hoping to fill that void, a local group plans to open The Sugar Mill in March at 1101 Convention Center Blvd., with a general admission capacity of 2,500 and a seated capacity of 1,900."

[nyc gal]

is that over by the (ex) Twi-Ro-Pa????

[Zenwinemaster]

I think this would be about a mile north of the old TwiRoPa site. This would be directly across from the convention center, if I'm not mistaken.

[Festvet]

Me thinks it might be the old casino between the westbank expressway and Twiropa

[Staxsun]

I think this would be about a mile north of the old TwiRoPa site. This would be directly across from the convention center, if I'm not mistaken.

Did you say NORTH? I don't understand that direction in New Orleans. Is that uptown, backatown, lakeside, downtown, bywatta, or in the kwatta?

[Amyloves...]

North here would be "toward da lake" or "on da lake side of...".:)

[pokerchick66]

Did you say NORTH? I don't understand that direction in New Orleans. Is that uptown, backatown, lakeside, downtown, bywatta, or in the kwatta?

LMAO! :D

[Zenwinemaster]

From the old TwiRoPa site in the warehouse district, take Tchoupitoulas toward the FQ about a mile, then turn toward the river.

See
http://tinyurl.com/3xmazr

The old TwiRoPa is the starting point; the new venue is the end point.

[Festvet]

Actually it appears to be right next to Generations Hall

[Blumie]

is that over by the (ex) Twi-Ro-Pa????What happened to Two-Ro-Pa. It was open for all of 5 minutes, IIRC. There have also been other similar venues -- Tip's Warehouse comes to mind -- that seem to open one day and be gone the next. Can these mid-size places just not survive?

[Carolina Beadhead]

What happened to Two-Ro-Pa. It was open for all of 5 minutes, IIRC. There have also been other similar venues -- Tip's Warehouse comes to mind -- that seem to open one day and be gone the next. Can these mid-size places just not survive?

Don't know about the others but, if I remember correctly, Twi-ro-pa suffered a lot of damage from the storm and decided to not reopen.

[Zenwinemaster]

Re TwiRoPa, the official announcement in late 2005 was:

<<I am very sorry to say that the damage to the TwiRoPa facility was extensive and severe. Initial inspections have led to the belief that the building is not structurally sound. Rebuilding the facility is not feasible and it is with great sorrow that I hereby officially announce that TwiRoPa will not be reopening.>>

Re mid-size venues generally, New Orleans is a tough city for musicians and music venues. Although many of us love New Orleans and think of it as a music haven, in fact it was a tough town for musicians, even pre-Katrina. Clubs are packed at Jazz Fest; often empty most of the time. Music was an integral part of the city and its social structure, but for most of the musicians there, it was a labor of love, not a way to earn a living.

As Cyril Neville said:

<<People thought there was a New Orleans music scene -- there wasn't. You worked two times a year: Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. The only musicians I knew who made a living playing music in New Orleans were Kermit Ruffins and Pete Fountain. Everyone else had to have a day job or go on tour. I have worked more in two months in Austin than I worked in two years in New Orleans.>>

[rosetree]

It looks like a venue that I looked at when we were planning a convention down here. It is not next to Generations Hall, two blocks down towards the Convention Center. Then a right in Conv. Cntr Blvd , then it's on the left. It is on a weird shaped piece of land ---triangular. I don't remember why we did not use it, I think that it was price. It is a fair sized venue. It would be good for a mid sized concert crowd and the area is not bad at night---well lit probably have patrols for the venue. It should get some action during Fest.

[Blumie]

Re mid-size venues generally, New Orleans is a tough city for musicians and music venues. Although many of us love New Orleans and think of it as a music haven, in fact it was a tough town for musicians, even pre-Katrina. Clubs are packed at Jazz Fest; often empty most of the time. Music was an integral part of the city and its social structure, but for most of the musicians there, it was a labor of love, not a way to earn a living.

As Cyril Neville said:

<<People thought there was a New Orleans music scene -- there wasn't. You worked two times a year: Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest. The only musicians I knew who made a living playing music in New Orleans were Kermit Ruffins and Pete Fountain. Everyone else had to have a day job or go on tour. I have worked more in two months in Austin than I worked in two years in New Orleans.>>There have been a number of articles in the NYTimes about this phenomenon. (OT: of all the national media, the Times has been the absolute best in terms of not forgetting about New Orleans. New Orleans has been off the front page for months and months -- except for the occasional article about crime -- but the Times regularly runs articles about New Orleans and the Gulf.) One thing they point to is the intense competition in New Orleans, which drives down attendance and fees paid to musicians. In most cities, you've got a couple of venues offering live music a couple of times a week. In New Orleans, you've got dozens of venues offering live music 7 nights a week, and plenty of musicians available to play those gigs. So in New Orleans, the club owners and the musicians make less money.