The Golden Pony in downtown Harrisonburg hosts a wide variety of eclectic bands that are part of a vibrant music scene. But after their liquor license was suspended in early February, many of those bands were displaced and looking for new venues. Then the fire marshal got involved. WMRA’s Bridget Manley reports.
The Golden Pony posted to their Facebook page on February 2nd that in spite of “rigorous in-house training,” a former employee had served alcohol to an undercover agent of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, or ABC. As a result, the restaurant and venue were fined $7,500, and their license to serve was suspended for 30 days.
Many of the bands scheduled to perform in Harrisonburg in February scrambled to find new venues for their dates, with help from The Golden Pony. The Pony advertised one of those alternate venues in their February 2nd Facebook post. Following the reschedules, one venue in a commercial building and two residential or “house” venues were shut down by the Harrisonburg Fire Department for fire code violations, leaving the bands yet again to find alternate spaces.
The closures highlighted a unique, often hidden underbelly of the Harrisonburg music scene– DIY house show culture and the delicate balance between fan safety and a thriving underground music scene.
While the Golden Pony is one of many licensed venues in Harrisonburg that host live music, there are several other places in town that host bands in basements, college houses, and other venues not vetted for safety.
[playing excerpts from SLAAT’s album “SLAAT LIVE: RAW AND UNTUNED”]
LEE ADDISON WHITE: You know, we kind of grew up around that whole scene, and music is really big in Harrisonburg, I feel like, the DIY scene especially, and we love playing there.
Lee Addison White is a member of the band SLAAT. Based in Richmond, the band has played in Harrisonburg's DIY scene for years. He said that the underground scene is as unique as it is secretive.
WHITE: You kind of like, have to ask people, or like, most flyers have, like, “ask a punk”.
That is – ask them where the show is.
WHITE: So, it’s just getting to know people in the scene and sort of vet people. Make sure, you know, you’re not going to shut anything down.
SLAAT was scheduled to play at The Golden Pony in early February, but their set was moved to the DIY venue that was then shuttered by the fire department. They eventually moved it to Coffee Hound.
Harrisonburg Fire Chief Matt Tobia said the fire department learned that the commercial downtown space was being used as an assembly area, even though it was only approved for manufacturing, and shut it down for fire code violations.
Tobia said that it is not his office’s mission to be a wet blanket on the music scene, but his priority is always to keep patrons safe from disasters.
MATT TOBIA: There are many things in place that are designed to keep the occupants safe from a fire. There is a fire alarm system. There is an automatic sprinkler system. There are multiple exits with a limited distance of travel. All of which are designed to ensure that the patrons who attend those types of events have a safe and enjoyable time. And that is, more than anything, what the fire marshal’s office within the fire department wants to do.
There have been several notable deadly nightclub incidents over the years, most recently in Switzerland, where, two hours after ringing in the new year, 41 people died, and 116 people were injured as a result of a fire. Most notably, 100 people were killed, and 230 people were injured in 2003, at The Station in Rhode Island, a nightclub that was hosting the band Great White.
TOBIA: Our mission is to ensure people’s safety. We want there to be a robust nighttime economy. We want there to be a robust entertainment economy in the city, and there are already many places where that music scene can occur. But there are also instances when we became aware, where it is critical for us to intervene.
DAISY CAPLAN: The fire marshal, their job is extremely important. Fire safety is extremely important. The place that it gets weird is that fire safety and fire code cost an insane amount of money to keep up with.
Daisy Caplan is a member of the band Lung, a two-person shadow and drum rock band out of Cincinnati. They were also one of the bands that were shuffled from venue to venue after the announcement by the Golden Pony. He said that the scene in Harrisonburg is unique, and that vibrant culture has sprung out of venues lacking resources.
CAPLAN: If you are a bunch of college kids trying to do a venue, you don’t necessarily have access to aid or knowledge. You don’t know how that stuff works until the fire marshal shows up and tells you. Whatever funding you need for another door … or another staircase – I feel like there needs to be a bridge between, like, can you connect us with funding or information?
Tobia says that education is key to keeping people safe.
TOBIA: Our first step is to educate. In the most recent event, the owner and the occupant were 100% compliant. They were not aware that they were breaking the law. They immediately set about ensuring that they were not going to break the law. And so, voluntary compliance is always our first goal.
Representatives for The Golden Pony and the shuttered event space both declined to comment. The Golden Pony will begin events again on March 7 with Spectator Bird & Caleb Stine.
Full disclosure: The Golden Pony underwrites programming on WMRA.
