the abyss
greetings deep sea divers,
It’s only been a minute, but enough has happened in the last few weeks to prompt a hasty update from me on this cool summer morning. First off, thanks to everyone who came out to support the [RADIO] series at the Cardinal Bar for the past year. Your continued attendance and interest is crucial to making the magic happen each and every time I step onstage. Sadly, the Cardinal will be shutting its doors this weekend, marking the end of a 34 year run as Madison’s premiere dance floor destination. Fortunately, they are not closed for good, rather they are removing some of their internal obstacles and rejuvenating the venue. I can only say I am absolutely pleased the club will be returning to the hands of it’s original caretaker and father, Ricardo Gonzalez. In the grand scheme of things, the disastrous and narrow minded management that brought things to such a dire conclusion were but a small part in a rich and wonderful history. But enough about I told you so.
Madison has been largely clinging to whatever sense of musical prosperity it once held, and these last few years have proven quite difficult for everyone. Now with the Cardinal, Cafe Montmartre, and OUT Entertainment Complex (OUT isn’t confirmed. . yet) all shutting their doors in one week, and the economy and the internet keeping people at home and online, things look as bleek as ever for a city that seems to be slipping into an oblivion of uncaring and disinterested masses. Businesses increasingly pander to the temporary college population influx hoping to support their legacies on those who have little or no personal investment whatsoever in not only the club’s success, but the city itself. It saddens me in a way I cannot begin to explain.
I will not preach the solutions I dream of since I’m just a DJ and have ultimately little impact on the general success of the service industry in town, but I do hope that things turn around and plan to do everything in my power to expedite the transformation. As much as I’d like to open my own establishment and do it my damn self, that’s not likely to happen.
whew. ok, enough doomsday dictation. On the bright side, all this means new opportunities are bound to arise, as destruction breeding creation is almost a universal guarantee. The Cardinal will rise again, surely better than it ever was, the Inferno is still a stronghold of superb nightclub atmosphere, and new ventures from Plan B and others are racing to fill in the vacuum that has been created. Rest assured, things will happen, lights will dim, and the music will play again. And I’ll be there to make you shake that ass.
