Waterloo Records
Another Take on Cleaves Incident
RECEIVED Fri., July 23, 2004
Dear Editors,
I'd like to give another take to Slaid Cleaves' fiasco when he played Johnny D's in Somerville, Mass. ["Meet the New Boss," Music, July 16]. I was in Boston, actually, when Mr. Cleaves was playing Johnny D's. And it's a joint I'm very familiar with for many years.
My husband has run sound there for top-name acts. He's played that stage, as well, as a sideman. Those televisions are on all the time. Period. No matter who you are. Mrs. Johnny D runs the bar, and her daughter runs the restaurant side where the music plays. No one to this date has complained from the stage (which Slaid did), and no act has left the stage, gone behind the bar, and turned off the TV. C'mon Slaid, what part of no don't you get? There's a clear separation between the bar and the venue side! You've played this venue many, many times previously.
There's no need to badmouth a venue that works hard to keep live music going in an area of the country where it's not cheap to do. There are no tip jars in Boston, and the opportunities to play live are diminishing greatly. Carla (Johnny D's daughter) has worked very hard to raise Johnny D's from a local bar with local acts to having folks like the Dixie Chicks, Ben Harper, Susan Tedeschi, Marty Sexton, Alison Krauss, Maceo Parker, Rufus Wainwright, Phish, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Widespread Panic, Emmylou Harris, and Steve Earle.
How many music venues in Austin has this musician played with a TV on somewhere in the joint? I am a fairly recent transplant to Austin; maybe I'm missing something. To the music community: Johnny D's is a great place to play in the Boston area. Dale Watson packed the place; I was there. I heard Hot Club of Cowtown had a good night as well.
It seems Slaid Cleaves would be better off just saying he had a bad day. One day too long on the road, 'cause that was what it was, a prima donna meltdown. Now he's bad-mouthing folks, insult to injury.
Thank you, dear editors, for my opportunity to speak out and respond.
I'd like to give another take to Slaid Cleaves' fiasco when he played Johnny D's in Somerville, Mass. ["Meet the New Boss," Music, July 16]. I was in Boston, actually, when Mr. Cleaves was playing Johnny D's. And it's a joint I'm very familiar with for many years.
My husband has run sound there for top-name acts. He's played that stage, as well, as a sideman. Those televisions are on all the time. Period. No matter who you are. Mrs. Johnny D runs the bar, and her daughter runs the restaurant side where the music plays. No one to this date has complained from the stage (which Slaid did), and no act has left the stage, gone behind the bar, and turned off the TV. C'mon Slaid, what part of no don't you get? There's a clear separation between the bar and the venue side! You've played this venue many, many times previously.
There's no need to badmouth a venue that works hard to keep live music going in an area of the country where it's not cheap to do. There are no tip jars in Boston, and the opportunities to play live are diminishing greatly. Carla (Johnny D's daughter) has worked very hard to raise Johnny D's from a local bar with local acts to having folks like the Dixie Chicks, Ben Harper, Susan Tedeschi, Marty Sexton, Alison Krauss, Maceo Parker, Rufus Wainwright, Phish, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Widespread Panic, Emmylou Harris, and Steve Earle.
How many music venues in Austin has this musician played with a TV on somewhere in the joint? I am a fairly recent transplant to Austin; maybe I'm missing something. To the music community: Johnny D's is a great place to play in the Boston area. Dale Watson packed the place; I was there. I heard Hot Club of Cowtown had a good night as well.
It seems Slaid Cleaves would be better off just saying he had a bad day. One day too long on the road, 'cause that was what it was, a prima donna meltdown. Now he's bad-mouthing folks, insult to injury.
Thank you, dear editors, for my opportunity to speak out and respond.
Ann-Marie Madden
