Say It Ain't So!: Gravity Lounge Closed!

Well file this under seriously shitty news on a gross, seriously icky day. Charlottesville has lost another music venue, the deceased this time being the Gravity Lounge. Evidently back rent is a big reason for the shuttering of the space.

Sure, paying rent is pretty darn important. I don't think anyone could argue that. But even more important is the fact that this is just the latest in a disturbingly growing list of venue closures in the greater Richmond/Charlottesville area.

First it was the loss of the excellent Satellite Ballroom, a great Charlottesville event space that was closed to make way for another drugstore. Next went Toad's Place here in Richmond (which, frankly, was thanks to some super crap owners/management. Interest in/knowledge of the music industry should probably be a prerequisite for owning a venue.). Toad's was followed to the grave by the Czar, which for all intents and purposes had seemed to be picking up steam and collecting a steady stream of gigs featuring local and touring bands. Long-time Richmonders also knew it as the former Nancy Raygun, which closed a couple years back. And now, Charlottesville has lost another venue: the Gravity Lounge. I'd only been there once, to see Birdmonster and Birdlips, but I really dug the place. It had a great, cozy atmosphere, and any place with tons of books around is definitely alright with me. Gravity Lounge, you will be missed.

It's not just the owners of these venues that lose when their places are forced to close, my friends. All of us are losers. It's bad for the city and bad for the music scene as a whole. I can't stress enough how important it is to have multiple venues in cities in order to keep local music scenes striving. We all know times are tough, but please do get out to your local venues whenever you can.

And for us Richmonders, head out to Gallery5 on the 25th, for their 4th Anniversary Benefit show. G5 is too good a space to even consider losing, so let's all do what we can to keep it around.

Fight the good fight, my friends.