The end of an era changed Santa Fe's cultural scene.
It was damn hot. Sweaty. Intense. Ecstatic.
***image5***Hundreds of people-gay, straight, and everywhere in between-crowded the dance floor, Bar B, and every nook and cranny to shake their groove thangs and shake 'em hard while the godfather of house music, Frankie Knuckles, ushered out an era.
It was the last night at the Paramount: June 25.
Yep, this was the year the Paramount nightclub closed its doors after seven years in business, due to struggling finances and owner Donalee Goodbrod's health issues following a stroke in the summer of 2004 [SFR Talk, June 22:
].
***image2***The Paramount wasn't just another watering hole. It was a meeting place for folks of different sexual identities, skin colors and incomes. It was the place where you could throw your benefit party; where national acts could find a home in Santa Fe; where local DJs could get a break; where bizarre goings-on-like the
Real World
/
Road Rules
cast getting hammered on film, or (reportedly) Tone Loc karaoke-ing to his own songs-were frequent; and, most importantly, where you could dance.
And the death of the Paramount has changed the musical landscape of Santa Fe.
"I do think it has impacted Santa Fe for the people who have enjoyed live music and dance music on a regular basis," Goodbrod says. "I don't think there's going to be anything like it in the future, partially because of the size and partially because of the way we had involvement from different representatives of different genres of music and entertainment in Santa Fe. There was something for ***image3***everyone. We would have a world class cellist on stage and then the very next night a local band and that's the kind of thing the Paramount offered Santa Fe."
Although club-goers held their breath that a new owner might revive the Paramount space, Santa Fe County's September purchase of 331 Sandoval Street for approximately $2 million put those dreams to rest.
Now, with the club closed and the town minus one major venue, music promoters, like Jamie Lenfesty of Fan Man Productions, have struggled to reinvent the city's music scene [SFR Talk, Nov. 16:
]. Because without the Paramount, Lenfesty says, "It's not an option for bands of a certain type to play here."
Since the Paramount closed, Lenfesty has been booking shows-like the recent Son Volt and upcoming gigs from James McMurtry and Slightly Stoopid-at the newly opened El Paseo Music Hall. But the Hall is slated to become an art gallery this spring.
Another result of the club closing has been a decentralization of the music scene. There is no one place large enough to accommodate the crowds that gathered at the Paramount for either touring bands or dancing, so Santa Fe has seen a vast diaspora of DJs, promoters and new music nights at some unlikely venues, from downtown to the south side [J Spot, Nov. 2
]. "Once a month we'll bring [former Paramount DJ and promoter] Feathericci in," says Jake Cohen, manager of Osaka Restaurant. "It's been kinda steady. I expected a larger turnout at first-I thought the location would be ***image4***an advantage. I believe people want to come to the south side."
That part of town also now sees a queer-friendly dance party, U-Haul, with former Paramount DJ Phylli once a month at the Southside Cantina. Downtown's Swig absorbed more of the DJ flotsam that drifted about after the P-mount closed; many people seeking out hip-hop followed DJs King George and Automatic-formerly of Chicanobuilt-to the swank digs on Palace Ave.
Another impact: the economic hit taken by some music promoters. "I have not booked a single show since then," Feathericci, whose real name is Paul Groetzinger, says. "There's no other place."
Similarly, Joe Ray Sandoval's local company Chicanobuilt, the collective behind one of the P-mount's most successful endeavors-its Friday night hip-hop shows-has suffered. "Financially I'm worse off," Sandoval says. "I haven't been this bad off since coming right out of graduate school. Now I have to rebuild my life."
Meanwhile, Santa Fe is struggling to rebuild its music culture. A number of restaurants have begun incorporating music post-dinner hour, but nothing can match the scope of a large club. "People aren't going out as much and people are bored," Sandoval says.
Feathericci, who also plays at Pachanga and a few other spots, agrees: "The energy just got so high at the Paramount," he says. "I miss that."
