2009 Guide to Wellness

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EARLYCHILDHOOD ELEMENTARY MIDDLESCHOOL Working It continued ro page way to timing and possible competitors.

“In March 200 , I got wind that several other groups with identical business models had interest in the space.” They included Higher Ground, a venture out of Burlington, ermont, and a local group headed by SPACE gallery founder Todd Bernard. “Once I verified that both parties really did have [immediate] interest, I worked uickly to secure the lease and closed the deal on the tenth of April 200 .”

The balance of April “was spent meeting with Todd Bernard’s group and trying earnestly to work out some type of partnership, to no avail.”

Daring to go it alone, Evon and his team have en oyed an impressively successful first year.

“Bookings have been great Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Neko Case, They Might Be Giants, Ween, The English Beat. A lot of venues would be reciting that type of list of names after a decade in business, not after year one ”

Almost from the start, “there’s been a great bu about PCMH spreading within the touring artist community. Bands coming here can e pect comfortable accommodations, professional staff, state-of-the- art e uipment.”

The greatest validation came from Derek Trucks, virtuoso guitarist for the Allman Brothers, who was in the first flush of headliners. “While he was here, he got a phone call from Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes. I’ll never forget hearing him say, ‘Warren, there’s a great new room up here in Portland you should check it out ’ And it’s been that way ever since, with people in the industry sharing the news with each other. The word spreads uickly, and we’ve already had some of our biggest artists re uest return engagements. This also has to do with the vibe of the city, the great local music scene, and supportive fans.”

Many of whom are local, not global. “I get constant feedback about how much fans love PCMH, how badly it was needed, and lots of thank yous for bringing top uality nationally touring musicians back up here. Out of 29, 00-plus tickets sold this past year, I can count the number of written complaints on my hands ”

Then there’s the collateral celebrity effect.

“Port City, hands down, no doubt in my

mind, was the catalyst for the conversion of The Stadium into Binga’s Wingas, and they’ve improved their half of the building tremendously. Combined, these improvements add up to at least a million in renovations. Factor in our ticket holders, who go out to dinner at Shay’s, David’s, Margaritas, Binga’s, . They get hotel rooms at The Eastland Park, Holiday Inn by the Bay, and the Portland Harbor Hotel. They support our neighborhood’s retail shops and municipal parking garages. I’ve spoken with realtors whose clients have purchased condos downtown because of the nightlife Port City Music Hall provides. It is tough to put a value on it, but I assure you it is high.”

But isn’t there a bottom line somewhere? Up until now, local entertainment has been among the first to take the hit in hard times. Evon is e ually candid here

“By the end of our first ten months, I had appro imately $ 0,000 in ticket receipts and $ 00,000 in food and beverage sales. These figures are good considering it’s our first year in business and the difficult economy. We’re pretty much on target with our e penses, but my pro ections are off a bit when it comes down to spending per person. Fans are still buying tickets to shows, but the days of everyone running a $ 0 bar tab and buying a CD and T-shirt on the way out the door are over.

“The first two years are really the ‘getthe-word-out’ period, building our customer base and avoiding negative cash flow. If all goes according to plan, we’ll reach breakeven after year five, leaving us 1 years of lease options to turn a profit. I’m in for the long haul.”

Regrets? He has a few. “One of the biggest is not having the fa ade and sign done in time for our grand opening. The renovations went over budget, and all available capital was directed at the interior. I still get half a do en calls per week asking, “‘Where are you located?’”

This will be remedied later this year, as PCMH is participating in the City of Portland Housing and Urban Development fa ade improvement grant program. “We’ve ust been awarded over $1 k in grant money toward our $ ,000 facade pro ect total.

Then, too, “business-wise, I regret not sourcing more capital. I put this together on a shoestring budget. If I’d had more capital at inception, the renovations would have been done uicker, a me anine level would e ist,

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Local band Marie Stella haunts Center Street near the Civic Center en route to Port City Music Hall.

increasing capacity by 0 tickets, and the mar uee would have been up when we wanted it up. Some other bells and whistles had to be cut, including billiard tables and a live A feed to the basement lounge level.”

Of course, one hotly contested and muchdiscussed issue is the venue’s li uor license, coming from the city with an une pected set of regulations.

“I’d initially planned on receiving an auditorium license, allowing an 1 audience and a greater cash infusion in these critical first years of operation. But, the license issued by the City of Portland only allows for a 21 audience. This has a large impact on our ticket sales. With unlimited capital, I’d have appealed the li uor licensing agencies’ decision, and I’m confident we’d have been successful in the appeal. We may appeal the decision this year when we renew, but it’s unlikely as I don’t want to rock the boat ”

For Port City Music Hall’s sophomore year, Evon says, “I’d like to find someone interested in e clusive concessions rights. We have some space for a kitchen and are currently e ploring options. I’ve never run a kitchen or worked in a restaurant and don’t particularly want to. But I’d like to offer an e panded food menu to our guests and increased food sales will help the bottom line.

“From an operations standpoint, we’re pushing to be open more regularly. Finding creative ways to use the space, offering private event rentals, and increasing our concert bookings will all be key to fewer dark nights.”

The venue has successfully marketed the front lounge and downstairs rooms for events such as ris Clark’s sell-out oot reunion, the th Annual SnowBall, and dance parties hosted by a stable of local DJs.

Even with a room full of happy patrons, it is a tenuous tightrope walk between taste-making and trend-following. Maybe Evon’s greatest achievement is the guts he shows in looking beyond regional formulas to understand the city’s deeper, une pressed needs.

“If I were following trends in Portland [alone], I’d turn into a cover band club. I find it uite curious that with all the great local music talent in town, the biggest local weekly event is cover music. I think it deteriorates Portland’s image as an industry town with a thriving local music scene when fans stop demanding original music. It changes the whole vibe. It becomes ust another bar with a band in the corner.”

Evon replies enthusiastically when asked for his wish list of e citing performers he hopes to lure to Portland in the ne t two years “J.J. Cale, Cale ico, the Susan Tedeschi Derek Trucks new collaboration, Gov’t Mule, Adele, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Railroad Earth, Trey Anastasio, Paige McConnell, Wu Tang Clan, and Avett Brothers. We may look to present some of these artists into larger venues such as the Maine State Pier or Merrill Auditorium.” ■

Todd M. Richard is a freelance writer musician who can be seen DJing a monthly residency with WePushButtons at Port City Music Hall. Upcoming events at PCMH include: The New Deal, January 20; Darien Brahms, January 26; Lady Lamb and the Beekeeper, February 2; Dilly Dilly, February 2; Marie Stella, February 9; Haru Bangs, February 9; Boo Tiddy, February 16; Montroller, February 16; This Way, February 23; Jacob Augustine, March 2; Dreamosaic, March 16; Cyborg Trio, March 16; By Blood

Alone, March 23; and Ocean, March 23. >> Visit Online

Extras at portlandmonthly.com for more images.

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