the hum / By Bob Doran

Then & Now

How the Humboldt club scene evolved this decade

(Dec. 31, 2009)  That’s it. The year’s over, along with the Aughts (or whatever you want to call the last decade). It’s not as dramatic as the end of the millennium, but it’s another turning point. Do you remember what was happening on the local music scene 10 years ago? Looking back you’ll see that much has changed, but some things remain the same. My examination started with club and café listings from January 2000. Here’s what I found:

Muddy’s Hot Cup was not much different, except it was called Muddy Waters and was much more vibrant. Old Town Coffee and Chocolates was called Humboldt Bay Coffee Company; music-wise it was pretty much the same. Cafe Mokka had international folk music weekends, same as now. The Playroom in Fortuna is virtually unchanged. The Riverwood Inn was a roadhouse booking great touring blues and honky tonk bands, same as now. The Tumbleweeds were playing cowboy tunes at Chapala Café, same as it ever was.

The Vista was going strong in 2000. After turning into Go Fish (and losing the music), it closed. The now moribund Sacred Grounds was mostly a folk music joint. Plans for a revival of that space have reportedly fizzled and it will likely return to its original function as a bank. There was jazz at the Eureka Inn, which keeps threatening to reopen.

We had Cafe Tomo on the Arcata Plaza where Mazzotti’s is now. It was central to the scene, but was struggling. Before the year was over, it would close. Mazzotti’s rents its space out for shows (including one NYE), but it’s not really a music venue.

Café Tomo’s music booker, Lincoln Wachtel, had a plan to revamp the then dormant Arcata Theater and turn it into a music venue. He found an investor, but resistance from the city shot the project down. It wasn’t until earlier this year that something akin to his plan would resurrect the Arcata. Brian and Laura Cox‘s Arcata Theatre Lounge project polished the moldering building into a jewel. Kudos to them.

By the end of 1999 the Jambalaya had lost its role as a cultural hub with music every night to become an upscale restaurant with no music at all. It would be years before it was revived. Today, with a working musician at the helm, they’ve upgraded the sound system and shifted emphasis back to where it once was. Another successful revival accomplished.

In January 2000, the Humboldt Brewing Company was out of business. Former employees would eventually revive it as Humboldt Brews. This year they expanded, turning part of the former bowling alley next door into a brand new state-of-the-art music room. Nice!

In 2000 a club called Rumours at 326 5th St., Eureka, featured rock, karaoke, etc. The building was razed and replaced by Starbucks. Rumours moved across the street, sold to new owners, sold again and eventually became the Red Fox Tavern. The current owners recently upgraded the sound system — another success story.

1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE >SHARE