Welcome To Mammyland
Andy Crowley Joe Baumgart Andy Deckard Rob Rule Dave Hazledine
The Mammy Nuns
! Last Mammy Tuesday tonight 3/29/05.
Notice to Music Fans. As of April 4, 2005 the St. Paul Music Club will
officially end its residency at St. Paul's Turf Club, due to the sale of
said business and property.
Nearly 10 years ago the SPMC approached Turf owner Mark Johnson about
the possibility of booking a rock show at the then predominately country
bar. Not only did the weekly SPMC Tuesdays begin, but a long and
mutually benefiting relationship was established, leading to the current
state of the Turf. This said, the SPMC would like to publicly thank
Mark Johnson and the current/past Turf Club staff. It has been an honor
and a privilege to work and play with you. Together we have made a
wonderful-musical impact on the lives of many in what we consider the
BEST LOCAL music scene in the country.
Lastly, it is with regret that we announce the cancellation of this
year's GRAND YOUNG DAY #9. This celebration will return. Date and
location yet to be determined. Until then SPMC will return to it's
traveling state and put on occasional shows around town. LIVE MUSIC IS
BETTER, bumper stickers have been issued. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely, Robert L Rule President-St. Paul Music Club
On a final note, we would like to thank Raleigh for her Texas Taco
Tuesdays, which will soon be relocating to the 331 Club: Northeast Mpls.
on Tuesday Nights.
Hello,
Thought you might want to know, tomorrow (March 29) is the last Tuesday for
the Mammy Nuns SPMC Tuesdays and the last Tuesday Raleigh will be making
tacos!!! As for me, I am going to wait and see what the new owners want to
do on Tuesdays. I'm in limbo.
We had a work meeting tonight, the club will be sold within a week and Rob
Rule is moving on. Dave Weigart (clown lounge) is also going. The clown
lounge has already been dismantled! A sad day, indeed. Let's send Rob and
the Mammys off with a bang! Tell everyone, and come early.
Rich
What song do you play to end a 10-year gig?
Stupid Little Club
by Jim Walsh
March 31, 2005
"Why does everyone drink at a funeral?," one longtime music head said to another Tuesday night, as the two bellied up to the Turf Club bar and ordered a couple of whiskeys. It was a good question, if slightly off the mark. For there was nothing remotely funereal about the party that took place on the intersection of Snelling and University in St. Paul, partly because the Turf is not being razed and music will still fill the room. And also because the people responsible for the era that everyone came to eulogize wouldn't have it.
For 10 years, Rob and Leah Rule and Dave Weigart have been the heart of the Turf Club. As head of the loose-knit collection of musicians and fans known as the St. Paul Music Club (SPMC), the Rules and Weigart transformed what was a mostly dormant neighborhood bar into a thriving and homey scene that filled the void left by the degeneration of the old Uptown Bar in Minneapolis. When proprietor Mark Johnson recently sold the room to Dubliner Pub owner Tom Scanlon, the trio reluctantly came to conclusion that their musical and business vision didn't mesh with Scanlon's. It was time to move on.
By the time you read this, the Turf will have been stripped of the rock 'n' roll ornaments and ephemera that had built up over the years: the Christmas tree lights, the CDs hanging from the ceiling, and the heroes on the wall that meant so much to the Rules and Weigart. There was Johnny Cash, stage right, giving the finger to all ye who entered. There was Neil Young, wild-eyed, staring down at you as you quaffed your beer. There was Dan Corrigan's portrait of the Replacements in the elevator at Coffman Union, a one-shot testimonial to the fragile camaraderie of rock bands. There were the Ramones, giving a silent gabba-gabba-hey to all who passed by.
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There were the Beatles, Hüsker Dü, the Mighty Mofos, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, and gig posters of yore. Behind the bar were newspaper clips, signed photos, and a couple of headshots of that patron saint of all seemingly doomed clubs, First Avenue's Steve McClellan. Finally, there was a stenciled word, "CURTAINS," all over the walls, a remnant from the club's earlier show-biz era, and an ironically appropriate sign-off for another era coming to a close.
Tuesday night, the once-overflowing bulletin board in the back of the club held just two pieces of paper: a strip the size of a large fortune-cookie fortune that read "here comes a regular" and this farewell note:
Notice to Music Fans. As of April 4, 2005 the St. Paul Music Club will officially end its residency at St. Paul's Turf Club, due to the sale of said business and property. Nearly 10 years ago the SPMC approached owner Mark Johnson about the possibility of booking a rock show at the then predominantly country bar. Not only did the weekly SPMC Tuesdays begin, but a long and mutually benefiting relationship was established, leading to the current state of the Turf. This said, the SPMC would like to publicly thank Mark Johnson and the current/past Turf Club staff. It has been an honor and a privilege to work and play with you. Together we have made a wonderful musical impact on the lives of many in what we consider the BEST LOCAL music scene in the country. Lastly, it is with regret that we announce the cancellation of this year's GRAND YOUNG DAY #9. This celebration will return. Date and location to be determined. Until then SPMC will return to it's traveling state and put on occasional shows around town. LIVE MUSIC IS BETTER bumper stickers have been issued. Thank you for your support.
Tuesday afternoon, Rob Rule told CP's Peter Scholtes, "They [the new management] don't get what we do. I'd like to think there are 2,000 people in the Twin Cities that really get it. And that's enough. Every night is decent, and busy nights are crazy. But O'Gara's probably has 5,000 people that get their place."
A few hours later, several hundred people who get it packed into the Turf's upstairs and downstairs. The basement, formerly festooned with freaky clown portraits and paraphernalia and home to one of the best jukeboxes around, was dark and stripped bare. The stage was empty, save for a crumpled clown sign on one side and a dormant upright piano on the other. It could have been any other night at the Turf, what with people talking about music, work, school, but underneath it were memories of earlier nights and other songs.
Lucinda Williams leaning up against the wall while Ryan Adams sang his newly penned retort to her "Metal Firecracker." Mark Mallman and his marathons. Ralph Stanley and his Clinch Mountain Boys returning the Turf to its old-timey country music roots. The photo booth that launched a thousand romances. Anthony Cox, karaoke, and alt-country in the Clown Lounge. Ike Reilly delivering a four-night stand that was as good as live music gets. The Bob Stinson memorial, which drew a turn-away crowd when a rumor got out that the Replacements were going to reunite. Slim Dunlap doing "Big Star Big" and "Ballad of the Opening Band" at his regular, last-Saturday-of-the-month gig. Curtiss A somersaulting off the stage at Wellstone World Music Day II. The night of the 2004 presidential election, when the few barflies in attendance were so stunned and sick that not a soul clapped.
And so on. Of course, the Turf's calendar will remain intact--as the message gleaming from the florescent blackboard reminded us: "M. Ward, April 22." Holding down the scheduling duties now is longtime Turf booker Dave Ricker. And, perhaps intoxicated by all the good vibes near the end of Tuesday night, Leah left the door open for the possibility of the Rules playing a larger role in the club's future. (She added, though, "It would take a miracle at this point.")
One thing is certain: Tuesday was the last time Rob Rule's 21-year-old band the Mammy Nuns will play SPMC Tuesdays at the Turf. With Rule sporting a black derby and an undertaker's suit, the Mammies tore through a set of originals that included "Three Chord Song," "My Favorite Bobs," (Dylan, Stinson, Dunlap, Mould, and "my favorite Bob of All--my dad"), and their ode to artistic futility, "Stupid Little Band."
The night ended well after 2:00 a.m., with people milling about and refusing to leave. The bouncers weren't keen to kick anybody out, and none of the regulars were ready to go home. Perhaps all were savoring the Mammy's last set, which featured covers sung by guest singers, and taking to heart what Rule told the crowd at the end of the first set: "Thanks everyone. We love this place. We love you guys. This is the way we'll remember it."
Turf Club getting new owner
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune
March 23, 2005
One of the Twin Cities' best-loved music venues, the Turf Club in St. Paul, could soon have a new owner but probably won't change its tune.
Mark Johnson, whose family has owned the 70-year-old Midway-area bar since 1969, has entered into a contract to sell it to Tom Scanlon, owner of the nearby Dubliner Pub. The sale could happen within a month, pending the resolution of several issues, including licensing approval from the city.
Scanlon said he would make few changes, if any, at the Turf, whose vintage vibe and strong lineups of local rock bands suddenly made it hip again in the mid-1990s.
"I think what they have going on now is great," Scanlon said. "If it works good, don't fix it."
After nearly a quarter-century at the Dubliner, where live music is rare, Scanlon said he is eager to get a place that can host bands.
The Turf Club can certainly do that. Opened under a different name soon after Prohibition ended in 1933, the space at 1601 University Av. W. has at various times hosted polka, big-band and country acts.
"Live music has always been here, which is one of the things that makes this place so special," said Johnson, who took over the venue from an aunt in 1994.
Since then, the Turf has added a downstairs kid-brother bar, the Clown Lounge, and has hosted such popular events as Mark Mallman's 52-hour music marathon and the annual Grand Young Day tribute to Neil Young. Its regular performers include classic barroom rockers such as the Mammy Nuns, Slim Dunlap and edgier punk-styled bands such as Malachi Constant and Hockey Night, both of which will perform Friday at the club.
Johnson said he feels satisfied that he "made a mark" with the club and now wants to try something different. He said the venue maintains a steady, if not thriving, business pace.
Scanlon admitted he is not in tune with most of the Turf Club's regular performers. "But I like what I hear," he said, adding that he plans to keep the club's current staff, including music bookers Rob Rule and Dave Ricker.
The plan to keep the Turf mostly as-is was good news to veteran rocker Curtiss A, who performs there monthly.
"I was afraid they were going to change to Irish music nightly, although God love the Irish," the singer said. "There's a great community feel there now, so hopefully they won't mess with that."
Turf won't change with new owner
BY ROSS RAIHALA
Pioneer Press
A new owner is set to take over St. Paul's Turf Club, but most live music fans probably won't notice the difference.
"I'm planning to keep the exact same programming and music," said Thomas Scanlon, owner of the nearby Dubliner Pub and Turf Club buyer. "I'm hoping for a seamless transition."
Turf Club owner Mark Johnson has been in talks to sell the popular University Avenue venue — which hosts live music from local and national bands — for several months. Johnson and Scanlon are waiting for approval from the city, which could happen today. Scanlon said he hoped to take possession of the bar April 4.
While Scanlon plans to make some improvements to the Midway bar's infrastructure, he said the venue's staff will likely remain intact.
Johnson said he was selling the Turf because "after 11 years, I'm ready to move on and do something else."
Many of the Twin Cities' highest-profile bands perform at the Turf Club on a regular basis, from newer acts the Olympic Hopefuls and Friends Like These to longtime standbys Slim Dunlap and Grant Hart.