Concert Cast

in the pocket: The Loft, Boston

Episode Summary

Discover independent clubs that march to the beat of their own drum; music venues where experimental artsy shit thrives. These are the places where community matters more than money and where each moment is visceral. These are also the spots that teeter on the edge of extinction. That's why it is important to share their stories any way possible.

Episode Notes

In our debut episode, we journey to The Loft in Boston, a DIY artist rehearsal and performance space that serves as a sanctuary for experimental sounds. We'll shadow Audrey Ryan, the venue's owner (a talented musician herself), during her preparations and performance for the concert. Additionally, we'll spend time with a group of Boston bohemians and gain insight into the significance and preciousness of this venue in a city that is grappling with the loss of artist spaces.

To see a show at The Loft sign up for their newsletter by emailing themusicgirl@gmail.com

To help protect artist spaces in the greater Boston area, sign the petition at https://www.artstayshere.org/

Concert Cast is a production of Good To Go Studios

Created and Produced by Kyle Lamont

For more rockumentary podcasts exploring concert culture, go to ConcertCast.live

Musicians heard in this episode:

Audrey Ryan

https://audreyryan.bandcamp.com/

Van Chamberlain

https://vanchamberlain.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-sun

Tequila Sirens

https://tequilasirens1.bandcamp.com/

Support Artist Spaces in Boston:

https://www.artstayshere.org/

Episode Transcription

In The Pocket Feat The Loft 

[00:00:01] I'm within like. One foot of the guitarist.


 

[00:00:06] I mean, you have so freaking close.


 

[00:00:09] We're eye to eye. It's fucking.


 

[00:00:18] It's [00:00:15] sort of like a secret space, you know, that only some people know about and or people who really love music.


 

[00:00:25] I'm Kyle Lamont. And yeah, I'm one of those people who loves live music. [00:00:30] I've been writing, producing and hosting concert, cast a travel podcast exploring concert culture for a few years now, and the show has been my way of going deeper into the live music [00:00:45] experience and also the industry by interviewing performers and venue owners to document their stories and perspectives that make up each music scene in our concert communities. And inevitably, while traveling and talking with people, [00:01:00] I hear about smaller venues, subterranean spots where the real funky artsy shit's going on. Welcome to In the Pocket, a new podcast series on concert cast live about underground music spaces, about independent venues [00:01:15] that march to the beat of their own drum places that encourage artists and music lovers to lean into that cool, experimental artsy shit. In the Pocket is a podcast for hidden gems, music, playgrounds and spaces where community is more important than money. [00:01:30] And if these places sound kind of too good to be true, it's because they kind of are. They're often at risk of disappearing with gentrification, threatening their existence. That's why I think sharing their stories here is so important. In this episode, we go to the loft [00:01:45] in Boston. Well, technically in Somerville, which is adjacent to Cambridge, the DIY artist space is located inside a massive brick warehouse and is owned by my friend Audrey Ryan. But she's not just the owner and booking manager. She's also an award winning [00:02:00] multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter who can loop up to six instruments, including a banjo. Listen to Season one, Episode ten for my conversation with her about her musical roots, plus a few wild stories of hers from the road. So [00:02:15] you're going to hear from present Me, who's actually at a cafe in Koreatown, Los Angeles, called Coincidentally Loft and also past Me, who was in Boston with some anecdotal research and reporting in between. So [00:02:30] we're in Audrey's car, [00:02:45] driving to.


 

[00:02:48] Somerville, the loft in Somerville.


 

[00:02:52] It's subzero weather.


 

[00:02:55] It's 14 degrees.


 

[00:02:56] Audrey is wearing a really cool pink hat. Yeah, [00:03:00] it's like a winter beanie tuck.


 

[00:03:03] Yeah, my. My husband calls it the penis hat.


 

[00:03:08] It's really cute, though. Are you going to wear it tonight? Probably. I don't think I've ever seen you perform with a hat [00:03:15] on.


 

[00:03:16] Well, this would be the time I need to keep the heat in my body.


 

[00:03:20] So give me the rundown on the loft, how you came into it and sort of some history of the building itself. It's an.


 

[00:03:29] Old [00:03:30] warehouse. It's Brick. It's not very well insulated. The windows are old. It's pretty. It's definitely an old, old building, but it's solid. You know what I mean? Like, there's really good beams, good bones. And I've. I became a tenant [00:03:45] in 2004 from seeing a Craigslist ad that said Artist Studio. And I think it was I want to say it was like 600 bucks or something. And at the time, [00:04:00] I was like, you know, a musician, a young musician in Boston, and I wanted a rehearsal space. And even though 600 was like quite a bit for a rehearsal space, the second I walked in, I knew that this was going to be like my key to being an artist in Boston, and [00:04:15] I signed a lease. It was a tenancy at will, which basically means you have no rights and they can kick you out at any time. And I've been there now for it's going to be 20 years next year. So it's 19 years I've been there, which is kind of wild.


 

[00:04:27] Some more history that I found with The Help from Audrey [00:04:30] and a blog called Backside of America is Somerville was and still is a place where people manufacture things. And American Tube Works, a company founded in 1851 that made brass and copper tubes for plumbing used to be a big [00:04:45] deal in Somerville. At the height of operation, they had over 20 buildings in the area, and the brick building where Audrey's loft is was once where the blacksmith machine and pattern shops were housed in the 1920s. When the company shut down the [00:05:00] building, then became a paper supply store and later a boxing club. Now dozens of artists spaces are inside. There's even a Hammond organ and Leslie speaker repair store and dealership here called Boss Organ. When Audrey moved into the loft, it was meant to be just [00:05:15] a rehearsal studio, which it still is, but it naturally evolved into a performance space.


 

[00:05:20] If I got the place in zero four, I'd say by oh six we were having pretty big shows and I'd say by oh 8 or 9, I mean, it was really big. I mean, [00:05:30] it got to a point where it was too big and then we kind of had to ramp it back down. And by too big, I mean, we had a show once where there was crowd surfing. There's been incidents. I mean, there was one time some guy came and he got really drunk and he punched a hole in the wall. There was another time where a guy got really drunk and [00:05:45] he broke my neighbor's door. One time someone told me someone was snorting cocaine in the bathroom.


 

[00:05:49] I have to say, people have been pretty tame since the pandemic. Pretty professional. I've seen some things back in the day as a person who was going here like and I [00:06:00] think I think the most notorious one was the singer who was up front and somebody was like so drunk or out on drugs and just kept trying to make out with the person while they were singing. That was a memorable night for all of us. [00:06:15] Were like.


 

[00:06:15] Audrey throws about two concerts a month, and the business behind it, she tells me, is utopian.


 

[00:06:22] All the money goes to the bands. I mean, sometimes we take 20 bucks for the chips and toilet paper and paper towels, but it's all volunteer staff. [00:06:30]


 

[00:06:30] Yeah. The cool part about working the door is you get to like, interact with every person that comes in and like, how they found out about the place, how they know the bands, who they're connected to. There's usually a relationship involved.


 

[00:06:40] I enjoy talking with Alison. She's a longtime volunteer. She's [00:06:45] so friendly and cosmically intuitive about the lofts guests.


 

[00:06:51] It's just like a little anthropology study and like that.


 

[00:06:56] Because like, every band brings in different types of people. [00:07:00]


 

[00:07:00] Yeah, there's a different vibe every time. Yeah, different chemistry. It's a different like astrological calendar date, you know, the vibe changes totally.


 

[00:07:09] So what are we thinking right now for this vibe?


 

[00:07:12] For this vibe? I don't know about the position of [00:07:15] the moon right now, but the weather is quite cold, so those people that are going to be here are really, really dedicated party people.


 

[00:07:23] That's what it is. You know, sometimes we have super talented, really awesome bands. Occasionally we have a band where I'm like, Oh, whatever. [00:07:30]


 

[00:07:30] I've seen enormously inspiring people come through here. Yeah, not everybody. Of course, there's a full gamut tonight.


 

[00:07:38] Tequila sirens. Is this guy Sean? He's a tenant in the building. He asked me for a show. I said yes, and he booked the other two bands, [00:07:45] so that worked out really well.


 

[00:07:46] I actually ended up meeting up with Sean, who took me to his rehearsal space, which was right under. Geez, How long have you been in this building?


 

[00:07:55] I've been like 15 years or so. 15, Something like that.


 

[00:07:58] So you and Audrey are sort of neck and [00:08:00] neck with most time spent in this place.


 

[00:08:03] I feel like she's been here a little longer.


 

[00:08:05] What do you love about this space?


 

[00:08:07] It exists. I like my neighbors. It exists.


 

[00:08:13] Wow. This is cool. [00:08:15]


 

[00:08:15] Podcast right now.


 

[00:08:16] Hi, everyone. Hi.


 

[00:08:18] Yeah. So this is our space.


 

[00:08:20] His space had a retro speakeasy feel to it. There was an old upright piano against one wall and a bank of couches with a lot of people hanging out on them on the [00:08:30] other. So I can tell you've put a lot more acoustic paneling in here. It feels way different when you walk in.


 

[00:08:35] Yeah, I've record bands here, so I try to. Yeah.


 

[00:08:39] Your sound engineer. Recording engineer.


 

[00:08:43] Yeah. Get [00:08:45] by with what we got and. Wow. Okay. It's two.


 

[00:08:49] Levels.


 

[00:08:49] Yeah, we got the upstairs as well.


 

[00:08:51] Okay, so we're on like a two by four staircase here. Upstairs. It felt like a man cave, like a clubhouse, [00:09:00] a treehouse fort. But what stood out to me were the joints of the building. They were on full display, just massive. They reminded me of the kind you see on like a big iron bridge. It was breathtaking. And there was also [00:09:15] a soft red glow from the paper lanterns that were hung up. And Sean's recording studio was nestled in the back corner. And you would just love all the eccentric decorations like the random hot dog, the random like googly.


 

[00:09:30] Ears, [00:09:30] like random stuff I've ever done is maybe put up like, a couple flyers and like, lights, but anything like knick knack wise, it just ends up here, and I kind of like it now. Yeah, I used to think it was cluttered, but it's like it's good stuff. Like there's a big, like, painting [00:09:45] down over the piano down there that's like our buddy Jim who's in the space that's like his, like, ancestor. What's up, dude? Is that your Subaru out there? Yeah, honey, we're on a podcast.


 

[00:09:56] You're on a podcast?


 

[00:09:58] She wants to hear some stuff about the building [00:10:00] and the space. Yeah, Give her, like, a clown story. We would go play shows and, like, come back here after, and, like, Boris would be down there with, like, his juggling partner, Smiley, and they'd be like, juggling, like, bowling pins back and forth. And you'd have [00:10:15] to, like, go under unicycles. Like, you have to, like, go her panic. Also, he's around a little bit like duck under the bowling pins to like, go to the bathroom. Yeah, it was like kind of a trippy scene, like at three in the morning or something. You walk out there and there's guys on unicycles throwing pins back [00:10:30] and forth and you're like, What the hell? It was. It was good.


 

[00:10:35] Yeah, it's a great space and has great vibes and I'm just glad it's we still have it because a lot of artist buildings have gone away. Like Boston's definitely been in a crisis [00:10:45] for our art spaces for a while, so it's kind of a small miracle that we are still there.


 

[00:10:51] In March of 2023, just about a month after I was at the loft, I came across an article on Wbur about a public hearing at a [00:11:00] city council meeting that was specifically about the need to protect artist spaces in Boston, and the meeting was held in response to the recent closing of two places in the city. One sound museum, which was a 24 hour practice space [00:11:15] which provided hundreds of musicians a place to rehearse and record music. And the owner apparently plans to demolish the existing structure and replace it with office and retail spaces and Charleston [00:11:30] Rehearsal studios, another practice in performance space, home to at least 500 musicians, is apparently going to be now a self-storage building. This is on top of eight or more other warehouse esque spaces [00:11:45] in Boston that have closed down in the past five years.


 

[00:11:48] Really, it's like genuinely a rarity now, whereas before it was like just a very cool thing that we happened to be able to hang on to.


 

[00:11:55] So okay, we're pulling up here. Is it 438.


 

[00:11:59] It is for 38. [00:12:00]


 

[00:12:00] For 38.


 

[00:12:01] Somerville What? That's Karina.


 

[00:12:03] Is this Karina? Yeah, that's her here. Karina is awesome. She's a talented musician from Brazil with a great sense of humor. And her and Audrey are besties. They sing and [00:12:15] work together to get back to park on the street. And it's not too far. Audrey's pulling out. Oh, God. That's good. Good. Tambourine [00:12:30] and Halloween candy.


 

[00:12:31] I'm literally going to leave. Oh, man.


 

[00:12:35] How can I help? And now why do we have a cat? A cat house? I'm going to give the cat so many questions. Instrument. You're playing tonight? No, the cat house is. I'm giving [00:12:45] it to.


 

[00:12:45] Karina to bring to my dad.


 

[00:12:48] Crossing the street. Audrey's got a cat house. Cat house, Halloween candy and a tambourine. I feel like we're going to an improv class. We have to make something of this.


 

[00:12:59] So [00:13:00] this actually. This alley is notable because this is where we do Porchfest. There's a big festival in Somerville called Porch Fest. It's awesome. And every year we host a stage on that. See that loading dock that says bass organ? Yeah, we host a show there. There [00:13:15] are like two, 300 people that come. So this whole alley is just filled with people all night.


 

[00:13:21] Okay, We're walking in wooden staircase here, gray and definitely beaten down [00:13:30] white brick walls, painted brick walls, random little trinkets walking towards the back now and [00:13:45] wow, okay. It really opens up now. High ceilings venue. As you know, there are intentional design choices, but not at the loft. Actually, unintentional is the design choice. Exposed ceilings showed all the building's innards [00:14:00] and the decorations are from flea markets or what's been left behind by musicians and guests while Audrey tidied up. Hold on.


 

[00:14:11] Remember I bought a new trash can? So. Right. We're in business with that.


 

[00:14:15] Um, [00:14:15] I parked my ass on one of the sunken couches and talked with Chris French, who's a research doctor at Harvard Medical, a landscape and portrait artist. And he also happens to be Audrey's husband.


 

[00:14:27] Nothing in here looks planned [00:14:30] out okay. It was like, put together over time in kind of a ad hoc fashion, if you will. And so I think that's one of the appeals that I enjoy about the place.


 

[00:14:43] But it's basically just like an amazing open [00:14:45] space. And it's definitely the coolest rehearsal space you'll ever find because it's big. Most rehearsal spaces are like the size of a bedroom balled up.


 

[00:14:54] Christmas lights are strewn about, which give the room to me its signature look. And there's also this really cool, [00:15:00] sexy neon car poster that glows red when turned on. So yeah, the car is the best. It's a Ferrari. What is this?


 

[00:15:12] What is it? This is just like I'm [00:15:15] going to plug it in now.


 

[00:15:16] I don't know if this is not on. Oh, there we go. There you go. There we go. Is this like old 80s art?


 

[00:15:26] It's totally an ad, but it's also like the hot guy in your high school had [00:15:30] this in his room or something.


 

[00:15:31] Totally.


 

[00:15:32] And it was his dad's.


 

[00:15:34] All right. Audrey is setting up for her performance. She goes on first. Let's run through your set up here. What do you got? Got my.


 

[00:15:44] Kick. [00:15:45] And I have a four year old. Yeah. No, this has seen better days, but it doesn't really matter because it's. I'm not playing drums as a drummer as much as, like, as a percussionist, if you will. This also needs this head created. Do you know how to tighten these heads? [00:16:00] Oh, yeah.


 

[00:16:02] All right. Now you're setting up your pedals. Yes.


 

[00:16:07] Do loop station.


 

[00:16:11] What kind of guitar is this?


 

[00:16:13] This is a knockoff Gibson [00:16:15] es 335, but it's actually called a George Jordan. And I got it in Australia. It's a beautiful guitar, but it's just like a it's a knockoff.


 

[00:16:24] You got it in Australia?


 

[00:16:26] I did. I bought it. I bought it in Sydney.


 

[00:16:29] I brought it back home. [00:16:30] How cool.


 

[00:16:31] I was studying abroad and I saw it at a guitar shop right near my house and I was like, That's the coolest guitar. And then I was like, It's really not that expensive. That's 300 bucks.


 

[00:16:43] I like the the pearl [00:16:45] inlays. Or is it?


 

[00:16:47] Yeah. No, mother, I don't know if they're real. Who knows if they're real mother of pearl? It could be fake. It is?


 

[00:16:56] Yeah. She's plugging into something. This is a [00:17:00] rat's nest of cords, though.


 

[00:17:02] Hey, I wouldn't say this is ideal.


 

[00:17:05] But I'm going to plug this one into that one. Oh, that's a two prong. Aw, damn it. I don't like two prongs because they will [00:17:15] electrocute you. It's. It's doing the shocker thing again.


 

[00:17:19] What is the microphone? Yeah. Oh, I never.


 

[00:17:22] The thing is. I mean, I know I'm not like, maybe Sean. Oh, hey, when Sean gets up.


 

[00:17:27] Here, the microphone is shocking. And this question [00:17:30] Mark Kirk, my neighbor, is a sound guy. Chef. Chef. What's that? He'll tell me right now. I'll respond right away. He's like, I'm just going to try to rally. I'll try and rally to the loft later to hang.


 

[00:17:43] They actually ended up FaceTiming [00:17:45] with Karina's neighbor who helped them troubleshoot the grounding issue.


 

[00:17:49] Is there a solution to that? Not really. Right. Um.


 

[00:17:54] I don't know. I mean, maybe. Maybe it's on a different circuit.


 

[00:17:58] I thought I had to be in the same circuit. [00:18:00] It's in the same outlet. So I put it in a different outlet.


 

[00:18:05] Yeah, The guitar amps on the same outlet as the PA? Yeah. Yes. Yes. You do it on a different one. Okay, That fixes it.


 

[00:18:12] So good. His advice was spot [00:18:15] on, And soon after, Audrey and Karina started sound checking to one of my favourite songs called So Strung Out off her album called Buggy Spell. I want to play a snippet of my interview with Audrey from episode ten in season one of [00:18:30] concert cast of her explaining the meaning of the song to me.


 

[00:18:34] I think when I wrote that.


 

[00:18:35] Song, it was probably about.


 

[00:18:36] Being strung out about something. I mean, like a lot of not really so much now because my life is a lot more straightforward as to what I'm [00:18:45] up to and what I'm doing. But when I was younger playing music, I think I used to get very stressed out about like, where's my life going? What does it all mean? Kind of the existential crisis of choosing to be an artist versus choosing to do more [00:19:00] kind of conventional things, like just get a job and live your life sort of thing. So it was kind of about that. I think about feeling strung out, about being an artist or choosing that because it's about self doubt. I think that song [00:19:15] is really about feeling self doubt. Thankfully, I do not feel much self-doubt right now, but I used to feel quite a bit of it.


 

[00:19:21] It's beautiful. Even though it's full of doubt, it has like a comforting tone to it, which I really love.


 

[00:19:42] Is [00:19:30] it like when.


 

[00:19:42] You first saw Audrey play music and [00:19:45] you.


 

[00:19:45] Come here? I would say awe inspiring. Came here on your first date. We did. But it was empty, right? It was late, late at night. And we came in here.


 

[00:19:53] And were moved by Audrey. Why did you come to my life showing up? Yeah. She's like, Oh, you're a doctor. [00:20:00]


 

[00:20:00] I have a loft.


 

[00:20:02] Yeah.


 

[00:20:03] We love Audrey's music. Yes.


 

[00:20:06] It's great. I love the loops. Yeah. Very ethereal. I think that I want someone to a show [00:20:15] with a friend who is from France. And, you know, I'm like, I don't know, what do they think of American music? And we saw a set of bands. They were like, I liked Audrey's because it was experimental. It's like, yeah, it's experimental. She's not afraid to, like, tool around with how the music goes. [00:20:30] Yeah, she tries the range of things that are available.


 

[00:20:36] That's sort of the epitome.


 

[00:20:38] Of this place.


 

[00:20:39] Too. Yes, that's the whole aura.


 

[00:20:43] Thank you. I'll talk [00:20:45] to you later. You nailed it.


 

[00:20:47] Come on, Let's enjoy the.


 

[00:20:48] Sweet experimental sounds.


 

[00:20:52] Of.


 

[00:20:52] Audrey.


 

[00:20:53] Ryan.


 

[00:21:17] Just [00:21:15] in my bed. Boudali Creek bed. And wake in the morning to a cloud, to a clump of something. Lincoln. Games [00:21:30] of the Freebird. To the. I need blood [00:21:45] to breathe. And. I see. Bang. I see. Dreaming.


 

[00:22:15] They [00:22:15] played about seven songs, and Audrey even busted out her accordion, which is always a treat to watch. It's equal parts, sexy and ghostly. It's really incredible. And I hope you all get to see what I mean one [00:22:30] day. There was probably about 75 people or so, I'd say just about capacity. When Van Chamberlin, an indie rock band.


 

[00:22:38] From New York, started to play.


 

[00:22:50] Their [00:22:45] music complemented the artsy atmosphere perfectly, being part of the patchwork of people just grooving out, swaying to the hazy [00:23:00] sounds was groovy. And I love, love, love how there's no barrier between the audience and the band. There's no security guards, no railing, keeping us at a distance. It's [00:23:15] just you and the music face to face.


 

[00:23:31] Hey, [00:23:30] guys, we're tequila sirens. Thank you so much for the loss of Audrey. We're going to. We'll do our thing.


 

[00:23:40] Let's see. Your face is coming up.


 

[00:23:53] Sean's [00:23:45] keyboard set up was I don't know how else to say it but commanding. He had [00:24:00] a few different types of keyboards just all wired together. I'm not doing a good job of explaining it, mainly because I'd never seen such a setup before. It was so cool, and the three piece band ended their set with a single called Shame. And this [00:24:15] song has been on repeat for me since I saw the Loft's lineup announced back in November December.


 

[00:24:32] Hockey. [00:24:30] God make you good, like cracked glass. This time round. Picture [00:24:45] in the bath. Middle [00:25:00] of a breakdown. I.


 

[00:25:11] We have a song that's probably probably on our next record, Imposters. And I came [00:25:15] up with a weird outro and Dwight was like, Eh. And Dwight played it on the piano downstairs. And that's how it started. And then we just kind of looped that and did the bom bom bom bom bom. Usually [00:25:30] our songs start with like an idea, and then one of us would be like, Well, you know, we call it a mumble track or whatever. You just, you know, [00:25:45] make sounds and come up with the melodies and then, Oh my God, that sounded like a word. And that sounded like something that means something. Reason. [00:26:00] Shame like even the title. I don't know, shame like everyone's ashamed of stop being weird or sexual stuff [00:26:15] or fucking being fucked up.


 

[00:26:17] Or.


 

[00:26:19] So I don't know. It's just kind of a a stream of conscious.


 

[00:26:37] He's [00:26:30] gonna be my prize. Get home. This [00:26:45] gonna be the.


 

[00:26:52] I'm able to grab any tape from the last band because the performance was screaming loud audio levels, burning red. [00:27:00] But what I can tell you is that the frontwoman and front man played matching white double flying V's. The site. Yeah, punk rock. Once everyone left, there was a.


 

[00:27:12] Crazy.


 

[00:27:14] After party. [00:27:15]


 

[00:27:15] Yeah. Let's pick this.


 

[00:27:16] Fuckin shit up. What's happening? Oh, got a whole John. Oh, that's a good idea. Vamos. Did someone [00:27:30] leave.


 

[00:27:30] Cranberry juice here?


 

[00:27:31] That I just found that on the ground.


 

[00:27:36] All right. Thanks, Allison. Thank you, guys. Bye. Tonight.


 

[00:27:41] The loft is a gem. There's no other way to put it. [00:27:45] There's no attempt to hide the imperfections or smooth out the rough edges here, And that's what adds to the experience. The focus is on the music and the community, the connections made here. I get [00:28:00] the sense of a very special place because it is so rare. Yeah, is my feeling when I walk in there. It's a rarity.


 

[00:28:08] That's how I've always felt about it. But I don't think that I realized how rare it was was until I saw other spaces shut [00:28:15] down. So there were others. Like I remember, you know, five, ten years ago, people would be like, Oh, have you been to this space or this one? And I'd be like, Oh yeah. I mean, I've been to that one. And like, all of them are gone.


 

[00:28:26] From that same Wbur article that I mentioned earlier, the point [00:28:30] of the public hearing was to initiate a citywide fund and zoning reform that benefits artists spaces. Christina Tedesco of the Arts Stays Here Coalition, which was started in response to all of the artists spaces in Boston being bought out, has asked that the City [00:28:45] Council provide a dedicated line item of funding towards arts and cultural workspaces in the fiscal year of 2024.


 

[00:28:52] After we've gone through a couple of like iterations of threats for this place to be taken over or purchased by a large [00:29:00] company, I've learned to become much more appreciative of what we've got here.


 

[00:29:06] Dave Tree, a local artist who ended the meeting, was quoted by saying, You take away our practice space rooms, our rooms that we [00:29:15] make art in. It's gone. Gone. No culture, no songs, nothing. Cultural wasteland.


 

[00:29:24] I always said that if I lost the loft, I'd leave Boston. But now that I have like I'm married with kids, that's pretty unlikely. But [00:29:30] it would be a nightmare because not only would I lose my like, venue and music community, where am I going to? What am I going do with all that stuff?


 

[00:29:46] Love [00:29:45] to see a show at the Loft and support their programming. Sign up for their newsletter, which I'm linking in the show notes, and you can also find it on concert cast live. Here's also where you can learn more about the music heard in this episode. Special [00:30:00] thanks to Audrey, Chris, Karina and all the volunteers at the Loft, too. Tequila Sirens and Van Chamberlin. And if you feel inspired to help keep cultural spaces for artists and musicians in the Greater Boston area. Sign the art stays here. Petition [00:30:15] at art stays here.org. I'm Kyle Lamont and thank you for listening to the first episode of In the pocket on concert Live.