BRAINERD DISPATCH

The E closes; will another door open?

By JOHN HANSEN

JULY 3, 2008

This is going to sound kind of random, but I hope the end of the Eclectic Cafe won’t mean the end of regular original music in Brainerd.

The Eclectic, which closed its doors on Sunday, was a downtown fixture for 10 1/2 years, first on Laurel Street, then around the corner on Eighth Street.

It especially hit its stride in the last three years, when it hosted original music every Friday and Saturday. Bands came mostly from the Twin Cities, Duluth and our area, but also from as far away as Washington state (The Lonely H) and North Carolina (The StereoFidelics).

It’s hard to believe now, but The E wasn’t originally supposed to be a music club; it was simply a coffeehouse at first.

“I never intended to get into music, because the old place was just too small,” co-owner Matt Taylor said as he slung drinks on the cafe’s final day.

A young Brainerd folkie, Angie Stevens — who is now thriving in Denver — pushed The E into hosting music in 1998.

“This girl calls me up and says she’s a singer-songwriter and wants to play at my cafe,” Taylor said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, we don’t really do that, we don’t have the equipment.’ She said, ‘That’s OK, I’ll bring the equipment and play in the corner.’

Taylor — with co-owner and ex-wife Jess — made The E an all-original venue in 2006 in response to a demand from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers that the club pay a hefty monthly fee to host cover bands.

The focus on original talent, along with the addition of beer and wine and the absence of smoking, made The E a popular place for all ages. High schoolers went for the punk bands, adults went for the rock and folk music, and many shows drew a mixture.

Taylor said The E was a modest success during its entire run, up until a six-month period in 2007-08 when it lost $35,000. The owners are mulling bankruptcy options.

“Out of the 10 years, I’ve only spent a year of that time working other jobs,” Taylor said. “So most of the time, the cafe has provided me and my family with money to make the payments and not starve.

“I don’t think anybody could’ve made money in the last half of ‘07. What a horrible year. The cafe still makes money to this day, and we could make a living, but there’s no way we can do it and get out of that hole.”

The E’s end is disappointing, but it shouldn’t be surprising. Places like this — kept open through the passion of employees and dedication of loyal customers — rarely become long-term fixtures.

When I covered entertainment for the North Dakota State University paper in the early 2000s, The Trentino was the hot spot for original music in downtown Fargo. The standing-room-only shows made me assume it was making money, but then it suddenly went out of business.

Today, original bands still play in downtown Fargo, but the places they play have different names. Live music abhors a vacuum, so a new club always springs up in places like Fargo-Moorhead, Duluth, St. Cloud and the Twin Cities.

But because Brainerd/Baxter is small, I can’t assume the void left by The E will be quickly filled. It’s a real possibility that live music here could go into a long hibernation.

Taylor will do what he can to see that doesn’t happen. He hopes the Eclectic bands will keep Brainerd on their touring schedule.

“I’ve been thinking about approaching another venue and potentially doing some booking for them, because I have all the connections and I could get people to show up,” he said. “I think it would be a tragedy if there was no original music venue, period.”

Someone should take Taylor up on his offer. Because The E’s musicians were of the up-and-coming variety, they usually played only for gas money, small cover charges or tips. It wouldn’t be much of a risk for the club; in fact, they would likely draw more customers.

And of course, while the business side of The E is collapsing, the venue still stands. Perhaps an entrepreneur with the same enthusiasm Taylor had a decade ago will come along and bring the Eclectic Cafe — and its original music — back from the dead.

Taylor has no idea on what the odds are of that happening, but he’d be happy if it did.

“They may buy it from the bank in two or three months, and if somebody did that, I would support them,” he said. “I’d even sell the name if the right person came along, or even give it away.”