Rock clubbed

Musicians, promoters say the Boston ain't what it used to be

By Andrew Kiraly

In all of the music scene's hiccups, pratfalls, band breakups and venue shutdowns, it seemed like the Boston Bar & Grill was a pillar of stability--by Vegas standards, anyway. The dirty, otherwise nondescript bar on Decatur Boulevard with the bad air conditioning and attached restaurant was home to a relentless music schedule--and equally committed fans--so it was little wonder that the bar reigned easily as the city's local music epicenter in the mid- to late '90s.

Now located on Flamingo Road since June of 2003, the Boston Bar and Grill may still be new, but many scenesters say the venue is far from improved. Bands say they've been stiffed. Promoters complain they've been screwed. Even former business partners of Boston co-owner Rob Bassett, who owns the venue with Mark Patel, says he's hurting the music scene he used to help. All of them paint a picture of an owner whose commitment to local music runs clashes with his desire to cash in on mixing up the entertainment roster while also pushing '80s music--including Bassett's own band, the Breakfast Club.

Bands say they've been ripped off. The scenario described by Joe Perv of the Pervz seems common. "We just never got a fair shake the whole time we played there, as far as the amount of people we'd drawn and the amount of pay we got." Joe is talking about a common arrangement with bands in which they're paid commensurately with the number of people they bring to the bar. "Like one time [Bassett] claimed we'd only drawn 16 people when we'd clearly had brought more than that. Then there were always promises of make-up gigs, but those never happened."

Bassett counters that bands often think they're drawing more than they actually do. He says the cover charge paid by the first 40 people, for instance, goes to pay the sound engineer. Also take into account that bills with multiple bands often sport a heavy guest list, so a full crowd doesn't necessarily translate into a full wallet. "The very last thing I want is to have any bands pissed off," Bassett says. "The last thing I want to do is take one dollar from bands that are busting their asses trying to make it. If anything, we're paying bands more right now than we ever did in the Boston's history."

Some promoters are soured on the place, too, claiming Bassett ruined shows by reneging on agreements. Local promoter Ryan Kinder says he was burned by Bassett on several occasions, including one instance where a Jan 17. Grand Buffet show that Kinder had scheduled for months fizzled when Bassett knowingly double-booked his own roster of bands. "I was promised I could have the stage for two hours, then it turns out he double-booked bands on a night I had booked for three months," Kinder says. But Kinder says he was was told his bands, FFI and Grand Buffet, would have to cut their sets short so a cover band could play. The disaster even moved Kinder to send out an incendiary mass e-mail, warning bands and promoters to stay away from the club. "The Boston is getting a terrible reputation with bands, a horrible reputation inthis city," he says. "It's a cool venue, but if they keep running it the way they do, it's destined to fail. Someone needs to take him out of power. It's enough stress as it is, making posters, sending e-mails to promote a band, then show up and find your band's been canceled."

Former Boston employees Rick Honaker and Walter Adomeit say they were so disgusted with the way things were being run at the venue they decided to start their own. The two Boston alum say their rock club, the Funhouse, will open in September--and will try to do everything right the Boston seems to be doing wrong.

"[Bassett] promises bands the world, but then never lets bands know how much they made at the door," says Adomeit, who was the Boston's general manager from August to April. "But they'd never get what they promised. It's the old bait and switch. I'd tell bands to avoid the place at all costs."

But Bassett chalks it up to bands, promoters and former employees missing the old Boston, and badmouthing the new incarnation because its roster--including things such as national acts and salsa nights--isn't focused exclusively on local bands.

"It seems like no matter what I do, it's never enough," Bassett says. "But I have no hard feelings toward anybody. Local bands are always welcome to call me personally to talk."

The Boston's first anniversary party is Saturday at 9 p.m. featuring KRS One and the Chapter. Tickets $20. Info: 368-0750.