Closing time Jarrod’s Place is the latest casualty in clubland By Bob Gulla

If, as the song goes, the girls really do look better at closing time, well, there must be a lotta beautiful women walkin’ the region these days. But it sure isn’t because we’re bleary-eyed and blotto at 1 am. It’s because there are lots of bars in and around our state that are closing down for good. Period. Kaput. "Closing time," indeed. In a rare confluence of miserable events, and in a sad indictment of nightlife in these parts, at least a half-dozen live music venues have decided to shutter for one reason or another. If you care about this kind of stuff, you already know the list, so it doesn’t bear repeating. But unofficially, I’m thinking it’s gotta be some kind of record. The latest joint is Jarrod’s Place, aka Jarrod’s Live Rock Venue. The Attleboro, Massachusetts hall will be closing its doors on Friday after one last massive hurrah. Sad but true, especially considering the folks there were in the middle of some wholesale improvements when they had to stop in their tracks. To help explain why the 800-plus space, which opened in 1997, is closing, owner Jarrod Ilkowitz sent an open letter to the local music community:

"In 2004 some disturbing information was delivered to the venue. A plan to build 62 condominiums was in the works by a local developer and it would be built in the vicinity of the Jarrod’s venue. Jarrod’s retained legal council and kept its doors open for the past 12 months or so and finally had to make a decision to close. After many meetings with the building’s owner, it became clear that the decision was final and they would not be renewing a long-term lease for Jarrod’s . . . Many improvements were still in the process of becoming completed but the project stopped after finding out the bad news. I felt helpless. After exploring all of my options it was near impossible to build a new venue in the local or surrounding area . . . Taking a serious step back and realizing that the time at Jarrod’s would soon be passing, I had to make a decision to close."

Jarrod’s served as one of the premier live venues in the area, hosting some of the best local bands as well as national talent. Mastamindz, who will play Jarrod’s final night, among many other bands, spent a lot of time on that stage. "We had our best shows there hands down," says Matt Moreau (aka M1), frontman for Mastamindz. "Jarrod allowed bands to do what other venues wouldn’t do. He put as much effort into the bands that played there as the band members did. If you worked hard for your band, he would work harder for you."

Moreau and Mastamindz hadn’t intended to play a gig this year. Moreau just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq and had planned to ease back into the band thing in the spring. But when he got word his fave place was closing — they had their CD release party and video shoot there — the band whipped back into shape but quick. "I remember the first night we played Jarrod’s Place," he says. "It was a Thursday night and we sold something like 550 tickets. The show was insane and on the last song at least 100 people started throwing down. I was looking on thinking, ‘Holy shit! We’re fucked!’ But Jarrod was cool about the whole thing. He said, ‘Man, you didn’t do anything wrong. You brought the people. We just gotta control them better.’ We got to be good friends with everybody in that establishment." Helping Mastamindz close down Jarrod’s will be Blocked Wish, Shavahawk, Seduced by Madness, and 2 Shades 2 Grey. "Now we have the privilege of taking the stage for Jarrod’s last night," says Moreau. "Personally, I wouldn’t want it any other way."

We’re not sure what all these closings mean, but we do know it could be serious trouble. It also means that scores of well-intended and talented local bands will have a harder time than ever finding a place to play and that sucks. Like it was ever easy . . .

KIDS’ stuff

A couple of correspondents dropped a line regarding children’s music I thought "family-way" type readers might be interested in. The WRIU Children’s Show (Sunday from 5 to 8 pm on 90.3 FM) is winding down its 10th anniversary celebration and gearing up for its second decade of kid-tune spinning, which kicked off last week. Host Bill Parker does a great job of flying the flannel blanket for kinder music, so you might just wanna grab your tykes and turn up the radio instead of the TV for a change. You can head over to www.wriu kids.org for a taste.

I don’t know if Parker has played him, but local artist Mifflin Lowe is making some ripples not just locally but nationally with his zany kids’ stuff. His first disc, Beasts by the Bunches, began as a book for Doubleday and received lots of good reviews. "It features every kind of music," says Lowe, "from rap and do0-wop to C&W, jazz and Gilbert and Sullivan, the style appropriate to the animal group." His new disc, The King Who Forgot His Underpants, is rock and roll and is selling across the country, despite little press locally. Those interested in exploring Lowe’s creations further can go to his site, www.locokids.com, and take a whiff of his material. There you’ll hear krazy kid tunes like the samba "A Leap of Leopards," the country-flavored "Rag of Colts," and a bunch of other smiley ditties. Along with local hero Bill Harley, Lowe does a great service to the family music community with his work. Coincidentally, this year’s Bright Night Providence is expanding to include children’s activities, with performances by Harley, the Big Nazo Puppets, the American Story Theater, the Ocean State Children’s Chorus, and other kid-oriented acts. See the Bright Night feature on the "Theater" page of this site for all the details.

WANDERING EYE

Dave Howard and the High Rollers will play on Friday (the 30th) at Lincoln Park. But their big gig is New Year’s Eve at the Bright Night Providence spectacle, where they’ll be taking the stage with Black & White and THESuperchief Trio at the Beneficent Church. Also on New Year’s Eve, it’s the Gobshites playing all night (which is a lot of Gobshite) at the Harbor Watch Inn in Onset, Massachusetts. The 21-plus show starts at 9 p.m.

E-mail me with your music news at big.daddy1@cox.net