Sounds right up your alley for a DJ gig. LOL
<3
haha, keeps gas in the M5 
Thx Onyx
My friend might be working there, so of course I’m hoping it’ll go well and believe me I’d rather be playing Avicii peak time in a real nightclub but sadly I have to do that when I play out of town exclusively because it clears dancefloors here for some reason. I just don’t think it’ll last. realistically, it’ll become a great place for special events.
Anyone old enough to remember Jim Kelly’s “night club”? It went bankupt and screwed a bunch of local vendors… but he is still a hero around here.
Well to be honest, grant money is part of the state budget that is set aside every year. It would be going somewhere so at least its staying in Buffalo and not going to say NYC.
I wish there was a good house/techno/dance music club in Buffalo. I remember there has been a few that have tried but like you said, it just doesn’t fit however, Tiesto shows up for a show and it sells out in seconds… I don’t get it.
I remember that. What the hell was it called again? I remember it being by the Mainplace.
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I always knew Buffalo was a backwater. This proves it. It’s nice to hear from someone in the industry who knows what the hell they’re talking about.
Isn’t DBGB doing techno stuff now? I went there a couple of times and they had a DJ in the back. My ear isn’t sophisticated enough to tell house from trance and regular techno and all that, but there were definitely people in there.
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I figured you were on vacation or something. I agree that it’s a good idea for private money. I guess the question with the public funds is… is there any other project in the city that has a better chance of success or has potential to benefit the city more? If there isn’t then giving him the money is ok. If there are better projects, then he shouldn’t get the money. The state allocated $15 million and he’s getting $5.3.
I’d be fine with public money going to rip down the building. But if we’re putting more public money than private into a private project with a private owner, shouldn’t the building become a public building instead?
I don’t know all the details so I’m not working off all the facts, but are the city (and the taxpayers) going to have a controlling interest in the property since they’re spending more money on the project that Croce?
^ This. “Oh hey guys, I spent 2 million and promise to spend another million”. “Ok, here, have 5.3 million of tax payer money for your risky private venture”.
It should either stand on it’s own, or the taxpayer money should go to demolition. If someone can present a good business plan and show a likelihood of success then tap into public funds, but certainly not for more than the private investment.
I agree guys. :tup:
EDIT:
Well, maybe not the demolition part.
Keep in mind that without Croce’s investment into this building, the city would have been footing a demolition to the tune of $15,000,000. Plus a half of a million in back taxes. Any not to mention that we would have been losing another one of the landmark buildings in Buffalo. (FLW Larkin Admin Building anyone?)
This is a fantastic project, and for once we’re actually seeing a developer walk the walk. It’s going to add significant value to the downtown area (regardless of the success of the nightclub), and even the Uniland/Avant folks are supportive of the project (and funding) , and they will arguably be the biggest competitors to this completed project.
I am not a fan of the current city leadership, but I think they did the right thing here, holding off on any public funds until Mark actually proved that he was going to act on his plan. It is worth our city investing in projects when they benefit the overall good of the city, and this is one that I think many people can agree on. More businesses mean more jobs which mean more tax revenue, and a better economy.
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I think the project is pretty low risk in terms of if it will succeed or not. Over 50 events have already been booked in the ballrooms alone. ECC is now looking into moving the culinary school here. He’s taking an organic approach to this building, and has the ability to produce revenue immediately.
I guess according to their site, Saturdays are their “house” nights. May be worth a visit.
Sunday my be pretty good too:
10:00 PM on Sunday September 4th, 2011
LABOR DUB HOLIDAY SHOW
Frosty Tone Presents LABOR DUB HOLIDAY SHOW! Dubstep plus DJs!!
I wouldn’t be 15 million to demo it though. Last I heard it was about 4 million.
http://www.buffalonews.com/incoming/article31193.ece
So the attorney estimated that the building likely faces another $8 million in remediation costs, $3 million for demolition and $1 million for salvage of debris, based on estimates from the decommissioned Dulski and Donovan office buildings and the War Memorial Auditorium. That yields the negative total value.
But that’s how politics is done in this state. Throw out a scary (and completely bullshit) number like 15 million and then say, “instead, we’re going to spend 5.3, look how much we saved you”.
I stand corrected. All numbers I’ve seen so far pointed to 15.
The reality is he wouldn’t have made the initial investment until unless he knew public finding was guaranteed. The waiting to commit public money was just a show for the rest of us.
Hey, if this works out then awesome. But this city has a terrible record of delivering on it’s promises and making the wrong investments.
Drew and I ran into DJ Dstar at DBGBs a couple weeks ago, pretty good music happening there. There is a skrillex show at the Town Ballroom I believe in October…sold out already.
Name brand - someone like Axwell will draw just as many as Tiesto in major markets in the US but here in Buffalo no one knows who he is. It comes down to a few major points as to why nothing but hiphop works here:
- Radio. No radio station except WBLK has a local live mixshow that isn’t a live to air. even in Hartford/New Haven one of my friends does a live to air and he’s playing house/open format/hiphop/remixes peak time, and after that show (I believe on the same station) at 2am-4am there’s a live mixshow with a trance DJ that I guested on a few months ago when I was there for a show. That’s their equivalent to Kiss 98.5 here - same name even. I played all house on air. Last night peak time in front of at least 600 people I dropped Afrojack- Take Over Control and it was the worst reaction I’ve ever seen that record get. I knew it wasn’t gonna be pretty but I try to take the position I have in the city as a bit of a tastemaker if you will to break records. I’ve been playing that record for a year, and it’s finally in Top 40 rotation on most radio stations. It isn’t played on daytime rotation here yet.
- Which brings me to my next point…no one’s really making a stand in breaking records on air, in clubs, etc. i admit i play a part in this but i know i try my best. even stuff like Party Rock Anthem is WAY late here…it has to hit #1 on iTunes before local stations will play it. if we had some local mixshows during peak listener times (at 5pm etc) with some DJs that’d be breaking records, people would be more apt to hear it in clubs that night…
- Population - we don’t have a big enough demographic to even fill a mainstream club here let alone a true club the size of Pure/Bayou which are the only even large clubs the area has
- There are some club nights that do house/electronic music exclusively. DBGBs, Bayou on Fridays, etc. They mostly aren’t busy because they aren’t on the best nights for average people, and the DJs/genres don’t have a big enough following to bring masses of people here unfortunately.
I think it could be prominent in the area but it requires a lot to happen - sort of a perfect storm I guess with various factors involved. I don’t have the time nor would it be worth mine to try and invest the amount of work it would take into having a semi-decent house night here on a big level - I’m too busy with studio shit now.
It sucks, I’ve done some of the best progressive club nights across the states (Rise in Boston, Cinespace in LA) and I’d love to bring it here but it would be a motherfucker to make it happen.
Drew and I ran into DJ Dstar at DBGBs a couple weeks ago, pretty good music happening there. There is a skrillex show at the Town Ballroom I believe in October…sold out already.
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it. I like playing that stuff but it’s crazy it’s so small compared to other house nights in the US and we live in a decent size city. sigh
Not surprised Skrillex sold out, he’s HUGE right now…people will come if there’s a headliner but that’s really lowest common denominator as far as EDM goes, he’s a household name now!
I’m a fan of all music so listening to some good Dance/House music is always a plus. I know you are probably kinda restricted to what you can play as far as appeasing the masses. I though Kiss or WBLK used to have Armin Van Buuren on late at night? Maybe it was just me listening at home to his actual podcast at that time. The problem with a lot of the dance and electronic stuff is, the artists a lot of times don’t really have “albums”. People like Skrillex and Deadmau5 are popular because people can buy their original stuff. Lately I’ve been listening to artists like Venetian Snares and Aphex Twin, which if you played in public, you’d probably get booed.
With that said I’d be all for a club that would offer a venue for artists obscure from the normal radio stuff to play. But…like you said a lot of people just aren’t into it.
I may be wrong, but as far as I know the dormitory authority has non taxpayer based income from low cost development loans and rents from non taxpayer subsidized agencies/tenants. Being a state agency, that money then goes into grants for economic development. Buffalo received a 15M dollar grant 3 years ago. The money was allocated for exactly this type of project.
Maybe I’m not so good at math, but 8 Million for remediation, 3 million for demolition less 1 million in salvage is still 10 million dollars, and nearly twice the grant.
I just can’t understand why someone would complain about the use of public money to stabilize a landmark building, that will be back on the tax roles and produce long term income to the municipality, and jobs for those doing the rehabilitation work, but would be completely OK with spending twice the amount in tax payer money to demolish it for what would amount to another surface parking lot.
An occupied Statler is an asset to the community withe the potential to have longterm incomes, demolishing it only means a net loss.
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He’s spending 3 million alone in the first year renovating less than a quarter of the building. Long term I imagine Croce’s personal investment, and the long term tax income from the structure(property tax, sales tax, employments taxes, etc) will far exceed the amount of the grant.
The city has an added interest in the proposed connection to the convention center. It expands the size of available convention space, allowing the city to go after larger conventions/shows, which adds income across the board in hotels, restaurants, etc. This mitigates the need to build a new convention center(something that’s been tossed around for several years). I imagine the cost for that would be far more than the amount of the grant.
In the end, demolition has a known cost, with no chance of recouping the money(aside from the income taxes on the employees/companies doing the demo).
There’s a long term gain(or at least, less of a loss) for the building remaining on the tax rolls, and being occupied.
An assumption.
If he can fill it, sure. Until then it’s hopes & dreams.
He’s already hosting events. First one was last weekend.
Cool, but that doesn’t mean the building is going to be fully or even partially occupied when it’s done.