New Night-Club/Dance Club in Idaho Falls

New dance club? Maybe only dance club would be more accurate.

Of course it would have a gay and lesbian night…sounds like a party. They can have their dancing as far as I’m concerned, bars are about the drinking!

Speaking as a guy whose only idea of a night club is his own study after the kids have gone to bed, I say fineree.

“why not have a white, heterosexual night for people over 35?” I believe that is already most Idaho Falls social scenes. Name one Idaho Falls social scene that is not dominated by this group already.

Where in Idaho Falls are you always being hit in the face with gay issues? I think you are confusing national issues with our vanilla scene.

Who cares if the GLBTZOQRPXLY community has a dance night for themselves? Why even ask if people are concerned? Worry more about what happens in your own bedroom (especially when you are not around) than what happens in other people’s bedrooms.

I don’t get Westernmom’s question if this is privately funded? How else would it be funded? You think a government or nonprofit organization in our redneck woods is going to fund a dance club?

The real questions are where is this going to be? Is it a renovated space or a new building? What are the music styles planned? Do they have a website? Who are the owners? Are they local or out of area or out of state? Have they run other night clubs so we can know what to expect?

And how long before a “group of concerned citizens” protests this nightclub and tries to get the city council to shut it down? I bet five minutes (after they hear about it).

Guest,

I am concerned about how it is funded because there are many such venues that are funded by taxpayer’s money through public and community grants. If so, as a taxpayer I don’t like the idea that a club is being built that encourages and promotes any specific lifestyle.

As far as being “hit in the face”… Why was it even mentioned in the first post? Because they are trying to target a specific group. Why not let it naturally evolve if that is where people of that disposition want to go. How would you feel if they said that Friday will be marketed for white people but others may attend?

Yes, I live in Idaho Falls but I watch national television, I listen to national radio, I travel throughout this country and others, and I am bombarded with the g & l lifestyle constantly. Sorry, but I don’t think it’s necessary to always bring up ones’ sexuality to make a point.

Porter, where in my comments did I say I “hated” Idaho Falls? And where did I say I “wanted everyone to change to suit my ideals”. I didn’t. All I did was offer up my perception of this area and it’s people. You can take from it whatever you want. I’ve lived all over this country, have you? (probably not) Try not to “assume” too much Porter, you end up making an ass out u & me.
Now, do you actually have something to contribute to this discussion or was that all you could come up with?

I appreciate your attempt at a slam. I have, for your inforamation, lived in many different places across this country and visited many other countries and have enjoyed much of it.

Your attitude and your so called perception is where I picked up your hatred toward this community. As far as my assumptions and your accusations are concerned, I don’t think I am an ass as you so carefully and subtly accused. I have enough dignity and self respect to not throw out silly names such as that at someone I truly don’t even know.

I thank you for your invitation to share my opinion on this thread, but I don’t need your invitation. I am capable of sharing it with or without your invitation.

The type of club you would like to see here in Idaho Falls exist in NM, AZ, NV, CA etc.. I am very glad that we don’t have a place such as you described that would cost an extra 20 dollars just to go in an associate with other pompous individuals that think people in this area are lazy and don’t know how to dress up for a formal occasion. I would, however, attend an event or go to a place where you could be respected for who you are and what you are instead of how you can make yourself appear. Appearances are nothing more than a facade to hide something that is ugly on the inside. I enjoy hanging with people that are confident enough in themselves that they don’t need to flash a 20 to get inside of a costume party. I like real people and that is why I like Idaho Falls.

None of this changes the fact that I think there is some discrimination involved with the marketing target of Gays and Lesbians for the Friday night thing. I agree with points Westernmom has made and of course with what I said in my previous post.

Let me jump into the water here from someone that has also lived all over the country. While I agree that the bars leave little to be desired in this town, I do think we could use a nice nightclub. Having been to many of the nightclubs on South Beach, IdahoTransplants statement regarding cover charges does ring true. Having a cover charge keeps out a lot of people who like Porter mentioned, just want to hang out with friends and have a drink and not care about how they look or what they wear. That’s all well and good. There are a dozen places like that in this town. But being a “nightclub” is what seperates the bars and the dives from the Nightclubs. Whether you want to admit it or not, appearance means alot in our society. It may not mean everything, but it’s important to “look good” and dress well when searching for a job and imo when going out to a nice restaraunt,as IdahoTransplant noted. I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase “dress for success”. I completely agree with that statement and it’s served me well on many occassions. What’s wrong with having a place for “older” professionals to go where they don’t have to worry about 22 y/o’s who want to slam yeagermeister (sp?) all night and get in a fight with anyone who looks at their girlfriend wrong? What’s wrong with having an “upscale” nightclub where you pull up and have a valet park your car and where you can enjoy a nice evening with a date, spouse or friends.
If you want to just wear jeans and a tshirt and have a beer with your buddies, those places are a dime a dozen. But I agree that wearing jeans and a tshirt in a nice restaraunt shows you have no class or respect for yourself or those around you.
I also agree with the 1 am cut off time. It’s a tad bit early to me, but until enough people petition the issue and get the rule changed, nothing will change. But I don’t go out drinking enough for it to bother me anyways.
Thanks to Kelynn for the info. Hopefully someone can provide some more details.

funny bit about the pj’s! I see em all the time shopping at Wallyworld!

Club Cherry will be open Tuesday-Saturday. Tues-Thursday hours will be 7pm-12:00am and on Fridays and Saturdays 9:00pm to 1am. The owners will be having a cover charge of $5. It is being privately funded as well, and will be upscale. There will be two major dance-floors and a mainstage for events as well. They are currently looking at locations around Idaho Falls. If anyone has any specific questions feel free to email the owners at idahoclubcherry@gmail.com or you may ask me as well. Thanks. I would love to have more input, as I may pass this information on. Thanks!

See….ask and you shall receive.
One question though. How will they be open the “fall of 2008″ if they haven’t even found a location yet?
Thanks for the extra info.

A club like this MAY have a shot at success here. It all depends on location and marketing. What we don’t need is another kiddies club (18+) because they have all ended in abysmal failures. The cover charge is a good idea to keep out the lowlifes who tend to ruin every bar they frequent. And you need to plan on hiring excellent bands and DJs. For locations you should look into somewhere in the main tourist areas (close to the interstate and motels).

Well, comments on this post took off! Guess that’s my fault. I saw it sitting here without any sort of comments and I had to kick it off.

Nothing wrong with the queers, I have a good time hanging out with them and the ones that I know take no offense to being referred to as “the queers”, so don’t even start harping on that. Didn’t mean to start a “we feel wronged” discussion. I’m sick of that angle.

As for not thinking a venue would take off in this community…I know for a fact that is incorrect. I have several friends in the IF music scene that just don’t get an opportunity to play. I guess nobody wants to feature punk rock bands at public events, and nobody wants to pay the upfront costs and take a chance on a venue. Those that do usually end up shutting down because they don’t put any marketing effort behind it, I’ve seen it happen at least twice in IF, and quite a few times in Blackfoot and Pocatello. Hell, I used to have to drive the 25 to 50 miles just to go see a local show with bands and a crowd that I could relate to.

If you’re putting together a club that can and will be used as a venue, don’t count out the punks!

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa2/ixmio/blake.jpg

There’s a good, solid core in town that would be more than happy to pay $15 to see a show at a proper location rather than $5 to see a show at a remote warehouse.

Kelynn - if you need any help scouting locations or putting this thing together, especially if you need marketing or computer technical/setup help, shoot me an email at mbix59@gmail.com. I’ll get full contact info to you at that point. I’m always looking for a new opportunity.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa2/ixmio/mandj.jpg

Thanks folks.

I’m all for anything new. Give it a try! If we had more “new and different” here, fail or succeed, maybe so many of our kids wouldn’t be chomping at the bit to leave here as soon as they can.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want Idaho Falls to be the next huge city, but it would be nice to have a few more options for entertainment that don’t revolve around paying for a seat to watch someone else do something.

And one big factor that seems to be the failure of a lot of new “club” type establishments here (not bars, but dance clubs), make sure you plan heavy on the security. No one wants to frequent a place, where there are constant fights inside and fear of beatings in the parking lot. That gets old really quick.

Good comments Alice, well said.
Boomer, being that you’ve been in “the biz”, I would have thought you would offer Marcus a little more encouragement.. To bein with, there aren’t any “clubs” in this town. You’ve got a few run down bars with barely enough room to put a band let alone room for the patrons. This is why I think ClubCherry would be such a great hit in this town. And having a 5 dollar cover is completely reasonable and would help to compensate any bands that did come to entertain. Number 2, this is a college town last time I checked right? Sure we don’t have the main campus in town, but I know plenty of folks at ISU that would love to have a new nightclub to enjoy.
While clubs come and go, I have seen my fair share of them that are still going strong after 20+ years. I think if Club Cherry has an “open mic” night for local acts to come in and jam, the crowds would definitely come no matter what style of music it is.

Isn’t there some warehouse space available for lease south of the library along the river there before you get to Panchari? That would be a great location imo. Close to the river and within walking distance of the hotels down there. I think as much as this town is growing, it’s a great opportunity for Club Cherry to get in on the ground floor and really be successful.

Boomer raises some very good points, even though they may seem harsh.

I’ve been in and around “the biz” most all my life, and it has changed considerably over the last 20 years.

The bottom line, however, has always been and will always be, can the club owner make enough to pay the rent. All they can do is put something out there and hope people show up. If at first it doesn’t succeed, they scrap it and try something else.

I also have to disagree with the comment “I don’t know a single person that doesn’t enjoy the vibe that a live-band sends out, regardless of the genre”. While this may be true for you, it is not true for most of the general public. There are countless types of music and countless opinions on that music, and if you truly don’t enjoy the type of music played, regardless of whether or not it’s “live”, you won’t hang around, especially if you were drawn to the venue to hear music in the first place.

Boil it down far enough and all that matters is whether the business can make enough money to stay in business. Don’t blame the owners for needing to find the best way to do that.

I think having a new night club in a nice location near the river would do really well. Having lived in Austin for many years, people would come from all over to hit the club scene on the river in that town. I would also suggest that Kelynn get a younger perspective on this discussion as opposed to 40 somethings who were “in the biz” 20-30 years ago. Times change but some things stay the same. She should walk around ISU and ask for opinions there and see what the younger crowd is looking for. Lets face it, night clubs really don’t attract the general population. We’ve already got places for the older crowd.

Actually, Guest Today, I only really quit for good about 5 years ago.

The bottom line is still just the same as it always has been- if the music makes the owner money, it stays. When the music doesn’t, it goes. idaho Falls used to be party central for the whole valley, but it’s not anymore, and I’m only reporting facts.

Alice’s comments are coming from the floor side of things, I’m sure. All of my comments are from the stage, but performers always get to know the club owners well if their music is successful.

I didn’t intend any of my comments to be harsh- just truthful. The decline of live performers has been going on for a long time now- will over a decade- for the reasons Alice mentioned.

If the guys Marcus knows would be happy playing for free, this would get them a stage. In LA, NYC, and most of the larger cities, the play-for-pay runs a lot of clubs. The bands pay the club owner to go on stage. The bands are also responsible for all promotion, and this is done in hopes the band will get some attention and paying gigs.

Many punk bands do this in L.A. especially, because that’s a center of the music market. Most of these places do place multiple bands, but the set up times are strictly limited. If a band can’t set up their gear in 20 minutes, they don’t go onstage, even if they paid the fee for playing.

When I first began playing in town, there were classic nightclubs here, where dinner stopped at around 9 pm and the dancing started. This was also a common thing for the fraternal organizations, especially the Elks. I played to audiences of a hundred folks or more there many times, back then, and all of them (and us) were dressed up. All that is gone. Over the years, the support simply faded away as society changed.

I honestly don’t know what would fly now, if anything would. There well be a developing market for a true nightclub, where the live music isn’t just an attraction to push more booze across the bar. Nothing would make me happier than to see a real classy joint packed to the rafters nightly.

I also agree about the 1am closing time… if clubs were allowed to stay open until 3 or 4, a new nightclub would have stronger chances of success. The party often doesn’t get started until 11, and later hours would actually decrease the number of folks who drink too much. They would have a chance to wind down the evening with later hours.

Boomer, your comments really hit it on the head, and sorry if I called you harsh, I just meant realistic. I’ve seen the whole picture, from playing in the bands to working in the music store, and I actually only quit playing about 4 years ago. Matter of fact, I’d be surprised if I don’t know you. I remember the “dinner stopped at nine and the music started” places very well, my husband played those gigs every weekend.

Those were the days *sigh*.

I wish the new club the best of luck, and I look forward to checking it out.

Oh, and Marcus (btw, I know you, too) when I mentioned “general public”, I meant the general population that would go to any nightclub or partake of that type of entertainment, and that covers quite a range of different people.

Just thought that might make more sense now ; )

Now I’m interested. How do you know me Alice?

Porter,

I am just DYING to know specifically, what rights you have lost to gays and lesbians, hispanics and african americans.

I would love to support a nice nightclub that does not cater to “young punks”. Oh darn, did I just insult someone? A $5 cover for men (It is always nice to see lots of ladies in a nightclub), and a dress code as simple as requiring men to have a shirt with a collar, would be more than welcome. So would a 2AM closing time, at least on Friday’s and Saturday’s.

Marcus, it’s Jools from Shaddow Domain ; )

I, for one, would love to see a drag show. I have never made it to Charleys and I didn’t ever manage to get to any of the shows that they used to have at the Colonial, and I would love to see one.

LOL at the attempt to insult “young punks”. There are quite a few in the punk crowd that adopt an old-fashioned style, they’re not all plaid, patches, dirt and spikes.

Thought it might be you Jools - how’s it hanging? We’re out of Nag Champa again, so you may just be seeing us again in the near future!

Drag night would be interesting. Can’t say that it would excite me too much, but it would be something to do ;).

The Upper Deck should be pretty decent…I may end up helping with renovations, but I haven’t heard anything about that yet. I think right now they’re just working on maintaining a steady crowd and feeling it out.

I plan transfering to ISU but I am getting worried now. Is it true that there are no nightclubs in the city. What about the entire state itself? How do non-resident students cope with this kind of life. Please, somebody advise me on this issue. I am getting confused.How is weekends at Idaho. What about life on ISU campus. Let somebody advise me.