Talk The Talk: Brandy Hartley Of Johnny Brenda’s
Regular readers have been following the progress of Johnny Brenda’s ‚Äî the corner bar that, as of tonight, is the city’s newest music venue ‚Äî since almost day one. In the interest of full disclosure here, the JB’s folks are friends of ours, advertisers and not least, it’s our regular watering hole, so there’s that. But any way you slice it, Johnny Brenda’s has been hot on the lips of the entire music community. Musicians in and around the Fishtown/Northern Liberties area have been looking to it as a long-in-coming home; meanwhile, other local clubs and promoters have been looking to it with any combination of fear, dread and/or dread. At the heart of the debate are two facts: JB’s sprouts from the same owners as NoLibs success story The Standard Tap, and though venues like The M Room and The Fire have brought live music to Fishtown already, neither possess the size and space that JB’s does. Cut out of the second and third floors of the JB’s property at Frankford & Girard, the club is ambitious and grand in design. Boasting an elegantly wasted Victorian decor and a balcony that overlooks one of the larger small-club rock stages in town, the place is gorgeous. And after much fuss, speculation ‚Äî as well as the requisite neighborhood association panic attacks ‚Äî Johnny Brenda’s opens tonight very appropriately with a benefit for JB’s employee Micah Danges, who recently suffered a shattered heel with no medical insurance. The show features an all-Fishtown cast, including The War On Drugs, Meg Baird (of Espers), Jack Rose and Bardo Pond. We caught up with JB’s booker Brandy Hartley this afternoon and quizzed her on opening day.
Full interview after the jump.
Hi, Brandy. Congrats to you and the gang today. When it’s all said and done, how long has the process of getting the club built, approved and up to code taken?
Thanks. It’s been a long road! Paul Kimport and William Reed, the owners of Johnny Brenda’s, had come up with the idea to have a music venue upstairs in early 2005. They began drawing up plans, speaking with neighborhood groups, and generally discussing the idea with local musicians around that time. Then the zoning process and building began. We just got our final walk-through and approvals yesterday, so it was down to the wire! It’s really been a year and a half long process.
Wow. It feels longer, and I think the reason why might be tied up in my next question. Early on, it seemed that the entire NoLibs/Fishtown community was abuzz about the venue, not least because a decent-sized, professional music room signifies to many the “arrival” of both of these neighborhoods. Has it been weird, or encouraging to be working under that kind of community microscope where a lot of eyes have been looking to you guys for a sort of definition?
I think it’s encouraging, actually. To me it reflects the fact that people recognize that Paul and William really care about quality- whether it pertains to beer, food, or a place to see live music. I don’t think the excitement would be quite so high without the fact that they have a track record with creating a high-quality yet downhome place to be. I think what’s great is that they want to have great places to hang out where they live, so it’s not like developers coming in and going to just make money. They are part of the community. I feel like that adds to people’s enthusiasm for Johnny Brenda’s.
I agree, and it also gives you guys a leg up: Fact is, a lot of the bands you guys will be booking are in fact your neighbors and regulars in Fishtown and NoLibs. These folks ‚Äî whether they’re in the folk scene, or indie rap, or indie rock ‚Äî have been feeling for a long time like they haven’t really had a venue of their own. So there is this funny (and ultimately false) sense of community ownership surrounding Johnny Brenda’s. When push comes to shove, though, how much of the talent will be locally grown?
I hope that there will always be a lot of locally grown talent representing here. In some cases, it will be pairing local bands with appropriate bands from out of town who are on tour. Many local bands I’ve talked to about booking want to do a show where they play with bands from other cities. Relay’s CD Release part on October 21 will have New York band Mahogany also celebrating their CD release. While I will have some all-local shows, I also like the idea of bringing local bands on to open when there is a big show by a touring band- like some of the shows we will be co-promoting with R5 Productions. Sean has been really open to my suggestions of great Philly bands to open on R5 shows. Like a Fox, for example, will be opening the Silversun Pickups / Viva Voce show on Friday October 13.
Nice plugs, lady - you’re like an old pro already! The Agnew thing is interesting, though, since he’s not really known as somebody who’s all that hot on local bands. That feels like more your move than his.
Well, I’m not sure if he’s not all that hot on local bands. While I initiated the suggestion for Like A Fox to open, I think that if he wasn’t that interested he would have said so. I’ve made a few other suggestions for some of the shows in November, but he put the A-Sides on with the Evangelicals for the show here on 11/18 of his own accord.
Are you SeanSpotter? Just kidding.
No! That blog is kind of funny, but also really creepy…
But love is creepy, Brandy. But enough of that. What is your fondest hope for JB’s?
My fondest hope is that we are very successful in supporting our local music scene and encouraging touring acts that may bypass Philly to come taste our love! For me personally, I want to see the kinds of shows that sound so amazing that my hair stands on end- and I want that experience as often as possible! Maybe delete the second exclamation point- i have a serious problem with over-exclaiming
It’s understandable, pal. Best of luck, and SEE YOU AT THE BAR!
