The Last Day at Tonic (Arrests of Rebecca Moore & Marc Ribot)

Video shot by Katherine Liberovskaya (www.liberovskaya.net) on the last day of the existence of beloved, world-famous Tonic Experimental Music Club on the Lower East Side, NYC, 4-14-07. The artists had previously raised over $100,000, via benefit concerts, in an effort to keep this unique and important cultural hub open, but astronomically rising rents that were untenable, combined with an onslaught of impossible-to-combat fines and summonses, forced the doors to close -- coincidentally, at the very same time a luxury high-rise condominium had opened it's doors adjacent to the humble club. Previous to that, the club had existed for almost nine years with only a single noise complaint on record (other clubs in the neighborhood that remain open, such as Pianos, would boast on their websites about flooding other streets with noise complaints.)

Tonic was actually one of the first music spaces in that area, and catered to an entirely local group of musicians, highlighting a hybrid of music that was world famous and had it's genesis on the Lower East Side itself. Tonic was officially supposed to closed on April 13th, 2007 - - but a group of musicians and activists* (with the support of representatives from Local 802 American Federation of Musicians, NYC) staged an historic protest the next day, violating a vacate order, to keep the music flowing. The day was filled with hours of incredible concerts.

Two musicians, Marc Ribot and Rebecca Moore, chose to stay inside playing music when the police came, in the hopes of raising awareness of the unfair and culturally bankrupt circumstances that were forcing not only Tonic to close, but many other small, independent arts spaces around the city as well... a problem that continues today, although some arts spaces are managing to survive via deals with the private real estate sector, and/or complex, unwieldy "subsidy" arrangements with local government.

This video shows neighborhood journalists and activists entering the club to film and document, at the moment the police ask activist Norman Yamada (a composer, principle organizer of the concert day of action, and co-founder with Rebecca Moore of www.takeitothebridge.com) to make understood the order for everyone to vacate the building or face arrest. Another principle organizer, Patricia Parker (performer and Vision Fest founder) is seen giving information to the remaining onlookers at the end of the footage. Legal counsel from Local 802, Harvey Mars, was present to advise the protesting musicians.

This historic sit-in type action is one of the very few instances on record of artists refusing to be forced out complacently from a cultural space in NYC.

KEEP RAISING YOUR VOICES.
Keep playing your music.
Keep making it your city, not just a city for the wealthy.
http://www.takeittothebridge.com
http://www.visionfestival.org/
http://www.local802afm.org
http://brechtforum.org/
Long Live The Stone: http://www.thestonenyc.com/

*If you were present or an organizer or participant and want your name listed here, please contact greenglow8 via this youtube channel. Some people may not want their names listed publicly so it can be done by individual request (we have only mentioned those speaking already publicly in the footage.)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• independent
• music
• rebecca
• moore
• marc
• ribot
• experimental
• jazz
• avant
• garde
• gentrification
• takeittothebridge
• local
• 802
• musicians
• federation
• protest
• Tonic
• Club

[TheEmanuelebroccoli]

wtf?............. why the guy got arrested? what is this all about? Blue Meanies winning?