Java Barn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (February 2007)

Java Barn, Established in 1993 as a student-run coffeehouse at St. Lawrence University (SLU), it is a well-known venue among touring bands on the East Coast of the United States, including those who have risen to fame such as Ani DiFranco, Guster, Dave Matthews Band and Gym Class Heroes.

Contents

[edit] The Payson Coffeehouse

In the early-mid 1980s, there was a popular folk music scene, especially in northern New York state, known as "the North Country". At SLU, group of students, interested in having live music at the school, established a coffeehouse in Payson Hall, one of the school's buildings. A theme house was set up at 3 University Avenue, and it was established. On Friday and Saturday nights there would be coffeehouses, and the students, already living together in the theme house, would walk over to Payson to set up and break down the shows.

[edit] The Java Barn

In 1992, Payson Hall was renovated into SLU's admissions building. A new venue had to be established, and the new venue was an old barn located behind 5 University Avenue, one house up from where the current students were living. The house became the Coffee House, and the barn was known as the Java Barn. Operating between Fall 1993 to Spring 2006, the Barn's location was popular due to its proximity of being on the border of the SLU campus, near the town center. This brought about some interaction with the community, and students enjoyed the distance from the main campus and their studies.

[edit] Relocation

Towards the end of the 90s, the nature of shows at Java began to change: louder, amplified rock gigs replaced the acoustic folk concerts that had previously been showcased. Because of Java's proximity to the Elm St. neighborhood, a petition was delivered to President Sullivan, protesting the loudness of the Barn. After much deliberation, it was decided that Java would have to be moved. This new location would be the Winning Health Center, about 50 feet from the Payson Coffeehouse. On May 6th, 2006, the Ryan Montbleau Band played the final show, and the Barn was closed forever.

[edit] The Winning Health Center

After many deliberations of where the 3rd iteration of Java would be, it was realized that the vacant Winning Health Center seemed a natural choice for the relocation. The Health Center's location in the center of campus put Java far away from the possibility of neighbors complaining about noise, and it would be easy to reconfigure the building to suit Java's needs. In an interesting return to Java's original configuration as it was in the 80s as Payson CoffeeHouse, students would continue to live at 5 University Ave., and would make "the trek" to the Health Center for shows.

It should be noted that this location was originally proposed to be a temporary location, since the demolition of the Health Center & Artery buildings have been in the University's master plans for years. This demolition would ultimately create green space that was lost due to the construction of the Student Center. Whether Java is moved for a 4th time is still up in the air, as its location at the Health Center has proven to be very popular, and alterations of the Health Center might turn it into a permanent location.

[edit] Alcohol Policy

The Java Barn is a non-alcoholic venue; therefore, no alcohol is permitted inside or around the venue during shows. While this may be initially viewed as a drawback, many bands and attendees have come to see this as an integral part of the venue. The people who attend the concerts come solely for the music. Because of this, many bands find that the crowd has a much higher interest in their music, and this adds to the Java experience, both for bands and for attendees. Many bands look forward to coming back because of this.

[edit] Notable Bands which have played at Java

  • Guster
  • Townhall
  • Hypnotic Clambake
  • South Catherine Street Jug Band
  • Electrik Blue and the Cosmik Truth
  • Ani DiFranco
  • Ryan Montbleau / The Ryan Montbleau Band
  • Addison Groove Project
  • Dave Matthews Band
  • Dexter Grove
  • The Zen Tricksters
  • John Browns Body
  • Garaj Mahal
  • Mr. Charlie and the Blues for Breakfast
  • Jesus and His 12 Apostles
  • The Assembly of Dust
  • Tea Leaf Green
  • U-Melt
  • Zach Deputy

[edit] Disambiguations of "Java"

Formally, the Coffeehouse refers to the student residence, and the Java Barn is the barn which houses the music venue. However, students at SLU may refer to this combination as Java, or the Java House.

[edit] Java Love

Students at Java find a uniting quality in the spirit of the venue, as well as the music that occurs there. This is commonly referred to as "Java Love".


On a September evening, The Habitat for Humanity theme cottage initiated a warfare of pranks between the Java Barn and HFH when a housemate stole their dishwasher. Although there were accomplices, the dishwasher was dully returned to the rightful owners after Shannon Victor and Brian shook down the thief for the dishwasher, subsequently stealing the back door to the Habitat for Humanity theme cottage. Habitat for Humanity was fined for the absence of the door in an "unexpected" fire inspection.