The Channel (nightclub)
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The Channel was a Boston music venue that was part of the underground arts community of south Boston (known as Fort Point).
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[edit] History
Joe Cicerone founded The Channel in 1980, choosing the name because the club sat at the edge of the Fort Point Channel, which separates South Boston from the Financial District. In 1990, Harry and Peter Boras, the last owners of the club, filed for chapter 11. The authorities had revoked the liquor license several times with fines for serving minors. The doors closed on December 31, 1991. There were rumors that mob boss Frank Salemme had a foothold in the club, and these rumors proliferated after The Channel reopened its doors as an exotic dance club, which closed after less than a year. Frank Salemme Jr. was listed for a time as the assistant manager of the club. In the late 1990s, developers demolished the building to make way for Big Dig construction.
[edit] Environment
The Channel had a legal capacity of 1,700, although management often oversold the venue for major acts. The 4' high stage faced a 20' square sunken dance floor, nicknamed "the pit," which was surrounded by drink rails and tables with padded stools. For punk rock and heavy metal concerts, the management locked this furniture up in the coat room. When the bands were playing and the crowd was jumping, the entire wooden floor often bounced up and down, causing the 15' high PA system, to sway precariously back and forth.
In addition to a dozen bar stations, the club had a concession stand that sold hot dogs, candy, soda, and popcorn, as well as official club merchandise (t-shirts, jackets, sweatpants, etc). Directly behind that was a semi-private game room with a half dozen video games.
There was also a back bar area that had the ability to be closed off during all-ages shows by lowering metal grates over the window openings. All ingress/egress was restricted to a single door that was manned by a bouncer who checked for hand stamps to allow the over 21 crowd to enter for a drink, as well as prevent them from bringing alcoholic beverages out into the rest of the club with the underage crowd.
To the rear of the back bar area was yet another, smaller room that was usually closed off on nights when the club wasn't sold out. This was known as the VIP room, and regularly played host to bands such as U2 and Aerosmith when they were in town and wanted a private place to sit with friends and have a few drinks.
Depending on who was playing, the pit would become a mass of sweaty skinheads, punks, metalheads, goth kids and the occasional hippy slamming into each other. In the late 80s shows would be stopped because kids were getting too violent. The bouncers had a notorious reputation of being overaggressive, and while there were certainly a number of incidents in which this was the case, those stories were greatly exaggerated.
[edit] Music
The Channel started out booking New Wave bands such as Human Sexual Response, Jon Butcher Axis, and The Cars. During the early and mid-80s heyday of hardcore punk, bands like Husker Du, Dead Kennedys and Minor Threat were headline acts. Later, local bands such as The Pixies played alongside major touring acts such as Big Audio Dynamite, Los Lobos, The Damned, and Einstuerzende Neubauten.
Booking was not limited to punk/metal bands. The Godfather of Soul, James Brown played there, as did jazz legend Ornette Coleman. Classic rock/oldies acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Gregg Allmann, Eric Burdon, and Steppenwolf also packed in the crowds.
The club also regularly booked reggae shows featuring acts such as Yellowman, Dennis Brown, Steel Pulse, Toots and the Maytals, and Black Uhuru. Blues greats B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite, and Pinetop Perkins graced the stage on more than one occasion.
[edit] Notable acts
[edit] References
- Ernie Santosuosso, Boston Globe, May 30, 1980
