Carolyn Fath
Citing financial difficulties, the owner of downtown music venue The Frequency announced Monday that the club will close June 30 after a decade at 121 West Main St.
“The end of 2017 was terrible for us,” owner Darwin Sampson tells Isthmus. “Without getting into specifics, we were doing significantly less revenue per month than we were accustomed to over the 10 years that we’ve been open. We fell into a hole that was difficult to climb out of.”
Sampson, who opened The Frequency in June 2008, plans to spend the next two and a half months promoting shows booked through June 30 and working to finding new venues for a few shows booked past that date. Then he’s looking forward to taking some time off — and attending local shows as a fan — before starting the search for a new location elsewhere in the city. “I’m going to take a few months to reevaluate and see what’s available,” he says. “I’ve really fallen in love with the north side and the far east side.”
The Frequency has played an essential role in Madison’s music scene over the years, providing a home for local bands, bringing in nationally touring acts, and hosting shows seven days a week. For years, it was home to Funky Mondays with legendary drummer Clyde Stubblefield; it also booked acts like The Lumineers and Macklemore early in their careers.
The venue attracted controversy in 2013 and 2016 when Sampson temporarily banned hip-hop after fights broke out at shows. The 2013 ban was in response to pressure from landlord Larry Lichte of Empire Realty; the 2016 ban came after a patron struck a bartender in the head with a bottle. Sampson later lifted the ban and worked with a task force that included local hip-hop artists. He says he’s “grateful” for the experience. “That conversation needs to continue,” he says.
News of The Frequency’s impending closure comes at a time of big changes in the Madison music venue landscape, with the city's larger venues consolidating under the umbrella of Frank Productions, which recently sold a controlling share to Live Nation. The city’s downtown real estate market is tightening as well, making it difficult for a small venue to earn enough revenue to survive. Sampson says Lichte has a new tenant in mind that he thinks will be a better fit for the building.
A goodbye celebration is planned for June 8-9 and will feature bands including Cribshitter, The Skintones, Dead Rider, The Beer Nuts, Cheer Accident, Salamander Exhibit, Faun Fables and more to be announced.
“I’m sad, but I’m really grateful,” he says. “Instead of focusing on the sadness of the end, I think we’re going to focus on the positive of what was, and what will be — and we’re not done yet.”
