May 13th, 2009
To Whom It May Concern,
I recently learned that the Planning Commission is considering putting a stop to live-music events at The Clubhouse at This Old House in San Luis Obispo, due to apparent noise complaints. I believe this action would be detrimental to our local community for multiple reasons. I have attended several concerts at The Clubhouse, and have found that this venue has a unique ability to bring people together. I’m not just referring to musicians and music fans, but friends, neighbors… everyone. This venue has also catered to many out-of-town travelers in the forms of touring musicians and music enthusiasts. I can imagine that these people leave the area with good thoughts and plans to return, based on the experiences they’ve had at The Clubhouse. It’d be a shame to potentially lose this source of positivity and publicity for the city of SLO as well as the county. Furthermore, turning off the live music at The Clubhouse would shut down a viable outlet for the local arts community, a group that is often hit harder than most during difficult economic times. Finally, while I can’t speak to the exact nature of the noise complaints you’ve received, I can say that all of the music I’ve experienced at The Clubnhouse has been acoustic in nature. I wouldn’t describe any of it as being overly loud or noisy.
To summarize, please keep live-music events alive at The Clubhouse. These events are beneficial to our community’s artistic, social and economic well-being. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Shawn(o)
San Luis Obispo, CA
(This is a slightly modified version of the letter I’ll be forwarding to Steve Key, who is planning on attending the Planning Commission meeting tomorrow. If you care about the local music community, please consider making your thoughts known on this matter.)
May 16th, 2009 at 11:10 am
This is a good letter, Shawn. I’m not really sure of the context or if the music was actually loud enough to reach people’s homes (I imagine that would definitely be annoying if it were the case) but from what you said it sounds like the live music at The Clubhouse is an asset to San Luis Obispo.
May 16th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I learned this morning on Facebook that live music will continue at The Clubhouse, which is great. And the venue is located in a relatively rural part of town. I’m not sure how close it is to anyone’s house, to be honest.