By: Ryan Glaspell
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In January, 2014, fiances Daniel Bonner & Sissy Broadwater
became managers of The Main Street Cafe.
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A year ago Daniel Bonner and Sissy Broadwater were making the final preparations for The Main Street Cafe's kick off show. It was the first show after they took over management and reopened the cafe.
"I just remember being stressed out the entire day, hoping that it went well and that people liked us," Bonner said.
The Main Street Cafe was the first time Bonner and Broadwater had any taste of running a business. The first show they booked was a monstrous concert featuring more than 10 performances from musicians of all genres.
The anxiety continued to build for Bonner and Broadwater as showtime drew near, but their qualms were quickly extinguished as people began flowing in. At the peak of the night, the head count was over 150.
Greg Tassos was one of the many members in the audience that night. Tassos, a local musician in the band Remaining, and avid supporter of local music realized the kick off show was the start of something big.
"It was great, there was a lot of kids I had never seen at shows before," he said.
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| A sea of people packed The Main Street Cafe for its kick off show last year. |
From the time he was in high school, Tassos was in bands and would perform at local shows. It got to a point, however, where venues were nearing nonexistence.
"There was nowhere to play in Clarksburg," Tassos said.
He began booking his own basement shows, but sharing a house with your family can make it difficult to bring musicians to play loud music throughout the night on a consistent basis.
A decaying music scene, once dependent on house shows and fire halls, received a gift in the form of a century-old building in historic downtown Clarksburg. After The Main Street Cafe's kick off show, local bands had a place to play and a crowd to listen to them. Bands that used to have a difficult time finding anywhere that would allow them to play now had a local venue to truly call home.
"It's as local as local can get, and I think it really affected everything about the local music scene," Tassos said.
The Main Street Cafe began hosting multiple shows every week, in addition to other regular events such as open mics and pool tournaments.
A year has gone by, and the cafe has amassed an impressive portfolio of artists and events that have taken place in its venue.
In addition to the plethora of local musicians, bands from all over have played their music on the stage of the cafe, including multiple international acts.
"We essentially started with nothing, " Broadwater said, "We didn't have anywhere to go but up."
Up they continue to go, as The Main Street Cafe expands its reach to more people with every show. Broadwater attributes the business' ascent from its modest beginnings to the mindset that she and Bonner hold.
"We never approached this as managers or business owners, and we don't have this facade," Broadwater said.
She continued, "We've been one thousand percent us, and I feel like that's really helped us get a bigger fan base."
From the beginning, Bonner and Broadwater didn't set out to make money. They wanted to re-energize local music.
"[I wanted] to get the music scene in Clarksburg back to where it should have been a long time ago," Bonner said.
Even now, he still receives messages from bands asking how much money they would have to dish out to play at his venue. His answer? No charge.
"They're just helping to keep the business open, why would I charge them?" he said.
It's this passion for providing for and enabling musicians in the local area that drives Bonner and Broadwater to keep costs down to play at, and attend, the cafe.
This Saturday, in celebration of the one year anniversary of the first show under new management, Bonner and Broadwater are throwing a special concert. This all ages show will be free to attend, and is featuring a variety of the scene's incredible musicians.
Just as its first incarnation was, this show will be hosted by Corey Hurley, Bonner and Broadwater's close friend and dedicated worker for the cafe.
Excitement is potent in the air for many.
"The first show was a great show, and this show means a lot to us because even though we didn't know anyone at the first show, we made best friends with them now," Broadwater said.
Tassos is one of those friendships that was formed due to the cafe. His band will be one of the several acts of the evening, and his gratitude is plentiful.
He said, "Playing the one-year anniversary show means a lot because I think that everyone in the local scene owes The Main Street Cafe. We owe them for giving us a place to play, a place to crash if we need to and a place to just be ourselves."
Tassos' band, Remaining, will be joined by False Profit, Proper Addiction, Ryan Glaspell, Tell No Tales and Tomorrow to Forever. This will be False Profit's first show in Clarksburg in five years.
Whether you attend every show, or have never seen live music, make your way to The Main Street Cafe this Saturday with all of your friends at 5 p.m. to celebrate a great year of business and music.
If you want to induce some nostalgia, check out the promo article and show recap from the kick off show one year ago.
RSVP for the show on Facebook to stay up to date on all details.
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