All Ages Club a Labor of Love

Here's an article about an all ages club in New Hampshire that is looking for a new place because the building is being sold.

I'm posting this because most people acknowledge the value of all ages clubs, both as a place for teens to hang out and also as a way to exposure younger audiences to live music. Yet many communities have no all ages clubs, and those that do often have trouble hanging on to them.

Church groups and YMCAs are probably some of the few groups that have the facilities and the funding to do something like this. The fact that churches can offer a place for wholesome music targeted to teens benefits the Christian rock/pop music significantly.

When I was a teenager living on a Navy base in the Philippines, we had a teen club and it was the center of our lives. That's where we gathered every Friday and Saturday night.

The Telegraph Online: "Drifters draws fewer than 100 people on a decent night, Christian Skinner said. Patrons pay a $10 cover charge. ...

"The Skinners have been running all-ages venues out of pocket with no help from the government or private organizations for 11 years, Christian Skinner said.

“'Every dime that comes into this business goes right back into it; there’s no profit in it.'

"They’ve considered raising the cover charge, but they fear that would deter their biggest customers – the 13- to 18-year-olds, who barely can afford $10, they said.

"The Skinners make money to support themselves and their three children – Nissi, 5, James, 3, and Stella, 7 months – though a home-based business selling vitamins and health-care products."

The article goes on to quote a number of musicians who praise Drifters as a place where they either got their start, could play in a friendly alcohol-free atmosphere, or both.