Beer Bellies shut down

[lonewolf]

The PLCB have squashed another venue in the bustling suburbs of Duncansville. George from Beer Bellies told me they are shut down and turning the building into apartments.

They had gone to the expense of building inner wall soundproofing so that the trailer park several hundred yards away couldn't hear them. They didn't put any in front because its Rt 22. Who needs to soundproof for Rt 22? Apparently anybody who deals with the PLCB.

He said the same thing that I read on Rockpage...the PLCB don't have any idea how much business they are destroying with each place they squash.

[YankeeRose]

The PLCB have squashed another venue in the bustling suburbs of Duncansville. George from Beer Bellies told me they are shut down and turning the building into apartments.

They had gone to the expense of building inner wall soundproofing so that the trailer park several hundred yards away couldn't hear them. They didn't put any in front because its Rt 22. Who needs to soundproof for Rt 22? Apparently anybody who deals with the PLCB.

He said the same thing that I read on Rockpage...the PLCB don't have any idea how much business they are destroying with each place they squash.

That sucks...and what came to mind doesn't explain how things are in some parts of the Commonwealth, but in this area, it sounds almost as if it's some kind of "Crusade", religiously/politically motivated.
What are they gaining by forcing
these places out of business?
Nothing but some twisted sense of
satisfaction is all I can think of.
I'd never been to Beer Bellies, but they used to have frequent ads on the Radio. My sympathy to the owners of Beer Bellies, for being forced to stop doing something they liked to do, for what? It's a shame.

[BDR]

In memory of Beer Bellies (kick-ass wings down there, BTW), I proudly announce the return of my PLCB avatar ...

r:>)

[burdman]

That really sucks. I had some good times at Beer Bellies. I didn't realize how bad this was untill i started posting on here. It a lot o B.S.

[Big Jim]

I thought Beer Bellies was a fitness club. Go figure...(literally).

[esa]

That sucks major ass. They had awesome garlic wings there...and that sauce stuff for the shrimp. And they had Hope. I liked Hope.

So ::single digit salutes the PLCB:: When Pennsylvania is back to poverty and crime because people no longer have jobs at bars....then don't come crying to the tax payers...

We can't smoke in our bars anymore.
We can't play in our bars anymore.
Why don't they take the alcohol out too. That way we don't have to worry about friggin DUI's.

Thanks again PLCB.

[Viva la Pelt]

FUCK THE PLCB

[Jim Price]

It's almost starting to look like live music will soon have to learn to survive outside the jurisdiction of the PLCB. Bands will be driven to set up shows in places not liquor-licensed, with fans bringing their own beer. It seems the local state police gestapo is hellbent on eliminiating live entertainment from bars in this part of the state at least. Or at the very least, hellbent on exploiting the vulnerability of bar owners with music audible outside of their establishments to line their pockets with money from fines.

[moxham123]

JP.

Here, here. I agree with you 100%. I could not have said it better myself. You are right on target with this one.

[Banned]

I feel for the staff/owners of these establishments. George called me to cancel Flight 19 bookings (at last minute) several times over past few years, stating he was sorry but PLCB had been in to cite him for noise
violations. He never got one when we played there, but it still was unfortunate. I see the late 1920's & 1930's Prohibition returning soon.
As a result, it will be the same as it was then. Crime will rise, bootlegging
and Speak Easy bars will crop up, mobsters will rule. People will rob, steal, and kill to get what they want. Obviously the legal establishment
didn't learn their lesson the first time around!

SOBs! They are biting themselves in the foot because booze is what
pays their salaries. Dumb asses!

[bassist_25]

SOBs! They are biting themselves in the foot because booze is what
pays their salaries. Dumb asses!

And that's the real irony of this situation.

[Banned]

It's almost starting to look like live music will soon have to learn to survive outside the jurisdiction of the PLCB. Bands will be driven to set up shows in places not liquor-licensed, with fans bringing their own beer. It seems the local state police gestapo is hellbent on eliminiating live entertainment from bars in this part of the state at least. Or at the very least, hellbent on exploiting the vulnerability of bar owners with music audible outside of their establishments to line their pockets with money from fines.

JP, you hit the nail on the head. Where is there a local facility that can be rented out for music shows?

I know in the summer you used to be able to rent the PPG pavilion in Tipton.

[bassist_25]

Click here if you want to do something about this:

http://rockpage.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=48331#48331

[tonefight]

Well prohibition didn't work but if they can slowly close down the bars and chain restaurants slowly buy up the liquor licence there will be no more bars even though its still legal to have a bar ........ so its won't be illegal, just impossible to financially manange.

Somebody really doesn't want live music in bars. This could come down to 1 PLCB officer that doesn't think live music should exist. Maybe the dudes wife was screwing around with some band dude and now he's got a vendetta against all of us. It is becoming increasingly worse and we still don't even have an answer "who" or "why".

[redawg]

I say we hire people to sit outside of bars and wait for the scum sucking pigs to get out of their vehicles to listen for noise and beat the ever livin' shit out of them. I'd love to see PLCB agents scared to come within a hundred feet of a club. Dirty, life wrecking pieces of shit.


Disclaimer: Even though I would love to see everyone of you PLCB pieces of shit rot in hell, I never have and never will try to hire people to make an example out of one you dirt bags.

[YankeeRose]

I say we hire people to sit outside of bars and wait for the scum sucking pigs to get out of their vehicles to listen for noise and beat the ever livin' shit out of them. I'd love to see PLCB agents scared to come within a hundred feet of a club. Dirty, life wrecking pieces of shit.


Disclaimer: Even though I would love to see everyone of you PLCB pieces of shit rot in hell, I never have and never will try to hire people to make an example out of one you dirt bags.

redawg, what if you didn't have to hire them and instead, people volunteered? (PLCB scum, that was only a joke, "ha-ha". ) I too sometimes wish certain individuals would get the good, old-fashioned ass-kicking they deserve.

[onetooloud]

Maybe everone is overthinking this PROTEST . Back in the sixties nothing seemed to get better results than a good old fashioned PROTEST.

Signs loud as hell band members ,bar owners ,djs and music fans. Show up on their doorstep and show them how many decibels equal loud.

If done up right I promise you'll get media coverage.

Write some good and truthfull songs to open the public eye we have the power!!

Young music buying people are ready to go lead THE WAY.

[HurricaneBob]

I like the idea of writing a song about this, after all we are musicians trying to get a point across. Let all go to the meeting Paul posted about and after im sure some writers could get together and pen a tune.

Name it P.L.C.B
Please let Clubs Band! errr somthing like that..

We could have our facts together and have a song to represent us.
Sounds like a plan.

[Victor Synn]

Damn the PLCB. We played Beer Bellies quite a few times since we've been around and that was always a cool place to play. Patrons really liked the music and it was always a packed house. I think one of the last shows they had there was us and Naked Beggars and the sound Nazis came and shut us down halfway into the Beggars' set. Definately an embarrassing moment to say the least.

What a shitty thing to do to a club who rarely runs bands anymore like they used to. I couldn't imagine being a club owner and having to live in fear of these people coming and shutting down your livelihood.

[YankeeRose]

How about "Please Let Clubs Be" as in leave them alone? ...and might I humbly suggest to work in the names of some of the places that are being singled out and persecuted, or have finally shut down because they were targeted... Great idea onetooloud!

[lonewolf]

The only harassment that I've seen is within the 9 county district that is based in Blair County. Correct me if I am wrong about this.

Its probably just a rogue district office who discovered that this little gem of a rule can be stuck in and twisted with impunity.

If the owners/licensee's from this district don't get together and complain to the board in Harrisburg, I don't see how this can be stopped.

[no surrender]

i think this is all part of crack down on dui's. boozin and cruisin has a bad name these days..

thery:elimate all clubs less boozin going on

i mean they no you aint walkin there

no what i'm saying..

[bassist_25]

I like the idea of writing a song about this, after all we are musicians trying to get a point across. Let all go to the meeting Paul posted about and after im sure some writers could get together and pen a tune.

Name it P.L.C.B
Please let Clubs Band! errr somthing like that..

We could have our facts together and have a song to represent us.
Sounds like a plan.

That would be a cool idea! It could be just like Band Aide or something, featuring a bunch of local musicians. We could release it as a single and use the proceeds to fund an organization that combats the PLCB.

[no surrender]

I like the idea of writing a song about this, after all we are musicians trying to get a point across. Let all go to the meeting Paul posted about and after im sure some writers could get together and pen a tune.

Name it P.L.C.B
Please let Clubs Band! errr somthing like that..

We could have our facts together and have a song to represent us.
Sounds like a plan.

That would be a cool idea! It could be just like Band Aide or something, featuring a bunch of local musicians. We could release it as a single and use the proceeds to fund an organization that combats the PLCB.

what are you comabatting? boozing?? loud music? ya gotta no exactly what it is that you are being deprived of as in civil liberty before you can beat it. sorry but the tide is agin ya. i don't see how it get any better. only worse. PARTEE is a four letter word..

[Jim Price]

As many of you might recall, when the Altoona Mirror published a letter I submitted a year ago addressing this situation of state police harassment of live music venues, I received a quick and immediate response (at my radio station work email, even though I signed the letter under my real name and not my radio name) from a state police representative, I believe from the Hollidaysburg barracks. He essentially downplayed my letter, alleging that a begrudged bar owner was behind it.

I know this idea was brought up before, and perhaps can be discussed at the meeting bassist25 is setting up; organizing a fact-finding meeting and inquiry with the local state police, asking them about their policies regarding enforcing noise laws, and expressing our concerns to them about the impact of their current enforcement campaign. It might not change anything at the offset, but it would let us know the names we have to deal with on the state police side, and also indicate to them that there are people and interests outside of the bar owners themselves who are impacted and concerned by this.

The song is also a good idea. I'd gladly play a recorded version of it on the "Backyard Rocker," and perhaps CD's could be sold at gigs to raise money for any organized grass roots efforts put together to battle this situation.