Photo credit: Amanda Frost
Milwaukee straightedge band Forced Impact plays an all-ages show.
UPDATE: 10/21/2019
The motion passed during a Milwaukee Common Council. Several venue owners in Milwaukee, including the Pabst Milwaukee Brewery and Taproom and Cactus Club, among many others.
ORIGINAL STORY:
All-ages venues might be making a comeback in Milwaukee. Youth music advocates who say the city’s ordinances revolving around age and alcohol are too harsh got a small victory Tuesday.
Milwaukee’s Licenses Committee unanimously approved a resolution that would change the definition of a “center for the visual and performing arts” to include smaller venues across the city.
As is, venues like The Rave or Turner Hall Ballroom can serve alcohol and allow patrons under the age of 21 to attend. However, smaller venues, like Bay View’s Cactus Club, are not allowed to do so. This is because bigger venues are defined as “centers for the visual and performing arts”—mainly because they boast a stage that’s larger than 1,200 sq. ft. Many cities in Wisconsin follow a state statute that says these venues can sell alcohol at every show.
However, this could change soon, as a resolution Tuesday called for a change to the definition to say that the center can have a “stage,” or “designated performance space.” This will help smaller venues like the Cactus Club host more all-ages shows.
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This change has been in the works for months, according to Alderman Nik Kovac, who sponsored the legislation. Kovac said he met with several music advocates who helped to provide input for the newly defined Visual and Performing Arts License.
“I think this ordinance will empower youth across the city who love to play and listen to live music,” said Kovac.
Kovac said that previous licensees’ have done a good job of ensuring that alcohol is not served to minors.
“As long as it's managed responsibly, it can work at other places,” he said.
Kelsey Kaufmann, who runs Cactus Club and CC Presents, has been a long time advocate for all-ages shows. She met with Ald. Kovac earlier in 2019 to give input on the new ordinance.
“This revised ordinance will empower youth from across the city to organize, perform and attend concerts and multimedia arts events,” she said about the changes. “This access has the potential to transform the city’s creative culture.”
Kaufmann spoke in support of the resolution Tuesday. The Cactus Club has hosted only a small number of all-ages shows over the years, mainly because of the obstacles of applying for a special permit and the fact that they have to move most of their inventory into the basement, according to Kaufmann.
“There is a need for all-ages venues because young people need a place to go,” she said in an interview with The Shepherd. “It will uplift young creatives and provide platforms for their practices. It will offer safe social spaces for young people with common interests to connect.”
Tom Hively, who promotes and books all-ages shows in Milwaukee, says providing more access to all-ages shows has been needed for a very long time. Over the years Hively said he has seen a decrease in all-ages venues in the city.
“I started attending local shows in Milwaukee when I was 14 and that was due to the accessibility of all-ages music venues,” he said. “This will expose music and arts to kids who would have previously not been able to attend these shows.”
There is a fee structure for the ordinance, including information about curfews, which can be found here. Next, the ordinance will be voted on by the Common Council during their Oct. 15 meeting.
