When the news first broke that Maxwell’s was closing, it didn’t immediately strike me as upsetting. It was more of a “woah” moment. Shortly afterward, I read the following tweet from The Awl and chuckled:
No More Reason To Go To Jersey – http://t.co/g8KC4Yj1lM
— The Awl (@Awl) June 3, 2013
However, in the days that followed, I realized more and more that Maxwell’s played a pretty significant role in my life, compared to all of the other rock venues in New Jersey, anyhow.
My first memories of Maxwell’s go back to the early 1990’s. I was going to Emerson College in Boston, and I had tagged along with The Swirlies for a show they were playing at Maxwell’s. It was a very formative time in my life, and I remember many details about that trip in particular.
I ended up playing at Maxwell’s in 1996 when my band, Syrup USA, opened up for Helium. I remember getting Indian food somewhere on Washington Ave with people from both bands before the show. It was a fun time, but I was also really young and insecure, so I couldn’t enjoy myself as much as I wanted to. But it’s a great memory none the less.
I ended up making it back to the stage at Maxwell’s two more times. My old band Hidden Driveways opened up for Brendan Benson and the Gore Gore Girls on September 14, 2002. That was an amazing experience. I had been trying to book my band at Maxwell’s for over a year and a half. I would send them a CD and press kit, and never hear back. However, I never quit. I would just keep sending them stuff in the mail, and finally, out of nowhere, they gave us an opening slot on a sold out show. Amazing.
Maxwell’s invited Hidden Driveways back again for another show, this time headlining on a freezing cold weeknight. Around 25 people came to see us play. It was a good show, but that was the last time I ever played there.
It’s a bummer that this place will no longer exist. Everyone is saying that Maxwell’s is closing because Hoboken has changed so much, but I don’t buy it. It’s just another music venue that’s moving on. It’s just done. It would be great if they could stay open forever, and keep being Maxwell’s. New Jersey really needs a place like this.
Oh well. All I need to do is to close my eyes and imagine the smell of several decades worth of spilled Yuengling pints and I’m there. RIP.
