By Michael Swanger michael@dmcityview.com

Moreland & Arbuckle, a hill-country blues band from Kansas, performed May 17 at the Vaudeville Mews. Amedeo Rossi, one of the nightclub’s owners, said the Mews might close or move if its lease is not renewed by the time it expires Sept. 30. Photo by Michael Swanger

Owner says Vaudeville Mews might close or move

Amedeo Rossi, co-owner of the Vaudeville Mews, said the downtown Des Moines live music club might close or move if he and his business partners are unable to renew their lease before it expires Sept. 30, possibly making way for condominiums to be built at the Mews’ current location.

“We have a six-year lease that ends then and we’re a little uncertain if we will be offered a new lease or not,” Rossi said. “I told my employees about the situation.”

Rossi is one of three co-owners of the Mews, including Frank Burnette and Steve Taft. The group of businessmen opened the music club Dec. 5, 2002, though their lease began Oct. 1, 2002. They lease the space for the nightclub, located at 212 Fourth St., from Joe Coppola, who did not return calls for this story.

Rossi said “everything is on the table now” as he and his partners contemplate closing the business or moving it to a new location. “Do I want to push to stay; go somewhere else; or pack it in because we’ve had a nice little run? I’m kind of evaluating everything to see what the landlord does,” he said.

The upstairs portion of the building that houses the Mews is vacant and undeveloped, Rossi said, adding that the “economics are obvious as the value of buildings continues to go up” should Coppola decide to develop condos or apartments there. In recent years, downtown Des Moines has experienced a boom in housing development. “But I don’t think Joe has decided how to develop the building. We’ll know more in the next month or so.”

Whether the Mews will reopen at another site should Coppola opt not to renew its lease remains to be seen. Rossi said location is key should he move the business and that maintaining a live music club can be difficult. Over the years, the 230-seat Mews has hosted a variety of indie-rock, jazz, alt-country and pop-punk bands.

“Music clubs are a struggling business by definition,” he said. “You can get by for a little bit but still not get to heaven.”

Rossi said the Mews has a good rapport with Coppola and the neighborhood, and if he decides to move, he wants the club to be a good fit with its new surroundings. One option Rossi said he is considering is moving to the Lovejoy building, a two-story building in downtown Des Moines located at 12th and Mulberry streets. The parents of The Nadas’ Jason Walsmith own the building.

“I’ve been looking at spaces for a long time,” Rossi said. “A stand-alone music venue is a tricky business.”

Scene notes

The lineups for this year’s Nitefall on the River, Bluegrass Tuesdays, Des Moines Arts Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, Live at the Creek, Saturday in the Park, Sugar Grove Winery, Zoo Brew, several bars and a host of other live music events appears in the music section of this week’s Summer A&E Guide cover story. … Tickets for Heart’s July 20 concert at Prairie Meadows’ Events and Conference Center go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster. They cost $48-$84. … “Gay in the Gateway 2008,” an event that features music, food, drinks and a silent auction, will be held Saturday from 3 to 10 p.m. in downtown Des Moines. Performers, some of whom play regularly at the Ritual Café, include The Honeybees, Katie Sawicki, Brianna Lane, Mare Wakefield, Synitha Sanchez and Ms. Pride 2007 — Madison Cavalier. Admission is $5. … The Rod Chaffee Band plays a mix of R&B and funk on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Summerset Winery in Indianola. Admission is free. Visit www.summersetwine.com. … A reminder, the Crossroads Music Showcase to be held Dec. 4 at People’s Court in downtown Des Moines is accepting applications from local bands to perform at the event. Electronic press kits to be submitted to Sonicbids (www.sonicbids.com/crossroadsiowa) are due June 15. Artists selected to participate will be notified by Aug. 1. A $20 submission fee is required by Sonicbids. … Due to a scheduling conflict, Girl Talk will not perform at the 80/35 festival sponsored by the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition. DMMC officials said they hope to bring him to Des Moines later this year. The non-profit group will also announce the full 40-band lineup and schedule in the coming weeks. Already bands like The Flaming Lips, The Roots, Yonder Mountain String Band and Jakob Dylan are signed on to the play the two-day event July 4-5 at Western Gateway Park. … In other DMMC news, the group will host its annual meeting on Monday at 6 p.m. and its membership meeting June 9 at 6 p.m. Both events will be held at the Mickle Center. It will host its next events and festivals meeting on June 10 at 7 p.m. at Java Joes Coffeehouse. … Harmonica player and singer-songwriter Rick Stanley of Fairfield will perform live as part of Iowa Public Radio’s performance series, “Java Blend,” at noon on June 6 at Iowa City’s Java House. If you can’t attend the taping of the show, you can hear it re-broadcast June 21-22. GrooveShip, a group of Iowa City veteran jazz and blues musicians, will perform at the same venue on June 13 at noon. Their show will be broadcast June 28-29. … Local songwriter Bill Melton has started a chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International as a way to help songwriters hone their craft. The group met for the first time two weeks ago in Johnston, but will continue to meet and discuss a variety of subjects including local artist showcases, guest professional writers and possibly some road trips or retreats, said Melton, who is the NSAI regional chapter coordinator. For information, visit www.nashvillesongwriters.com or contact Melton at bmeltonmusic@aol.com or call 289-1153. … The videos for the 2007 Community Jazz Center Jazz Hall of Fame induction ceremony were recognized at the recent Iowa Motion Picture Awards show. Brackett Media & Event Services (www.brackettmedia.com) filmed the event, and has done so for the last five years. This year’s video earned the group an award of excellence in the category of Editing/Long Form and an award of achievement in the Educational category. … While packing his bags in Wisconsin to move to California, former Trailer Records and Iowa City musician Kelly Pardekooper discovered a few musical gems that didn’t make the cut on his records, so he is offering them for free on his Web site. The tracks are titled “40-Weight” in celebration of his 40th birthday. Visit www.kellyp.net. … The River Music Experience’s 2008 Rock Camp USA three summer sessions will be held June 16-20 and 23-27; July 7-11 and 14-18; and July 21-25 and July 25-Aug. 1. Visit www.rivermusicexperience.org for details. … Country music singer Wynonna will play Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Altoona on Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets, $35-$75, are on sale now through Ticketmaster. CV

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