Tag Archives: City Stages

The Bottletree Bailout is born!

For those that visited the site this weekend, the post at the top of the page best summed up my thoughts about the situation involving  The Bottletree and City Stages. So of course the next question was, what else to do besides asking folks to go. The answer is simple -> ask them to come out!

We’re calling a Terminally Happy Hour for this Thursday, July 2 – only this time it’s a Bottletree Bailout! We’re asking all of you that see this (and your friends) to come out to The Bottletree whenever you can during happy hour on Thursday – we’ll be getting there at around 4 p.m. – and enjoy meeting people from elsewhere in metro Birmingham while providing business for a venue that’s done a lot for us.

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A range of emotions for City Stages

We’re still finding more conversations and blog posts to add to our list involving the demise of Birmingham’s 21-year old music festival, City Stages:

Dennis Pillion followed up his initial post on his blog about what the festival meant to him with what can best be described as an investigative piece about how the festival ended up where it did.

Secret History Productions shared this post on MySpace that seemed to bring out opinions as well both for and against the idea of music festivals in general.

Mary Jean Baker LaMay was a long time volunteer for the festival (and continues to be a friend to this website) who decided to share her thoughts about what the festival meant to her via yesterday’s editorial pages of The Birmingham News.

For some more nostalgia, why not check out BhamWiki’s gallery of City Stages posters (and submit photos of the others to them if you can).

From the Stationmaster: Help out The Bottletree

I generally do not write directly to y’all  unless it’s over on my Birmingham, but I feel as though this is a necessary reason…

Bottletree BW logoSome of you have no doubt heard about The Bottletree’s situation as a result of City Stages’ recent decision to shut down. I do know that The Bottletree has been a major supporter of The Terminal from day one and one of the main reasons that this site is still operating as of right now. I will say that I don’t have any way to put my money where my mouth is because right now I don’t have any money.

Since I can’t support a business that has helped me out on numerous occasions when I’ve been down and out when they need that generosity returned financially, I’m asking you to find any way that you can to help Merrilee, Brad and the rest of the folks over there out.

Eat, drink, see a show, leave a big tip – anything – and if you know of any other vendors that need assistance, besides the ones mentioned in this report by ABC 33/40, please submit a comment to this post and let all of us know.

City Stages is no more…

newcslogoIf you haven’t already heard, the Birmingham Cultural and Heritage Foundation announced earlier today that City Stages is no more. The Birmingham News reported the story first earlier this afternoon. Wade on Birmingham and bham.fm have also posted about the news and already have comment threads of their own. Wade’s includes a link to Dennis Pillion’s post about his last visit to the three-day music festival.

Tonight’s episode of WBHM’s Tapestry program (one of the last weekly editions) plans to include a look at “the death of City Stages” while bham.fm’s Twitter feed gives us a look at how this announcement may have ripple effects throughout the community. There’s also all of the other thoughts being shared on Twitter.

Additional updates after the jump: Continue reading

UPDATE: City Stages 21 makes NY Times list

UPDATE: 5.12 – …and now, the festival’s unveiled their new calendar. More on Timetable.

The first act hasn’t even taken the stage for this summer’s edition of City Stages and it’s already being talked about in The New York Times. Birmingham’s annual summer music festival was the only one from the state of Alabama inclueded in paper’s list of pop music festivals taking place this summer (called appropriately enough, Summer Stages). The list appeared in Sunday’s paper and is the second time in two months that The Magic City makes an appearance on the pages of the paper.

It also helps out that since the list is alphabetical, it’s the first one…

UPDATE: City Stages 2009 | Acts announced, website unveiled

This morning we’ve started seeing the first acts for City Stages 2009 be announced and dissected (courtesy of The Birmingham News and Wade on Birmingham respectively). So, what else can we add?

cs2009screenWell, for starters the festival ‘s new website is scheduled for launched today – this morning actually. Whether that happens or not, it’s our understanding that It has been built using WordPress, the same CMS program used to operate The Terminal. The site will feature the festival’s new logo and allow you to share your favorite City Stages memory. We also know that we’re planning our own special City Stages section again this year, though it is still not ready for its own unveiling as of yet.

So for the time being, we want to know what you think – as Birmingham’s world class music festival is the basis of today’s Magic City Question.

Image: Screenshot of new City Stages website.

UPDATE: The City Stages ’09 campaign is… you!

UPDATE #2: Remember that manifesto I talked about… we’ve got it! Scroll down and click on the link to read:

UPDATE: The reveal is definitely interesting:

DSCF0120 

The campaign is centered on us – Birmingham that is.

This year’s effort to make people aware of the festival as it comes of age involves sharing what City Stages means to those that attend it. Dan Monroe of Cayenne Creative explained the concept to a full WorkPlay Theatre this evening.

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