I guess that listing was the real deal. Despite a valiant effort and some amazing bookings in their last days, Circa28 has now officially closed its doors. Here's the official goodbye email-image thing which I just received:
I have a lot of memories there. It will be missed. Feel free to contribute your own thoughts in the comments area.
p.s. Sources suggest that the Peace Division show will go on as promised in a nearby location.
Is charming neighborhood bar Circa 28 in hot water? Everyone has heard those rumors, but rumors are just that: bullshit with a better name. Plus everything was going strong on Saturday and the house was packed. Unfortunately now there seems to be some hard evidence. I just came across a commercial rental ad for Circa28's space. Here's the ad:
The Perfect space for a bar or night club! Fully renovated in 2006, this 2-story gem offers everything you need! Located in the flourishing Wynwood Art District, just steps away from hundreds of new condos and the brand new Shops at Mid-Town.This is disheartening. I think most readers of this site have had more than a few good times here. For some of us (including me), the latest good time was last weekend. We'll update readers as we learn more.
Priced at just $30 per sq. ft. (NNN only), this Turn Key Move-in is a steal! Parking available! Ken Nagid 786-325-9981
With Halloween party's in other hob nob locations charging at the door, Miami Nights and friends decided it was time to give a right proper free Halloween bash. If South Beach or Coconut Grove is not exactly your thing then why not take our advice. We don't necessarily dole out the best advice here on Miami Nights but we like to think we do so take our word for it. Kinda like when we advised McCain to select Tom Ridge as his VP. McCain read our site and thought we were outta our fucking minds and selected Palin. Who's laughing now gramps! To further entice there will be free Goose till 11pm, DHM will be spinning in the vampire's loft and Jay Meletiche in the lost souls' lounge. Free entry all night, 21+, doors open at 9pm. Not Suitable for Mainstreamers Or The Faint of Heart. Come As You Are. Circa28 is locate on 2826 N. Miami Avenue.
Let's be clear, M.A.N.D.Y. never dissapoints so to expect a negative review on the music beyond this point is moot. Overall the event was a complete success. With a full venue, both upstairs and down, you could tell the people were truly enjoying the music and atmosphere. In addition to the great music the production was top notch. With dynacord stacks providing the epileptic like shakes I thoroughly enjoy, a blinding industrial strobe light Lackner likes to abuse and projectors everywhere you could easily tell things were done proper. In addition to the love of wattage the SAFE team also set up swivel cameras upstairs and streamed the video to the bar downstairs so the claustrophobics could still see the duo spin in addition to the crowd jamming. If oyu missed out there are plenty of SAFE events still upcoming. Might I suggest you do not miss any more.
The techno invasion of Miami continues. After you are done soaking up the Gurtz at White Room tonight, make your triumphant return to Circa28 on Saturday for Matt Tolfrey and Marc Ashken. These guys live in an unusual middle ground of techno, beats too solid and full frequency to be minimal, too downtempo and vocal to be banging pots and pans.
This is the second of many outrageous SAFE events, so we are looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
Also, check out this fun track from MarcAshken:
Okay, well I put that rather crudely, but that's the gist of the New York Times article published Sunday that basically tells me what I already know: Miami's art scene is alive and well whether Basel is in town or not. The author has a rather odd fascination with prostitutes and crackheads, referring to them liberally every time she mentions Wynwood. We get it. Wynwood is Miami's crack den filled with art galleries. However, the author does hit in on the nail when recommending travelers to come after Basel when there is still plenty of great works of art to be seen and at the same time avoiding those Basel headaches like the velvet ropes and hordes of people.
Several of my favorite area businesses also get shout-outs like Domo Japones, Circa 28, White Room and Lost & Found Saloon. She says about Circa 28:
Even on nights when there are no receptions, the art party rages. At midnight on a recent Friday, a crowd had gathered at Circa 28, a chill bar that opened in Wynwood in December. It happened to be during the Art Basel fair, but there was not a dolled-up socialite or dark-suited corporate sponsor in sight. Abstract paintings hung crookedly on the walls, and young artists sat languidly under a bookshelf — in marked contrast to the hedonistic, bottle-service hangouts of South Beach. Outside on the deserted sidewalk, a truck pulled up and opened its flatbed to reveal a portable art exhibit and D.J. booth that began to play lounge music.
Soon people trickled out of the bar, beers and all, creating an ad hoc tailgate party. A police car was parked a block away but seemed uninterested. A good clean party is tolerated here, almost protected, in a neighborhood with a history of more serious crime.
Young artists? At Circa 28? Oh, I think she means the American Apparel employees in tight jeans and outdated sunglasses. Same difference, right? And oddly enough, Overtown/Wynwood mega-complex Karu & Y doesn't get mentioned. Are we over Karu & Y already?
[via Critical Miami/Nefarious Girl]
Everyone out last night was abuzz with the news: The staff from Circa 28 and Lolo, proprietor of Sweat Records and Saturday's promoter at the club, have decided to part ways. There's plenty of drama and lies going around, and I won't repeat any of it (sorry, sewing circle, go elsewhere for your gossip).
I spoke to Zeke, Circa's owner, via telephone and he expressed happiness with the tremendous success that Circa has attained in the past year but a strong interest and desire to switch things up and go in a new direction before it gets too stale. To this end, they'll be taking promotion in-house and trying out new things on a weekly basis. Expect more live acts, underground music, and stuff like that that pushes the boundaries of the format a bit.
Lolo writes:
We threw a pretty unanimously well-received party for 3 weeks shy of a year, brought in a ton of great bands and DJs and had a lot of fun. I do believe the decision they made was hasty and I'm definitely disappointed in them but it's their business and I wish them the best of luck - it isn't easy. There are new venues and opportunities coming up around the corner, Sweat Records is kicking ass in it's new expanded storefront, and I'm not going to stop throwing awesome parties anytime soon. Thanks to all who have been so supportive.
There's going to a more formal announcement in tomorrow's Sweat email.
So there ya have it. There doesn't seem to be much bad blood and I guess that means no knife fights either. I think that, because of the loyal customer base, Circa Saturdays can do fine without outside promotion. We'll see over the next few weeks.
Circa 28 is a fun, indie bar located at 2826 N. Miami Ave in Wynwood. Learn more at Circa28.com
Sweat Records is located at 5505 NE 2nd Ave. Learn more at SweatRecordsMiami.com
