Photo by Reena Rose Sibayan / The Jersey Journal.
Located on Newark Avenue in Historic Downtown Jersey City, there’s a performance hall that may go unnoticed on the busy streets of the city, but on some evenings, lines will form from out the door and down the block, filled with fans eager to see bands from various genres take the stage.
Bands such as The Menzingers, Amyl and the Sniffers and Reverend Horton Heat have sold out the performance hall. But for local Hudson County bands and promoters, even getting an opportunity to consider playing or staging a show at the historic venue usually doesn’t happen. They told Slice of Culture that trying to make it happen doesn’t make sense for them.
White Eagle Hall is one of the more popular venues with roots that are deeply indebted in the history of the city it resides in, this can be seen with its hand-crafted stained-glass skylights inspired by Frédéric Chopin.
But the average cost for a slot at White Eagle Hall can start at $5,000 and can go up depending how long an artist plans on performing and other costs such as the need for an open bar or backstage hands to help out during performances.
“In Jersey City, venues cost an arm and a leg—think $2,000 to $5,000—depending on the view, location and swanky extras. Scoring one for $1,000? That’s like finding a unicorn, but remember, you get what you pay for, or in this case, what you don’t pay for,” said Justin Viant, bassist and singer of Hudson County band, Sir Synthesis.
White Eagle Hall has been around since 1910 and used to hold church-related activities. The venue was created by Polish immigrants and Father Peter Boleslaus Kwiatowski.
With names such as Frank Infante, a guitarist for the band Blondie, performing at the Jersey City hall, there is no surprise that many bands and artists try to get a chance to perform here too.
But for many artists, it can be difficult to find the perfect venue when cost and capacity are the main concern. Promoters try to at least break even in case the least amount of people show up.
“For the most part, I have taken the DIY approach in looking into spaces to host a show. I have seen estimates on bigger venues and spaces, and it is always a risk. Two big factors to think about are always capacity and the general area,” said local promotor Sebastian Suazo.
“You always want to think about the maximum number of people that can fit in a space, that way you can gauge at how much is the least amount of people that can come in order to cover all costs that go into the event,” said Suazo.
Suazo works with two bands called Young and Doomed and The Lion, The Lamb where they have played in venues such as The Stone Pony in Asbury Park and Cart Studios in Philadelphia.
Jersey City’s Art House Productions, which is a smaller theater compared to White Eagle Hall, can run someone over $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the length of residency.
Graypath, a West New York metalcore band, recently held a show at Seven Crest in Teaneck. Despite the band being from West New York, Union City and Kearny, they played their Halloween show in a Bergen County town that is roughly 30 minutes away, which arguably takes away from local Hudson County support.
Without you, there is no Slice of Culture. Any type of donations helps continue our mission of supporting aspiring journalists and keeping local journalism alive. Make a donation today or become a member with extra perks.
In a separate interview with Slice of Culture, lead vocalist Bryan talked about other issues with venues.
“But in terms of venues, they do vary by county and different counties have either bigger venues or very smaller venues. And it can really depend on the sound system too, you know it can be a little bit complicated for the smaller venues as well,” said Lopez.
While finding a venue to perform at is one of the bigger issues that many artists face, there is more to the climate that is the world of music.
“The ever-changing nature of the industry and shifting demands make it difficult to continually uncover fresh material, and our songwriting process is similar to mixing different ingredients, as our unique viewpoints on what makes a great song converge to create something meaningful,” said Viant.
Local talent also feels that venues should make it easier for artists to inquire about spaces and gain access to them.
“One thing that I would fix is making it easier to find out how to book in a venue. There should always be at the very least an email and a form to fill out. Venues as a whole should make it easier for artists and promoters to reach out,” said Suazo.
Another challenge is securing a venue that sees the artist or band as profitable for business, as many have been forced to close their doors due to economic pressures.
“Booking shows has always been a hassle in Jersey alone. There’s only a handful of venues that are able to keep themselves afloat, since most of them have shut down over the years, probably because it’s expensive,” said Lopez.
While there are many obstacles when it comes to pursuing a career in the arts, many feel the reward of performing in front of a crowd is more fulfilling than any other job in the modern world.
“Keep performing, whether on TikTok or at local venues, because that’s where you’ll discover new things and have the most magical experiences,” said Viant..
“A venue in Hudson County that comes to my mind is Pet Shop in [Downtown] Jersey City, as well as Green Space Studios in Union City, which I recently found out about,” Lopez added.
Some other venues that artists may consider are the Monty Hall, The Statuary and Jimmy’s Lounge, which are all located around Hudson County.
