The twice-monthly, acoustic-styled concerts at downtown’s One Trick Pony have spotlighted emerging national acts since 2001. The community radio station now plans to focus on shows at the larger Wealthy Theatre.
Colorado musician/singer-songwriter Chris Daniels played to a small crowd last fall during the Hat Trick Concert Series.
It’s the end of an era.
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After a dozen years of spotlighting nationally acclaimed, emerging acoustic artists in an intimate setting on Monday nights, WYCE-FM has pulled the plug on the Hat Trick Concert Series at One Trick Pony in downtown Grand Rapids.
Citing lagging turnouts and increased competition from other live music venues, Kevin Murphy, manager of the listener-supported community radio station, said the once-popular series had “run its course” and it’s time for WYCE and the Community Media Center to invest their resources in hosting concerts at the CMC-owned Wealthy Theatre.
Singer-songwriter Anne McCue played the final show in the fall edition of the series on Nov. 19. Normally, Hat Trick concerts would resume in the spring.
Initially conceived by singer-songwriter Ralston Bowles and then-WYCE manager Michael Packer with One Trick owner Dan Verhil, the twice-a-month Monday night Hat Trick shows launched in 2001 not only brought in phenomenal, national artists – The Kennedys, Chris Smither, Paul Thorn, Johnny A., Tracy Grammer and many more – but passed the hat for dozens of local charities, raising nearly $75,000 for these agencies over the years.
Many artists packed the cozy, 140-capacity room on otherwise quiet Monday nights on the Grand Rapids music scene during the series’ heyday. But numbers have fallen off considerably the past few years, Murphy told Spins on Music, with only occasional concerts drawing big crowds.
Last Dance: As it turns out, Anne McCue played the final Hat Trick show last fall.
“The last couple years, we booked some pretty good (Hat Trick) shows and had some pretty good beneficiaries, but we didn’t get people coming to the shows,” Murphy said, noting the live music scene in Grand Rapids wasn’t nearly as vibrant or competitive in 2001 when the series began. Even some nonprofit groups benefiting from the shows haven’t helped bring in audiences for Hat Trick shows as they did at one time.
THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINING THE BUZZ
“In its heyday, Michael Packer certainly was the spirit behind the thing of making it work. The first five years, it really did have a buzz and a vibe and people came to it as a series. I don’t know if the formula just got old with people and it loses its sparkle (but) the general feeling is I think it did run its course. There were some great shows and magical moments.”
Also, the size and atmosphere of the venue limited the sorts of artists that WYCE could attract for the series, Murphy said, thus adding to the challenge of booking Hat Trick shows.
“I was disappointed after a 12-year run; I thought it was successful. But they decided to go in a new direction,” said Verhil, who’s looking at other options for events in addition to One Trick Pony’s regular Thursday and Saturday night concerts.
Dan Verhil
“I’ve met with Ralston and Michael; it might not be a Monday night thing, but I’ve got some ideas. I’m thinking of hooking up with local chefs and raise money for nonprofits. That’s what I’m most disappointed in is that we can’t help the nonprofits (through Hat Trick collections).”
Packer said he hopes “that it will be revived in some other form. … First and foremost, it assisted and brought attention to so many worthy local non-profit organizations. The audience benefited from great well-known and emerging national talents performing in an intimate setting. The station benefited from getting exposure and, yes, making money from the event. One Trick Pony benefited from having full houses on an otherwise quiet evening. Finally, the artists benefited from having a venue to play on what is generally an off night when you’re on the road.”
THE BEST HAT TRICK SHOWS EVER
Verhil, an avid fan and supporter of local musicians and acoustic music, conceded that increased competition among venues has hurt Hat Trick turnout in recent years. “When I opened in ’96, there was just a handful of venues. Now, there’s 40-50? … There are so many music venues out there now, you can pick and choose what shows you want to see on any given night.”
He said he marveled at the bracing performances delivered by many under-the-radar national artists playing Hat Trick shows. “That’s the part I’ll miss because I don’t have access to those kinds of people that WYCE did,” he said, “but we’ll figure something out.”
Although WYCE hasn’t yet come up with a replacement for the series, Murphy said the station will focus efforts on staging unique concerts – things like last November’s all-star cast of musicians performing Paul Simon’s “Graceland” in its entirety – in the larger, 400-seat Wealthy Theatre starting in the fall. He said he’s left it to Verhil to determine whether he wants to continue the Hat Trick series in some fashion at One Trick Pony.
“We have a venue I want to use with our partners at the Media Center,” Murphy said. “We want to come up with some specific ideas this fall to keep that energy going and better serve the mission of what we we do at the Media Center. … We are a non-commercial, music community-building concern. That’s what we do.”
Murphy conceded many acoustic music fans and One Trick Pony patrons will be disappointed that the Monday series has come to an end.
“I’m sure there are people who are going to be bummed that it’s not going to be happening anymore,” said Murphy, noting he first approached Verhil about discontinuing the series more than a year ago. “But I’m hoping these people can understand that with the amount of resources and time and effort that we put into it, that it was reaching a point of diminishing returns.”
One of Spins on Music’s favorite Hat Trick performers: The Deadstring Brothers
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Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
I’m very sorry to hear this. YCE has done a great service to musicans and worthy organizations with the Hat Trick series. Thanks to our friends there, and to Dan and Lisa for providing a gracious venue for 12 good years!