Venues such as The Jungle struggling to cope with the Covid-19 temporary shutdowns are looking to the Save Our Stages Act to help them get through until reopening is possible. — Photo courtesy of The Jungle

By Max Eidelman

Congress has recently passed the Save Our Stages Act as part of the Covid-19 Relief Bill. This has been designed to provide funds that can support independent venues through the persistent havoc that the pandemic has wrought on the realm of public performance.

Sam Epstein, manager and owner of The Jungle Community Music Club here in Somerville – better known as The Jungle – recently spoke about how this will hopefully help him steer the course for his venue.

Before discussing the current status of The Jungle and plans for the future, Epstein spoke a bit about the background of the venue. He explained that the building used to be an old police station garage and that the area was essentially abandoned since the ‘80s. Of course: abandoned plot of land + derelict garage = ideal place for music.

Clearly, the place has had character from the get-go. Having only opened in 2019, though, The Jungle was still a new spot in the city by the time the virus upended live music and the rest of the world along with it. Epstein explained that up until the closures were forced in March, The Jungle saw improvement in attendance each month, with great local bands and musicians attracting more and more folks, often filling the venue to capacity.

However, Epstein had to shut down totally last March. By May, Epstein was able to re-open a take-out only option and then in June outdoor seating became available as well. At this time, musicians could play inside The Jungle and live-stream their performances too, which at least gave them an opportunity to share their music in some capacity.

This was short-lived, though, and it seemed as though this was as good as it was able to get during the whole ordeal. In Somerville, musicians have been completely banned from performing outdoors, and so the ability to live-stream indoors has really been the only viable option. This is all the more reason to hope that funds coming from the Save Our Stages Act will help small venues allow musicians and eventually audiences to return safely.

At the moment, The Jungle is completely shut down. Epstein said that as soon as the application becomes available, he’ll apply for Save Our Stages funds and use the money to help pay for The Jungle’s expenses first. He’s hopeful that by spring or summer, folks can come back into The Jungle if they’ve been vaccinated.

Currently, though, Epstein’s top priority has been trying to spread the word about the Save Our Stages Act. The goal is to inform as many independent venue owners as possible about this opportunity for funds.

Epstein spoke highly of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), which has been instrumental in coordination and communication with small venue owners. NIVA in fact spear-headed the effort to lobby the bill in congress. Epstein also spoke of a smaller, local cooperative of small venue owners – Save MA Stages. As the name suggests, this is a collaborative effort to support independent venues in Massachusetts these upcoming months, especially in the way of spreading news of the Save Our Stages funds.

There is a Facebook group for Save MA Stages and a website as well: www.savemastages.org. The website essentially is a form to complete to join the mailing list for information about relief funds and NIVA notices. Venue owners, musicians, fans and anyone else who wants to be involved are welcome to join and spread word.

Independent venues like The Jungle are such an essential part of the community’s culture. They bring people together and give local musicians a platform to perform – or at least they used to. The Save Our Stages Act and the local Save MA Stages effort give reason for optimism that a safe return to The Jungle and other local venues is on the horizon.