Pages
Stay In Touch
More
© 2021 The Somerville Times. All rights reserved.
ONCE Somerville has found new life for their live events at Boynton Yards while they search for a permanent indoor venue. — Photos by Joshua Pickering
By Fernando Cervantes Jr.
As restrictions loosen and businesses and venues begin reopening around the Commonwealth, the demand for events and entertainment has been soaring like never before.
One of the venues which has been flourishing recently is ONCE Somerville, a space where various musicians and artists have performed for six years.
According to JJ Gonson, founder and proprietor of ONCE Somerville, their venue is a place where people can gather and enjoy different artistic performances. “It’s a place for people to gather and enjoy performances together in a safe and inclusive environment,” Gonson said.
From 2015 to 2020, ONCE Somerville Ballroom and Lounge was the physical space where they held performances and shows, but due to the pandemic this place had to close its doors.
“ONCE Somerville hosted a variety of events: music of all kinds, community events, nonprofit fundraisers, theater productions, weddings, and so much more. In November of 2020, the ONCE Somerville Ballroom and Lounge was forced to shut its doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
The loss of a physical space was a hard hit for them, and their lack of space is something that is still afflicting them today. According to Gonson, ONCE Somerville is still looking for a physical space to fill. “There’s not a lot of big rooms in the area and rent is very very expensive. We’re trying to find something that’s big enough and also affordable,” Gonson said.
Although they do not have a space at the moment, ONCE Somerville has been able to partner with Boynton Yards, which has granted them a location to hold their performances safely and effectively. “Our venue is outside, its entirely outside at a parking lot,” Gonson said, “It’s right in the middle of a development called Boynton Yards, which is right outside of Union Square”
ONCE Somerville has seen success in their summer series at the location in Boynton Yards. According to Gonson, the community has reacted to their music venue positively. “It’s been terrific, it’s been very well received. We’re having a really good time,” Gonson said.
A list of performances and their current location can be found on the ONCE Somerville website: https://oncesomerville.com.
If you found this article of interest, please consider sharing it.
While I am glad that ONCE has survived – I have to question the widom of holding even *outdoor* live music events during the Delta variant-induced COVID surge. We’re only a few weeks into that – but the rise in area COVID hospitalizations is already concerning.
Not everybody is vaccinated, after all. And while the vaccines certainly do reduce the severity of the illness – they are limited in their ability to prevent infection or prevent transmission by the infected. I’ve no doubt that ONCE will follow CDC guidelines for large outdoor events – but there is growing reason to believe that these guildelines will soon be modified to advise against such gatherings.
I would hate to heap yet another financial crisis upon Ms. Gonson and her employees, but it doesn’t seem like responsible public health guidelines should allow for these shows to be held at the present time.