Higher Ground

By Max Owre

Max Owre visits Vermont's hottest new club and gets the word on the music, the men and the mission behind Winooski's Higher Ground.

Alex Crothers is comfortable. He has created a place where he can be comfortable. He has created a place where you can be comfortable, too. In a shopping plaza just down over the Winooski River, in a former Denny's at that, Crothers and his partners have built the club that we've all needed for a long time. Local club stalwarts Metronome and Toast have long served us with a wonderful variety of shows, but because of their size the Burlington area has missed many shows by larger acts who can't afford to play smaller rooms. A venue somewhere between Toast and the Flynn has been needed for a long time.

Higher Ground is the place. It's a kind of place where people can rap, eat 'wraps' and not get wrapped up in an obtrusive "club atmosphere." Take a tour of the club with Alex and he'll tell you about the special foam insulation used on the ceiling and he'll describe the solid slab of concrete that makes the stage so nice and stable. Go ahead. Jump on it. You can. 

Comfort is the key to the Higher Ground. From the care that they display in picking out their staff to the minute details of the position of mirrors, no amenity has been overlooked. Kevin Statesir, one of the club's four owners, remembers going to clubs in the 70's and taking notes on all the improvements he would make. In particular, a clear line of sight to the stage from wherever you are, breathable air, and elbow room. He walks on air as the fruition of a twenty-five year dream lives and breathes around him.

The facilities at Higher Ground are a first-rate music-lovers fantasy.

Powerful bass bins line the front of the stage making the bass, as Crothers describes it, "move up your feet from the dance floor and settle in your stomach." The stage prevents any reverberation from occurring and pushes the sound out into the club. Short people are saying "you built this for me" because of the unobstructed sight lines. Even from the pool table tucked in its corner, a massive mirror perfectly mounted above the railing allows the indoor-sport minded patrons to look up and remember what they paid the cover charge for. Crothers wants every patron to know that they can get what they paid for.

A crucial part of the package deal comes from Deborah Kerr and Gretchen Verplank's interior decoration. Unlike other clubs that have let the free form of rock and roll dictate the decor, Higher Ground stands out with it's mature yet playful feel. The café stands alone with its drop ceiling and comfortable furniture. Lunchtime patrons can enjoy a pleasant environment that is replete with fresh flowers and no evidence of the wildness that occurs at night. Even the tiling on the floors was methodically planned out on graph paper to ease the transformation from light and airy café customer to dark dancing demon. 

Why Winooski? Poor little Winooski suffers from some self esteem problems when compared with the haughty and proud 'Queen City.' But what is very cool about Winooski will make Higher Ground even cooler. This blue collar community gives the Higher Ground that "urban-renewal" feel that is so very hip these days. After contemplating several other towns in the area and receiving a cold shoulder, Kevin Statesir finally found an ear on the Winooski Community Development Board who could see past the "club" stereotypes that frightened lesser communities. A crucial element of the club's philosophy is to enhance the area that they have chosen. What has begun to develop in Winooski is a symbiotic relationship akin to that which the Flynn and local businesses enjoy. Kevin stresses that "we are trying to be good neighbors". 

This notion of symbiosis extends to the Burlington music scene. This relationship is on two levels. As I have already mentioned and everyone knows, Burlington needed a larger club for the audience. But how about the musicians? Is there anything in it for them? Crothers emphasizes that his club is committed to bolstering this music scene and although not everyone will be able to play such a massive hall right away, it does provide an incentive for any band that is ready to take the next step. This is the size of a club that "matters" in the industry. As for the competition, both Kevin and Alex feel there is room for everyone. Although Crothers admitted that there is some overlap, there is a whole industry of artists out there who haven't come to our area because there isn't the right room for them. A good example is the upcoming Steve Earle show. A well known name in country-rock circles who has yet to play Burlington, Steve Earle will surely fill Higher Ground with an older crowd that might not be patronizing the other clubs that night. 

Kevin and Alex both stress the multi-generational appeal of their club. The Club is 18+ which guarantees a youthful college scene. These college kids will be excited as they pulse to the bigger name acts that have stayed away from the scene as well as local favorites such as Strangefolk, who's recent local shows have gotten a little cramped, to say the least. But Kevin's 70's-funky feel and the clean, mature feel of the club have already proven popular with the "we're-not-dead-yet crowd". The addition of the lunch business crowd to the mix is yet another example of the versatility of the club.

When I checked out a show at the club, it was a hopping night during the Discover Jazz festival and Lester Bowie, a nationally recognized trumpeter, was jamming with our local favorites, ViperHouse. The place was packed and yet every note was crystal clear and even on the other side of the bar I was able to see the band as though they were on television (but bigger, with a 3D feel). All that Alex and Kevin were dreaming of and the other two owners, Rob Hintze and Matt Sutte, helped create, was perfectly realized that night. They hit all the essential points. But according to Kevin, their job is not done.

Kevin describes their opening as "an opening just to be open." With the delays that naturally will offset such ambitious plans, they made sure that all the key features were taken care of before they bit the bullet and opened the doors. Already local photographer's works grace the art nook on the raised platform off of the dance floor. The women's room door is such a work of art that it is hard find the handle (Alex assured me this was being remedied). Much more is planned. They would like to have theatrical productions in the space as well as showcase art films and other special events.

This will surely help them once they get past what they refer to as the "honeymoon months." The response from folks was overwhelmingly positive during this period. Statesir described how gratifying it was to have people come up to him after spending $15.00 on a ticket and $3.50 on microbrews and say "thank you." With such a flood of praise in this - the slow season - the big plans that Higher Ground has for the fall should generate even more interest, especially from the college crowd, who Kevin aptly pointed out, have about the same walking distance to the club as they do downtown.

Such overwhelming appreciation is a result of the club's excellent basic design and philosophy. People have overstated the importance of some connections between the club and Phish. That connection is great for those who went to see one of the first shows there featuring Trey Anastasio, but the connection does not set the whole tone for the music hall. It is an unavoidable fact that one of the largest live music markets the college age set is the "groove" or "hippie-rock" genre and this will be showcased at Higher Ground for the kids. But at Higher Ground there have already been DJ's, english rock bands, country acts and many other events that defy the stereotype that the Phish ties have created. As to the concern that the locals expressed when the thought of five thousand hippies bathing in the Winooski scared them, Kevin sums it up, "It is not about who's hang-out it is, it is about who is here and what is going on." 

Nicer people couldn't have been chosen to be the trend setters of a new scene. Alex explains that everything they try to do centers around creating a family. From a dream - years in the making - to a reality which employs over thirty people is quite a jump, and the relaxed attitude translates easily to all the employees. The staff knows the club is very cool, but perhaps it is Winooski which keeps anybody from being cocky about working in such a hip place. They even have Mikey Van Gulden, a fixture in the Burlington club scene. Who wouldn't feel comfortable with Mikey as head of security? 

Higher Ground has a host of upcoming shows which will showcase just what a larger room can do. Attractions such as Ween (postponed), The Samples, and The Sam Bush Band, have waited long enough for the right-sized venue.

That time has come and we can all be thankful. Comparisons are made between this club and the legendary Hunts. The similarity is only skin deep. On the surface both clubs are large venues that can draw a wide variety of styles and hold larger crowds. However, when one looks at what the owners of Higher Ground have done to ensure a quality spot for all to enjoy, it is apparent that it blows away Hunts. Perhaps, as Crothers suggests, the ghost of Whispers and Le Club, two former occupants of the space (before Denny's) are adding to the mystique. It has also been suggested that this place has "the feel of Hunts." Maybe, just maybe, the ghost of Hunts has been floating around Burlington and was just looking for a place to land. 

Time will surely write a colorful history for the club called Higher Ground. Let's all be a part of it.

Max Owre has two eyes, two legs, two ears, one wife, almost two children, one band. Did we miss anything? Oh, he slays dragons, too.