Head downtown any night of the week, and one is guaranteed to hear a number of conversations abuzz concerning the final days of Common Grounds.
A chief Gainesville music venue for the past fifteen years, Common Grounds has been more than just a place to hang out and see some bands for locals - it stood as a testament to the live music kinship of Gainesville. Now as the late-June closing date approaches, the Gainesville community is taking time to reflect upon the many memories that formed within the walls of the venue.
First opened as a relatively small space on University Avenue, Common Grounds expanded in 2004 to its present downtown location of 210 SW Second Ave. Harboring a capacity of 350-400 attendees, it was the town's primary mid-size venue to see both local acts and touring performers from around the world.
As its name suggests, Common Grounds maintained a foundation as a supportive space for all forms of music, a reliable hub for one to turn to when in the mood for audible indulgence. From karaoke to Kenny Chesney, rock ‘n' roll to remixes, no limits were barred on the types of performers that graced the stage. As a result, the diversity the venue promoted is echoed in the patronage it continues to receive in the Gainesville community.
Supporters such as Brittany Stella, a former UF graduate student, share similar sentiments concerning the closing of this space.
"I've been coming to Common Grounds ever since I first moved to Gainesville almost five years ago," Stella said. "I love all kinds of music, and a number of my friends are musicians. We've always just considered Common Grounds to be the staple place to check out shows and have really good times.
"Seeing Less Than Jake, JJ Grey and Mofro were all great shows. It's going to be weird when this spot isn't around anymore. It will be greatly missed."
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Co-owner Nigel Hamm has been with Common Grounds since the day it first opened in 1996. With a personality as winsome as his jubilant smile, Hamm has been the go-to guy for all booking inquiries over the years. As a facilitator for the venue's schedule, Hamm's catalog of attended shows would immediately make any music-lover jealous.
When asked what he considered to be some of Common Grounds' most notable shows over the years, however, Hamm doesn't just apathetically fire off a list of the more popular acts that have come through the doors. Instead, his deliberation is considerate and gracious, characteristics that illustrate his reputation among locals as an impeccably solid person.
"There were some pretty epic shows at the old place," he reminisced on a Friday afternoon while grilling complimentary hamburgers and hotdogs for patrons outside on "the porch," Common Grounds' outdoor bar and lounge area adorned with distressed street signs and comfortable patio furniture.
"Frank Black played there, Jason Loewenstein, Eric Bachmann ... Kenny Chesney played the current location a few years ago which was pretty amazing. My parents even came out for that one," Hamm smirked.
Hamm began working at Common Grounds when he was just 21 years old. Now at age 37, he admits without getting into specifics that his bank of memories is flooded.
"I pretty much grew up here since I spent all of my 20s and most of my 30s with Common Grounds. People ask me all of the time what I remember most. Nothing in particular stands out, but certain things will just come to me where I think to myself, ‘Geez, I can't even believe that ever happened.'"
When asked what he plans on doing next, Hamm reveals that he's not quite sure, but that it was time for a change.
"The decision of closing was kind of a big deal. But now that I'm getting older, it's time for me to experience and do other things," he said. "I'm ready to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier instead of it being in the reverse for so long."
In 2004, Jason Rockhill joined Hamm as co-owner when Common Grounds moved to its present location. Having worked at the first Common Grounds for years prior to taking part ownership, Rockhill has seen the good, the bad and the wild take place over the years.
"The shows that stand out in mind are the ones where we didn't really even have business hosting the show in the first place. We've booked bands that could have easily played a much larger venue. When Kenny Chesney played it was pretty incredible. Any place where there's a door that's taking money, he will sell that venue out no matter where it is. To have him do that here, and to have him want to do it here, was really cool."
Known as a venue that encourages progressive music tastes, Common Grounds is noted for hosting a mix of talents that have reflected the interests of Gainesville's population. Rockhill recalls one of the most memorable acts to come through town was Brooklyn hip-hop artist Talib Kweli.
"The Talib Kweli show sold out in a couple of days. I'd have to say, it was possibly the best stage performance I've ever seen in terms of having the crowd pumped. Being there made me recognize the power of the live performance. Seeing how into it everyone in the room was, just stoked that the show's happening, was amazing."
Another show that Rockhill highlighted was a performance by Old Crow Medicine Show, a bluegrass band originally from New York now residing in Nashville. This particular booking proved to throw Rockhill's crowd expectations for a loop.
"The Old Crow Medicine Show performance sold out. It's funny, though, because it's bluegrass, and because we sell so many tickets online, we don't actually know who is buying the tickets. We were expecting a laid-back, slightly older crowd, but what we got were a bunch of rowdy, hippie-ish kids that went nuts. The crowd response was so incredible and loud that they were totally drowning out the band, but in a really good way. They were singing along to every word. It was probably the best crowd reaction to a band I've ever seen."
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Common Grounds has been recognized in Gainesville as a destination venue for many local artists as well. Notorious for a steady punk rock presence, the Gainesville music scene is home to some of the most internationally recognized artists of the genre. In addition to being a primary venue for shows during the annual The Fest organized by local record label No Idea Records, Common Grounds has also hosted shows for Gainesville headliners such as Less Than Jake, Against Me! and Hot Water Music. Rockhill retells the experience of attending these shows as "a sea of people screaming every word. That's amazing to see. It's just really pure."
Despite the importance Common Grounds has played by providing local bands a place to perform, Rockhill denies responsibility for garnering any particular band attention.
"Everything good and bad that happens in town is all about the bands. The bands are the ones that create that enthusiasm. The venues can house for a night at a time, but I don't claim being responsible for bands getting big. We do what we can to make it so that people can sound good on stage and feel comfortable. But it's all about the band."
Sander Travisano, bass player of Gainesville band The Mercury Program, has attended and played shows at both of Common Grounds' locations. After leaving Gainesville for culinary and artistic pursuits in New York and Vermont, Travisano and his wife Jessie were looking for an excuse to return to Gainesville. This year they opened the Pelican Brothers Food Truck, an eatery on wheels that serves delectable sandwiches and is stationed on the parking lot of Common Grounds.
"I've known Nigel for a long time," Travisano said. "About nine years ago he and I actually had a barbecue club. When I approached him and Jason with the idea of parking Pelican Brothers at Common Grounds, they were both incredibly supportive. Pelican Brothers works well with the porch at Common Grounds, and it fits in with the venue."
Travisano, who listed My Morning Jacket, Torche and Blowfly as the best performances he's seen at Common Grounds, will be bidding the venue farewell with his band The Mercury Program on June 3 for their final performance at the space.
"We're really excited to be playing this show," he said. "It's definitely going to be a big moment for us. Almost every time we've played in Gainesville it's been at Common Grounds. But I'm glad to know Nigel and Jason are going onto new ventures and are going out with style. I think it's really great the way they are finishing up with cool bands, and even seeing old band reunions. Yes, it'll also be sad, but who knows what may come next."
Travisano's hopeful tone is similar to the outlooks shared by Hamm and Rockhill. Rockhill emphasized amidst the emotions of the venue's closing that the end of Common Grounds does not signal the end of live music in Gainesville.
"Venues will come and go. Once we close, something may pop open here and something may not, but bands will always find another place to play," he said.
"People will always have memories of seeing whatever band they're going to see wherever it is that they're going to see them. I think that some people are bummed out about us closing, but things will still go on."
