But Hogan thinks that Passim will stand out as an intimate refuge from the huge arenas frequented by the most popular of these bands. “[Music fans] are going to see that Passim’s an alternative,” he says.
While Smith estimates that over half of Passim’s shows feature local talent, the Sinclair brings in all national acts to headline. But like Passim, the Sinclair seems to be benefiting from its diverse programming. “Whether it’s Mission of Burma, a Boston punk institution…or Jessie Ware, a really up-and-coming British soul/R&B type act, you get a completely different crowd,” says Josh Bhatti, who manages the Sinclair as well as other Bowery Presents venues. This variety has served the club well in its first month of life. “By and large we’ve been surpassing expectations,” Bhatti says.
Their club and Passim have a symbiotic relationship. “I think [the Sinclair is] going to draw people into the Square who like music,” Hogan says. “And then they’re going to see Passim, which they may not know about.”
Smith loves hearing when artists who have performed at Passim end up playing at larger venues like the Sinclair. “That’s what we’re here for,” Smith says. “We’re here as this…engine room to get people going.” It’s an ideal match; the Sinclair draws people to the Square with recognized acts, and Passim offers them a cozy alternative and a place to see local bands before they reach national audiences.
Smith acknowledges that there have been and will be down times in the music industry, but he firmly believes that the scene’s lulls are often just transitions, such as when the ’90s singer-songwriter scene dissipated but ultimately gave way to a new generation of bands that favored post-grunge and pop punk. In these situations, it is up to clubs to keep on the lookout for the next big thing. Passim has ridden the choppy waves of popular trends for years—outlasting many other venues that have come and gone—and the Sinclair seems to be following a similar plan with its multifaceted programming.
STUDENT ABSENCE
With Passim and the Sinclair working together to offer a little bit of everything, it would seem Harvard Square is still a paradise for music lovers, if not quite on the scale that it once was. Yet with everything going on, students may not be listening.
“Nowadays, a lot of people are stuck in the familiarity circle,” music director for the Harvard Callbacks Cynthia S. Meng ’15 says. Meng is a music lover who enthusiastically consumes soul and R&B music. She attends several concerts a year: this year, she headed into Boston to see Mumford & Sons, the Avett Brothers, and Esperanza Spalding. But she has never been to—in fact, had never before heard of—Passim or the Sinclair. Meng says current students don’t want to take the risk spending money on something unknown. “They’re going to save up, they’re going to splurge on something they can go and buy merchandise for [and] Instagram pictures of,” she says.
“When I go out I tend to see more older people than younger people,” Nowlin says.
Looking at contemporary youth, he sees students more distracted by other forms of entertainment. “A lot of people today don’t really care about seeing live music,” he says. Instead, many young music fans remain content listening to music on their computers. He also believes more is expected of students today than was in the ’60s. “People have to work harder than we had to, so they don’t have much free time to begin with.” As Meng says, it is only for chart-toppers that most students will fork over their time—and the cash—for tickets. This might work in the Sinclair’s favor: Harvard students frequent the larger venue, and its shows feature recognizable national bands. Few, by contrast, have seen the intimate interior of Passim.
The low student draw is not for lack of trying on the club’s part. Passim has created several initiatives over the years to raise awareness on campus; recent collaborations include a concert on the Science Center Plaza and a performance of the play “Woody Sez,” in the Square with live music to supplement a simulcast from the American Repertory Theater. Hogan is also considering offering cheap student rush tickets through the Harvard Box Office, in the hopes that students will be more inclined to purchase tickets through a familiar avenue.
When asked about the effectiveness of this plan, Meng says, “Maybe.” The thriftiness of students extends to on-campus events—Meng says that she has trouble selling Callbacks concert tickets even to friends. She does think that students are more likely to attend on-campus shows, though. “Part of that has to do with knowing the students,” she says. Passim does book student bands, which could possibly draw out students to see their peers. However, the majority of these acts come from music schools such as Berklee, and therefore do little to draw the Harvard crowd.
BEYOND THE BRICK WALL
Despite the lack of student interest, Passim and the Sinclair seem safe for now. In fact, the very technologies that seem to be distracting the young are instrumental in connecting what is now a fairly spread-out community of listeners. “On any given night, any venue could be the heart of the Boston music scene,” Bhatti says. He cites modern social media sites as essential tools for spreading the word about upcoming events. “It’s palpable when there’s a show in town that has all the buzz in the world,” he says. “You go on Facebook, you go on Twitter, and…that night, that’s the venue to be at.” Students may be spending less time at concerts, but those few who are curious about music have everything at their disposal to discover what’s going on.
While Harvard Square is no longer as central a hub as it was in the ’60s, the area’s music is alive, thriving and more diverse than ever—no longer the heart but a strong arm of Boston’s extensive scene. But in this new age, as Smith sees it, students will be responsible for keeping live music popular. “Dare to check out new things,” Smith says. “That’s the best thing for everyone.”
—Staff writer Tree A. Palmedo can be reached at treepalmedo@college.harvard.edu.