Launchpad is closed until further notice due to water damage.

Damn!
This is getting really depressing.

that is sad. the GW was the first place i played in town.

it had a cool old west atmosphere to it, im glad i got to play there at least once.

that really sucks.

This is a serious bum out!!!

I hope they rebuild both and turn them into really kick ass places. And the g/w was my favorite place to play... it was like playing at a house party only no one ever showed up!

Sad...

Wow, seems so weird watching that on T.V. and seeing nothing there but the walls left....

True that The G.W. had it's problems but its still pretty sad so see such a place burn down like that...That was one of the first places I ever played when I moved to New Mexico and maybe because I wasn't raised here but being an outsider back in the day I knew that when I walked into that palce I knew that place had its fair share of History and then some......

I just hope they don't fault anybody for the fire but it is true that the palce had some pretty shotty electrical problems, but I do agree with Sid, the Lauchpad wasn't all that better either.

I just hope the Kathy didn't decide this was her way of Spring cleaning!

quote:

Originally posted by Sid:
Those places were tax write offs. I doubt they had alarms or insurance.

quote:

Originally posted by justJon:
Just heard an interview w/ the owner, she says the GW is done, "unless the community wants to do something with it."...

Pretty much what has been speculated in many past threads. The idiots controlling the "Trust" that supposedly represented the ownership of that building have seem to have gone out of their way to keep any sort of potential those venues had from ever happening. (not to say that many optimistic, tireless souls haven't tried to change that by trying to bring positive change and through trying to support local bands and book profitable shows)

Yet it's been an important part of Albuquerque's musical history as well as my own. Opening for Jane's Addiction in El Rey, for Pavement at Golden West, Rocking out with my future bandmate at numerous Resin Records shows---the fucking list goes on.

I'm sad for the community, musicians and fans, and steamed at the perptual, seeming intentional mis-management by the "Trust". I'm no Fire Inspector, but it sure as hell seems like this could have been prevented.

Fuck.

This is just heartbreaking. I was headbanging in there just last weekend, and walked by the darkened place right after last night's Launchpad show. I had no idea that was the last time I'd see it.

Seriously, this was my favorite place to rock, even though it had become a rarity. So many fond memories. Now it's destroyed.

How the fuck does a fire just spontaneously start at 6 in the morning?

Channel 13 keeps calling it "The Golden West Corral."
I was just down there checking it out. The GW is completely destroyed. It shares a common wall with the LP. For structural reasons, it's probably going to have to get bulldozed, which means no LP for much more than 2 weeks. Depends on the insurance, but we're probably talking months, not weeks. Joe and Luis are already finding new rooms for the shows they had booked.
The GW building was an amazing room. Fucking sucks.
So, what do we do now?

quote:

Originally posted by SquawkJockey:
...So, what do we do now?

Support local shows and venues more than before.

We never know when something we take for granted will cease to exist.

Shit. This gets worse and worse.

But yeah, what can we do but continue to rock out and support others doing the same? I'm with black - no use crying about it; onward through the fog smoke.

That was the best bar in town, as far as rooms go. It had an old tin ceiling, bouncing wood floors ... it was ABQ's only real saloon, at least downtown. You really can't rebuild that kind of history.

But it was being wasted anyway. That place was the most frustrating situation to be involved with...

The Launchpad will be out of commission for months--not weeks. The common wall with Golden West in the rear has collapsed. As of 11am they still are not letting anyone into the building.
The PA's amp rack lives on an elevated platform connected to and supported by that wall. The right side of the PA hangs just inches from that wall supported by i-beams directly above it. It's hard to imagine any of the gear in that area remaining unscathed. The FOH mixing position (consisting of the console and processing rack) is farther forward in the room but still right up against that same wall. That's darn near every piece of meaningful sound equipment (except mics) in the venue being right in harm's way.
It would seem that the PA will most likely need to be completely replaced before the next show is played there. Obviously that's in addition to major structural electrical and cosmetic repair.
Hopefully the 'Pad will come back stronger and better than ever, but it's going to be while.

Launchpad expansion...

quote:

Originally posted by Action:
Launchpad expansion...

WooHoooo!
Hostile takeover!

quote:

Originally posted by Action:
Launchpad expansion...

I like it.

Me and the boy just walked down to check out the damage and it is... impressive. Looks like the roof of the Golden West just exploded and you can see straight out the back and into the alley. Joel and Noelan and some of the other Launchpad guys were standing in the parking lot across the street just staring.

I never got to see a show at the GW, but reading everybody's posts tells me I missed out on something good. Even though we haven't lived here long my wife and I just feel sad. Lost rock!

Noelan gave me a shot of Jim as I was leaving the Supergiant show last night. May have been the last drink served for a while.

Now if this damn TV helicopter would stop spinning circles over my neighborhood. You got the burning building shot. What the fuck else are you looking for?!?!

This comes straight from Launchy staff: LP's PA is ruined from smoke/water damage, partial wall collapse between LP ans GW, LP will be closed one to two months!

Shit fucking suck.

Harry / U7d

Hey, look on the bright side! There's always Misty's Hideaway!

I suspect that bum living in the doorway next to the Launchpad with all the crazy, pissed off cardboard signage.

OR maybe it was the movie people...(it's all special effects).

OR Mayor Marty...oops, i thought i was torching that pesky Lunchpad.

Either way it sucks...that room was beautiful--I spent many a hammered night on that stage back in the day.

ROOFUS
www.myspace.com/theoldmain