Back in January, we sat down with Dave McSweeney, Zach Weinert and Jason Hunnicutt of Greenhouse Lounge while backstage at Jacksonville’s Freebird Live. It was the night of their final show at the historic music venue. Freebird recently closed its doors after 16 years of operation, and Greenhouse Lounge said an epic goodbye with a sold-out performance opened by Sidereal, Hours Eastly and N.W. Izzard.
Greenhouse Lounge has also announced its final departure from the music scene, for awhile at least. The livetronica trio’s last official performance is scheduled for AURA Music & Arts Festival at the Amphitheater Stage on Thursday, March 3rd (6:15pm). While it’s a bittersweet farewell, we know this will be a fresh new start for everyone in the band and we wish them all the best of luck. See you at AURA!
What are your thoughts on the closing of Freebird Live and what affect do you think it’ll have on the live music scene in Jacksonville?
Dave: It’s bittersweet. Jason and I have been seeing shows here since high school, and playing shows here for almost 10 years. Zach has been playing shows here since 2009. So we’ve all been part of this venue for a long time.
Zach: I have an optimistic viewpoint. There are plenty of other places for live music like Jason’s venue, 1904 Music Hall. It’s a great place to perform. I’m not too worried about the impact, but it is a big shocker culturally for the beach.
Jason: I think the music will be shifting more towards downtown Jacksonville as a centralized spot. We have Mavericks, Jack Rabbits, Underbelly Live, 1904, Burro Bar, all these different venues of different sizes catering to pretty much every kind of music style. I think the shift to non-live music in the bar scene at the beach has been coming. It’ll be more of a restaurant/bar scene, which isn’t a bad thing. As far as live music, I think it’ll shift more to downtown.
How many shows has Greenhouse Lounge played at Freebird?
Zach: Well over 10.
Dave: Before Zach was in the band, we did a lot of support stuff here.
Jason: We supported DubConscious, Groundation, and some others. I’d say about 20 shows.
Dave: We did a lot more reggae stuff when we first started playing here in ’07. In 2009 we did our first headlining show. After that we started doing a lot more electronic acts. Actually, this is our 10 year anniversary too. Jason and I started Greenhouse Lounge in the back of a hydroponic shop back in January 2006. So tonight’s show is the last show in Jacksonville and our 10 year anniversary. We’re gonna be playing AURA Music Festival as our last show before we take a bow for the year.
Your show at Freebird is completely sold out. How does that make you feel?
Jason: Fucking great!
Dave: Yeah, fucking great. We’re stoked. Zach and I are taking a break from the project to do different stuff. We’ve been really busy with life in general, and after awhile things catch up to you. We don’t want to be done forever, but we’ve all been doing this for so long that everyone needs a break from the stress.
Zach: We wanted to catch it before it all collapsed. No one wants to get angry at each other. It just happens.
Dave: Ray is back in Virginia so Jason is on the kit with us tonight. We’re looking forward to this break this year. I think there will be a little more demand too after we take a break.
Zach: We’ll be back when we miss it!
The creative process definitely requires taking a step back sometimes and rejuvenating yourself. Hopefully when you come back you’ll be fresh and ready to do some new stuff, or even get a chance to explore some different opportunities.
Zach: Yeah, and it may be a little more fiscally manageable too.
Dave: Over time there’s not always enough money to get to the next level, and you don’t want to stay at the same level forever.
Zach: The music industry has one of the most deceptive perceptions. Everyone’s like, ‘Oh they’re killing it with sold out shows; they must be rolling in money.’ But it’s the complete opposite. There’s expenses. The overhead in playing music is expensive. That’s why DJ acts soar, because it’s one person. It can work though.
So Jason, are you excited about the rise of downtown’s music scene and the future of your venue, 1904 Music Hall?
Jason: Yeah, downtown is great. Downtown has already been doing its thing and coming up. If you’ve followed downtown Jacksonville over the years, The Elbow entertainment district is an organic collection of independent restaurants, businesses, bars and music venues. All of these spots are ran by local business owners and now we’ve come together as a centralized hub. The growth of The Elbow and downtown Jacksonville is going to play a huge role in getting more bands coming through. I think the quality and consistency are going to be a lot better in the years to come.
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https://greenhouseloungemusic.bandcamp.com/
