Once-hip Federal Hill nightclub gets new lease on life

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Aug 3, 2002 by Bruce Miller

After being under the same ownership for the past 14 years, a longtime Baltimore live music venue -- once a hotbed of emerging talent that fell off the city's nightlife radar screen -- has changed hands.

The new owner of the 8 x 10 club in Federal Hill has plans to revitalize the ailing club and bring it back to what it was in its heyday.

Kelly Rather, the new sole proprietor of the club and wife and sister of the owners of Mother's Federal Hill Grille, said owning a live music venue was something she has always dreamed of doing.

"I wanted to buy the club because I love live music and everybody wants to have a career they love," said Rather. "When I go out and spend time with my husband we like to spend time listening [to] live music. If I can have that environment while I'm working it will be even better."

Though the club was never officially on the market, as chance would have it Rather and the former owner Giles Cook, who has owned the 8 x 10 since 1988, shared the same accountant.

"Giles was thinking about getting out, but wasn't really sure that whoever bought it would keep it a live music club," said Rather. "I think [the club] has been successful in the sense that it has always been around and has been a mainstay.

"At certain points some people lost interest in it and it certainly wasn't at the peak it was at 10 years ago or even five years ago. It slowly declined, but just like everything else I think people get tired and burnt out. Hopefully we can bring some new energy to it."

For the purchase price of $400,000 -- 20 percent up front and the rest in secured loans -- Rather bought a piece of property the size of two city townhouses. Another $200,000-plus will go into the club, which opened July 4 under Rather's ownership.

"We'll put in new bathrooms, and it will have better viewing and better sound," she said. "Right now there are a lot of dead spots where you can't hear the music real well and there are a lot of places where you can't see the bands."

Tonight will be the last night that the 8 x 10 will exist as it has since 1983, when it first became a live music venue. The club will close down after the farewell party for renovations and will reopen under the name "The Funk Box" sometime in mid to late fall.

"With my friend and me, when we think something is cool, we always call it funky," she said of the club's new name. "The only fear that I have is with changing ownership that people might not think it's live music anymore. I really want people to know it will remain live music seven days a week. That's why we're doing it, not to change it into another type of club.

"My grandmother owned a restaurant and lounge where there was always some live music and then I've kind of always worked in the bar and restaurant industry," she said.

For his part, Cook, the former owner, also said the timing was right for him to get out of the music business so he could pursue other interests.

"I've been in the music business for 20 to 25 years," he said. "I started a small horse farm two years ago and have been working on that so the time was kind of right."

Cook added that through the years the club has seen its ups and downs as far as attendance. On average, he said the club generally attracts a couple hundred people per week, but that number can get as high as 400 or 500 depending on the featured band and the time of year.

Despite the club's fluctuating performance, though, he said it has always been successful artistically.

"It's offered an eclectic mix of local and national talent," he said. "Primarily it's been an original music club. We've had bands from Baltimore that started out here and now have national contracts. It's appealing to people. As far as live music venues and original music venues there is a difference. This is for people who want to see original music. They're not interested in the top 40."

Meanwhile, Dave Geller, president of the Geller Group and a local concert promoter and consultant to the music industry, said the 8 x 10 no longer has the reputation it had in its prime.

"I don't think it was as much of a contribution to Baltimore nightlife at the end as when it was originally opened," said Geller. "For the past few years the club has not been well maintained, and not really booked, and it just kind of fell off the radar.

"When the 8 x 10 first opened, and in its heyday, it certainly was one of the showcase clubs in Baltimore. Candidly, I think the ownership really didn't care towards the end. The owner owned the building and had low debt and was willing to let it go to pot and just sort of cherry pick it for what it could be," Geller said.

However, Geller said he has been in contact with Rather and feels that her plans will bode well in improving the club's tarnished image.

Rather said she has no qualms about buying the 8 x 10.

"I actually really don't have any fears about [the reopening] because it's been a staple in the Baltimore local live music scene for so long and has been a springboard for so many bands," she said.