Terrapin Crossroads - RIP??

[John A]

There's a hot rumor circulating that Jill and Phil will close TXR in San Rafael.  What is publicly known is an article came out last week in the Marin Independent Journal about how the lease for the Beach Park (the outdoor venue along the canal adjacent to the back patio), which expires at the end of September, has yet to be renewed.  The city owns the park and TXR leases it from them. The annual amount is a paltry $15,000, especially considering outdoor shows are all that's really happening there now. They've never opened the restaurant in any capacity since the initial pandemic shutdown, even when it seemed Covid was on the steep decline in late Spring.

 

So this is all ripe for rumors that closure is imminent. I even heard there's a Jeep dealership interested in the space!   I suppose if this is the end of their run it shouldn't be too surprising.  Phil is 81, and, especially after a pandemic, one could see that Jill has had enough with running a restaurant.

 

In the spirit of its potential demise, I dug up this review I wrote on what has to go down as one of the handful of most memorable shows there. Hard to believe it was over 9 years ago.

 

While it's hard to touch the magic of what this impromptu evening offered, I did have a few other pretty special times there.  Central among them was a mind boggling late second set Help>Slip>Franklin's from a  DSO '76 recreation, and a DSO acoustic show featuring a Bird Song that was completely off the hook.

 

Wednesday, May 23^rd, 2012 in the TXR Bar

10pm - 11:10pm

 

Terrapin Crossroads, the project that Phil and Jill Lesh had been working on in Fairfax for some time, and that was forestalled by a vocal minority of locals, finally opened this Spring in San Rafael to a chorus of complaints about the hefty price of admission for Phil & Friends shows - $150.  But hey, that comes with a poster, plus a grilled cheese sandwich on the way out the door.  More recently, Phil and been leading various groups of musicians through a series of “West Coast Rambles”, modeled after the famous Levon Helm “Midnight Rambles” held in his barn studio in Woodstock.  For the Rambles shows, the costs are scaled back to $65.  Then last week The Crossroads announced a “Telstar” show this coming Sunday, more open ended jam oriented, for the bargain basement price of $30. 

 

And finally, this Tuesday and Wednesday, the fee to see Phil at the Crossroads came crashing down to zero.  Now, these shows were not held in the “Grate Room”, but rather in the adjoining restaurant.  But they were scot-free.  The line up was a sub set of this weekend’s Ramblers; Phil on bass, John Kadlecik on lead, and Jon Graboff on pedal steel. Reports on the Tuesday show were quite positive, so after an open house for my 7^th grader at Mill Valley Middle School, I was off to San Rafael.

 

I arrived around 8:30 to a casual scene.  The cocktail/bar section of the restaurant was full but not bursting. The performance area encompassed the landing at the bottom of a wide, twisting staircase.  The back of the “stage” opened onto the main dining area, and the front (slightly more than 180 degrees of the ring) opened to the cocktail space, the hallway from the main entrance, and the wood burning oven.  I was able to settle in just behind the people who were against the ropes, in the thin corridor between the pizza bar and the stage.  There were somewhere around 150 people already there, swelling to maybe double that as the 9pm show time approached.  Then it happened.  Complete darkness. 

 

At first it seemed like something had blown right there on site, but the jolt of having large amps and speaking several feet away instantly cut out will create such an illusion. And the only good view of the outside world from where I stood was through the back of the restaurant across the canal; all lights on there.  So I was surprised when, after about 10 minutes, a security officer announced that the outage was area wide (apparently only on Terrapin’s side of the water) and that no further details were available.  Frankly, I was even more surprised that they weren’t moving to have the place evacuated.  But no, we were just told to hang tight.  In fact I had just been pondering that there likely must be some sort of public mandate about evacuating a crowded establishment where there was no power.  Instead, it appeared Terrapin was able to play by its own rules.  And indeed, Phil came out minutes later and said there will still be a show, it will be acoustic, and that amazingly there were no acoustic instruments on hand but they were “nearby.”  It was another half hour before several guitar cases made their way through the front door and up the staircase.  It’s a good bet going forward that Terrapin will be better prepared!

 

By this time staff had swept through with trays of lit candles, doors had been propped open for ventilation, camping style lamps were strategically placed, and a table of brightly burning cylindrical candles of varying heights had been set up in the center of the performance space (to call this a stage is a misnomer).  The power wasn’t coming back but music was imminent.  When the musicians finally came down the stairs, slightly over an hour after we were plunged into darkness, JK, Jon, and Phil all had acoustic guitars.  JK had what could have been a Takamine, looking exactly like something Jerry would have played.  Jon’s guitar looked to be a steel strung model with dark grained wood.   And Phil had a large bodied instrument similar to what I recall him playing at a benefit show way back in 1994 at the Berkeley Community Theater Berkeley High School benefit.   Phil also carried out a MacBook Pro, which I found curious.  He consulted it briefly a few times between songs.  There were also small battery powered lit-lights on JK and Jon’s music stands.

 

Now it was time to see not only what these performers were made of, so far as their ability to roll with this massive audible, but also to see what the audience was made of.  This was the absolute test of an audience’s resolve to pay respectful attention, the likes of which I’ve never experienced.  Think about it:  300 plus folks, most of whom had a few drinks in them, in an inherently awkward performance space, with zero amplification.  This should prove interesting.  And by god it worked.  Not perfectly of course.  There were bottles to recycle at the bar.  And there was the aisle behind us that kept getting clogged, requiring the occasional “please, we have to keep this space clear” from staff members. But the catcalls were almost exclusively between songs, and the few sing-along moments were well placed and mostly fitting.   I think ultimately the urgency of keeping silent was so obvious to everybody that 99% of folks didn’t dare even breathe heavily.   That made it even more head scratching the few times someone had to be shushed; what could anyone be thinking??

 

So the show then was a tightrope act; a continuous give and take between the spellbinding understated power of what we were witnessing with the annoyance of the varying distractions.  Most importantly though, on balance it worked.  Perhaps not consistently throughout, but certainly on the whole.  The set list was nuanced, varying from classic acoustic numbers like Dire Wolf, Folsom Prison Blues, Dark Hollow, and Jack-A-Roe, to complete surprises such as Casey Jones, Bertha, and Here Comes Sunshine.  Jon Graboff sang the Johnny Cash classic along with Dark Hollow, but I felt his vocals were less than ideal given the scenario.   Phil sang only one song, but it was a soft, gorgeous, lilting version of Peggy-O.  And wow did the crowd stay quiet for this one, especially when it become apparent how hushed and reticent his voice was.  For the high notes you had to crook your neck forward to hear, but I must say I’ve never heard his voice sound so soothing.  It felt like you were with him in his living room. 

 

With JK, however, it was more like being around a raucous campfire.  He projected, intoned, resonated, and more or less just stole the show.  I have a completely new respect for the Ryan Adams song Peaceful Valley.  Dire Wolf and Bertha were rollicking and bouncy.  Here Comes Sunshine was a ray thereof.  But the knockout punch was Visions of Johanna.  The lyric sheet was clearly placed and the light on JK’s  music stand adjusted.  Being able to refer sporadically to the lyrics made him that much more confident.  And his reading was breathtaking - both forceful and seductive.  Unbelievably, the guy behind me and to my right not only knew most all the lyrics but proved it by mouthing them softly.   I suffered through a few verses before realizing he wasn’t going to stop, so I told him “Hey man, it’s really impressive that you know all the words to this song, but I can hear you as loud as John.”  Thankfully that shut him up, and it might also have shamed him as he left the area when the song was over.  Lyrics always have a way of taking on a continued, evolving meaning with the Grateful Dead, whether it be their own songs or those of others.  In Visions, several lines had a newfound resonance, such as “Ain't it just like the night to play tricks when you're tryin' to be so quiet”, “Lights flicker from the opposite loft”,  and of course “The ghost of electricity”.  Unmistakably powerful stuff.

 

After playing for just over an hour, they closed the show with a magnificent I Know You Rider, featuring splendid, potent harmonies.  And then, with what was probably a collective breath of “Thank god we made it through that,” the show was over.  The crowd whooped, banged, and hollered rambunctiously for several moments after the musicians had retreated up the stairwell, but when the candles were blown out it was clear there would be no encore.  It occurred to me that not only were such unforeseen circumstances necessary for this scenario to have gone down, but had the power actually come back on at any point (and it’s amazing that it didn’t) the unique and astonishing vibe would  have been derailed.

 

What an improvised, singular experience, the likes of which will almost certainly never be witnessed again.  I wouldn’t want to be part of such an experiment with a NYC crowd of socially lubricated Heads, but the West Coast folks were able to make it work.  In the Lesh household, I fancy that JK’s stock just skyrocketed.

 

The set list went like this:

Casey Jones

Dire Wolf

Bertha

Folsom Prison Blues

Here Comes Sunshine

Peggy-O

Peaceful Valley

Dark Hollow

Visions Of Johanna

Jack-A-Roe

Don’t Ease Me In

I Know You Rider

[Ammagamalin Crew]

We weren't able to access TXR when in San Rafael first weeks of July. My first time back to the bay area since JGB Warfield shows and it's kinda a lost cause being there without getting to see Jerry.🤔. My cousins are in Big Sur, Carmel and Santa Rosa and then up at Garberville we did the Avenue of the Giants and Redwood National up past Eureka; however, its a bummer not having the magic at night. Too bad Phil can't pass the torch to some other heads? I remember your review when you first posted it. 🎯

[Rude]

I got to see an epic Sunday afternoon show at the beach park on July 1, 2018. Was right after the 6 Dso cali shows and the day before 2 shoreline deadco shows. Phil and Moe from 2p-8pm. Was 73 and sunny all day. Just perfection. Had brunch there to start the day then saw the show. But I can see Phil being done with all of it. He’s got his nut. Why stress over a restaurant that is struggling. 

[Blindman]

I was there that night as well John and remember it being special as well.  The Visions really stood out to me that night. I sure hope they don’t close the clubhouse.  Between two years of COVID and fire seasons, losing TXR permanently would be a real drag.  

[Rude]

I’m guessing many people who lived within 5-10 minutes of that venue wish they saw more than maybe 1 show a year if that........

 

 

and people who moved to the bay specifically just to see more dead, you’d think they would be at TXR all the time right...... 😜

[Hardpan]

Great write up, John, love the details 😃

[comesatime]

What’s up with Sweetwater and Bobs recording studio, I forget the name of that place  ,,, are they still going ???

[John A]

Sweetwater just started having live music again recently.  And they revamped their restaurant - it's now a New Orleans theme. 

 

Bobby's studio, TRI (Tamalpais Research Institute) has had some webcasts with Wolf Brothers, and I imagine Dead & Co and other outfits still rehearse there.

[John A]

The latest...Guessing the initial restaurant lease was for 10 years, unless they signed a 5 year and the second 5 is now expiring.

 

https://www.marinij.com/2021/10/21/fans-of-terrapin-crossroads-are-hoping-for-a-miracle/

[Tom Banjo]

Just read that article it looks like the writing is on the wall. Hey at least you'll be able to get a new jeep 

[Rude]

 Dear Terrapin Nation,

After almost ten amazing years, we've decided that it's time to close the book on this chapter of Terrapin Crossroads. We're incredibly thankful for the staff, musicians, and community that made Terrapin special, and we hope that you'll remember the past decade the same way that we do; with love, joy, and a deep sense of pride at what we all built together.

 

We explored all possible options in an attempt to keep Terrapin at its current location, but after carefully considering a number of various partnerships and collaborations, we decided that the best thing for us, and for Terrapin, was to bid farewell - for now. In that spirit, while Terrapin's time at its current location may be coming to a close, we know that Terrapin Crossroads was never a location - it was a community. We hope to see you all soon, in some form, somewhere down the road.

With Love and Gratitude,
Phil and Jill Lesh

 

via John A

[John A]

Yep, it's finally official.

[Island Bro]

That’s really disappointing…

I was hoping it could somehow work out under new ownership or something…they put a lot of energy into that place and created a great space,,,it’s a shame to see it go down after only 10 years….🙁

[Rude]

Investing in a restaurant in a crazy expensive part of California sounds like a bad bet in these times. It’s likely why they said screw it.