Tipitina’s—it’s a household word when it comes to talking about New Orleans music. But it wasn’t always that way. Fifteen years ago, when I moved back to my native New Orleans from a stint in Miami in graduate school, that was the first place I headed to experience local music. It was quite a place then—you could always sneak in the back door without paying a cover if you knew the doorman; I met some really “interesting” characters at the bar; the bathrooms were notorious; and the music was fantastic.
Anybody who loved music hung at Tip’s because that’s where you could see not only local faves like The Nevilles, The Rads, Dr. John (before they all hit the big time), but acts like Bonnie Raitt, Flora Purim and just a whole spectrum of the greats (and at that time, the greats to-come). The place was wild, woolly and damned uncomfortable (aren’t all “authentic” music clubs supposed to be crowded and sweaty?). But Tip’s offered a sense of intimacy with the musicians that was unique. In fact, it didn’t seem like a business then; it was more of a social club for local music freaks-in fact it was a “social and pleasure club” formed by music lovers and fans of New Orleans music, so they could hear one of their favorite musicians- Fess-play.
Now, these guys weren’t exactly into a making money kind of ethic. Competition? There was none. Making a profit? As long as joints could be smoked on the neutral ground outside, booze flowed and great music was made…who cared?
But in 1984, things changed for the worse for Tip’s. The club’s owners gave up the ghost, so to speak, blaming the club’s failing business on the big bad 1984 World’s Fair. Along came Jim Green and Real New Orleans, Inc., who in a partnership with the original owners, renovated the place, added a balcony, a semblance of air conditioning, and took the name “Tipitina’s” from local legend to a name known world-wide. It helped that the talent booker was Sonny Schneidau, a young guy who really knew music, the local musicians and music scene, and had a rapport with booking agents who handled acts. It also helped that Tip’s was the club in town, there was no other venue with its capacity and reputation, and which embodied the traditions of New Orleans music so distinctively. In 10 years, Tip’s was at the top of the heap. It wasn’t just a local legend anymore—intensive marketing efforts, savvy booking, no competition, and the spirit of Tip’s made it a worldwide legend.
But nothing stays the same, not even New Orleans music. During the ’90s, competition developed for Tip’s from the likes of House of Blues and The Howlin’ Wolf—both located downtown, a lot closer to the tourist market, and both with musically knowledgeable and connected talent bookers; and the Mid-City Lanes Rock ‘N’ Bowl, which had capacity, John Blancher, an operator with great marketing skills, and an unusual locational draw for local talent. The Nevilles, The Rads, Dr. John, the Meters and others couldn’t afford to play at Tip’s anymore. Their draws got so big that Tip’s relatively small size-800 capacity prohibited them from playing there. Couple that with what had turned into lackadaisical management, a massive turnover in personnel and the lack of a savvy talent booker (Schneidau had moved to the House of Blues), and Tip’s fell on hard times.
Enter Roland von Kurnatowski and Eighth Floor, LLC, a group of investors who saw potential in Tipitina’s and bought out Real New Orleans’ interest. This group wanted to get Tipitina’s on its feet again as a business, yet maintain its reputation as a legend, a “shrine” of the local music scene, and a place where musical talent could be nurtured and could grow. The group has since spent $1 million to renovate the facility, its sound system and pump in (literally) 30 tons of new A/C. But that still didn’t solve the dual problem of its uptown location, and relatively small size. Eighth Floor has come up with a solution they think will solve these problems. “Tipitina’s uptown has been treated very well—the new sound system; air conditioning; the business is now run ‘for real’ and we can now say that if someone wants to play at Tip’s, they won’t be disappointed,” said von Kurnatowski. To address the size and location problems, his group is renovating the old City Lights at 310 Howard Avenue in the Warehouse District (2,300 capacity), as well as a French Quarter location at 127-233 N. Peters (800 to 1,000 capacity), just around the corner from the House of Blues. “This will give us the opportunity to offer an act who wants to play at Tipitina’s—because of its legendary status—a menu of options,” said von Kurnatowski. “Tip’s can now accommodate an act which will draw major attendance, something we can’t do uptown.” And capitalize on the club’s reputation for music in a French Quarter, more tourist friendly location.
Von Kurnatowski is quick to add when queried on the possible perception that his group may offend some of the old music folks who see the Tipitina’s name “sullied” by attachment to other locations, that “our actions do not include exploiting [Tipitina’s] good name and reputation. We see it as a means to expand the legacy even further. Tip’s won’t be involved musically where it doesn’t belong. Tipitina’s is the original, not a reconstructed facsimile of an original.”
What about booking? “We’re not even thinking about competing against clubs like The House of Blues,” says von Kurnatowski. “Tipitina’s has always been known as a place that nurtures up-and-coming local talent. We’re going to continue that legacy—we already have with our Jam Nites on Tuesdays and we’ll continue to book established local acts. We’re going to continue to book touring acts when that’s appropriate. We now have more options to offer a touring act.
“Tip’s Big Room,” the Warehouse District location, is available for private function rentals, and is currently being aggressively marketed towards that end. Tip’s Big Room hosted an 1,800+ capacity crowd during this year’s Jazz Fest for the Funky, Meters. That show will repeat on September 19, with the ever-more popular band’s only booking during the month of September. The French Quarter location, which is expected to have a mix of both local and touring talent, is expected to open towards the end of 1997.
