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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Featured Galleries: August 13, 2007 Mobius seeks permit for live music By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings On The Agenda Verde Village , a 68-unit subdivision proposed on the site of Ashland Greenhouses on Nevada Street, comes back before the Ashland Planning Commission on Tuesday night. The project — which requires annexation and a land exchange with the city, among other requirements — first came before the commission in 2006. It will now be considered under new approval criteria. Instead of approving all the different aspects of the project, the city could grant the applicants, Greg and Valri Williams, a development agreement, which would ratify a multipronged agreement between the Williams’ and the city. Before that happens , planning staff has raised four issues it suggested should be addressed before the planning commission offer approval. According to the staff report, those concerns are: impact on the Ashland Creek riparian corridor from the residential development; the usability of the proposed open space areas; a lack of a justification for one of the new streets for the development; and whether a sidewalk is needed to connect Nevada Street to Oak Street. Because the Mobius does not have the right permit to offer live music, the live music venue of Fourth Street is requesting a conditional use permit from the Ashland Planning Commission. "Currently, the building does not have an approved building permit for assembly use," city planning staff wrote in a report. "The theater use is currently functioning without land use approval." The request will be heard on Tuesday, 7 p.m. in the council chambers, 1175 E. Main St. "We are prepared to make upgrades or changes necessary improvements that are recommended to us by the Fire Department for safety, and any other recommendations by the city," wrote Aaren Glover and Beryl Jacobsen, co-chairs of the Mobius board of directors. They are requesting a variance from a city parking rule requiring 30 parking spaces for club patrons. The club said it has agreements with neighbors to accommodate 30 cars, but planning staff countered that the agreements are somewhat nebulous, and until they are cleared up, staff would not recommend approval for the permit. Additionally, the Mobius would like to hold events for up to 120 people, but Ashland Fire and Rescue said it is only permitted to have 49 people in the building, including its staff. "Due to the large number of outstanding issues, Planning Staff is unable to recommend approval for the project as proposed," according to the staff report. "Given the large size of events proposed, it is not clear that the impact will be minor and the burden of proof is not met for the Conditional Use Permit." The issue has compelled Mobius' neighbors and other Ashland businesses to write to the planning department, telling it what they think of the venue's effect on downtown Ashland. "The usual aftermath of a concert at Mobius involves arriving at work the next morning to find broken glass/beer bottles, cigarette butts, trash in general and graffiti," wrote Crissy Barnett, owner the Peerless Restaurant on Fourth Street. "I would welcome a responsible music venue as a neighbor in the railroad district. Unfortunately, Mobius has not demonstrated that they are responsible. I would appreciate your denial of a CUP to operate beyond their present use as a sound/video studio." Other Fourth Street neighbors — Deluxe Awning Company and Haskin's Garage — also wrote letters advocating against granting the Mobius special permission to operate — as did Peerless manager John Mullowney. However, 23 Ashland businesses and residents wrote to planning staff advocating that the permit be granted, because of the unique service the Mobius offers Ashland. "With the recent closure of many performing arts venues in Ashland, the Mobius is a much-needed resource for our community," wrote Inger Jorgenson, owner of Bohemia Gallery on A Street. "It is also important for our culture of tourism to have more venues such as the Mobius." Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 ext. 226 or [email protected] . To post a comment on this story, go to www.dailytidings.com . Current Comments: I support the Mobius, it is easily the best music venue in town, though the neighbors do have a valid concern. Perhaps Mobius will need to assign some staff to handle cleanup after events, or maybe do like we used to do after Dead shows, pass out the trash bags and pitch in! JAM - Ashland - August 13th, 1:51 PM The Mobius wouldn't have these problems if they aligned themselves with OSF -- they'd be handed a below-market lease on some property with built-in conditional uses, then they could sign up for the "cultural" subsidies and other special treatment. Outside of Shakespeare, this town has no "culture of tourism" and clearly doesn't want any "unique service". Richard Cranium - Ashland OR - August 13th, 2:03 PM There you go again, Cranium, showing yours is empty! Yes, OSF pays very little in lease fees but THEY built and PAID FOR their structures which are, in turned owned by the city. OSF pays for ALL maintenance and is a very respectible citizen of the community. YOU, on the other hand, hide behind your psudonym and criticize with little factual basis. I hide behind a psudonym to protect myself against crackpots like you. Cranium Cracker - Ashland - August 13th, 5:12 PM The Mobius built out its facility at its own expense and is being denied a conditional use because *some* events are disruptive. I stand by my assertion: if the Mobius "sanitized" its event calendar, they would probably be given permits. City grants more amenities to OSF, which is somewhat reasonable behavior until it conflicts with other legitimate local businesses who want to expand. I've always wanted to be a crackpot -- at least you didn't call me a "planner". Richard Cranium - Ashland OR - August 13th, 6:20 PM The Mobius had a first-class act on Saturday, the Australian singer Mia Dyson. We lucky 25 members of the audience got to enjoy a top notch singer, and an awesome sound and lighting system, all for $10 a ticket. This concert was a great live performance. Let's support the Mobius! Jane Slater - Ashland, OR - August 13th, 6:31 PM OK, so this might be an interesting music venue. The bottom line, though, is that the city has zoning and codes to keep some semblance of order. The apparent track record of Mobius is not so good according to immediate neighbors and THEY are the people who'll need to live with it. I say, give 'em a temporary (maybe 120 day) variance and IF they can bring up their standards to neighborhood satisfaction, revisit the issue. If not, then it's just plain 'no'. ...maybe - Ashland - August 13th, 7:08 PM its so sad that we live in a town that doesnot support the arts? hey lets have a little fun in this life!! raj - ashland - August 13th, 7:31 PM Mobius has operated without approval and has put patrons in jeopardy in the event of a fire. They do not meet fire code. Parking is a problem, but safety first.If they can get parking for the patrons and get under the fire code allowances then I imagine they'd be approved. Its not about the music, its about being a responsible business to the community and music lovers. remember: http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/02/21/deadly.nightclub.fire/ 1 of 100 - Ashland - August 13th, 8:17 PM "Artistic" Ashland is now in danger of becoming as music-free as "sophisticated" Portland is of humor - a million-and-a-half people up here and yet there's only one stand-up comedy house in the entire area! Now Ashland, one of our rare culturalist cities, is considering going without live popular music simply because outsiders might come in to have some good fun? Gawd, lighten up, people! Dwight Spencer - Portland, Oregon - August 14th, 1:31 AM The Mobius is permitted to run a music/video recording studio. Hello? Is that equivalent to a concert venue? These guys may be genius sound technicians and video/webmeisters, but they are clueless if they think they can get away with that sleight of hand - especially in this town. City staff/officials are bound by statute (State law) and/or code to do what they're doing. It's not some arbitrary application of a bureaucrat's idea of "good taste." This is not rocket science folks! CMA - Ashland, OR - August 14th, 6:00 AM The suggestion put forth by "maybe" makes sense to me. Pat - ashland, or. - August 14th, 8:11 AM Dwight: the comment "is considering going without live popular music " is a distortion. There are other live music venues in Ashland. In fact the same band booked at mobius could be booked at the historic Armory right down the street where a larger audience can be accommodated, parking exists, and the property has gotten all the approvals necessary. Other venues may be smaller. This town could use a new large venue like the one 'A Street Market' place built but was converted to theater use. Let the bands play on - Ashland - August 14th, 9:16 AM I am not sure about the issues raised by the powers that be regarding safety, although it sounds like the Mobius owners are willing to work with them. What I am interested in is what variance OSF, OSW and the Cabaret theaters have been given to deal with their parking compliance? Using the above numbers as an example, OSF would need almost 1500 parking spaces and I'll be darned if I could find that lot anywhere downtown. In the name of justice, let's all play by the same rule book. Tonya - Ashland, OR - August 14th, 9:19 AM Well said CMA. I bet you could find a lot of City employees that would/have enjoy(ed) the shows at the Mobius. But when, as stated in the staff report, there are multiple violations of State and local law, the City can't turn a blind eye. Remember the nightclub fire? I bet people thought it was very important to retain that music venue for cultural purposes but to endanger people (and be a nusiance to the neighbors) runs counter to the provision of entertainment. amos - Ashland, OR - August 14th, 9:21 AM Two interesting points: 1. OSF builds/maintains their theatres, but the CofA owns them: this makes all OSF property tax-exempt, while others are expected to pay their assessed property taxes. 2. The Ashland Armory probably enjoys its approvals due to its distinguished ownership (which in most places would be considered a "conflict of interest"). Ultimately, the Mobius probably doesn't belong in a Gentrified District. Unfortunately, we don't have a Grunge District to accomodate such uses. Richard Cranium - Ashland OR - August 14th, 9:22 AM it's my understanding that the Armory is quite expensive and therefore prohibitive to a majority of the people that play at the Mobius. robin - Talent, or - August 14th, 10:47 AM OSF is tax exempt and would pay no property taxes whether or not the City owned the property or building. No business downtown is required to have parking, so parking costs are subsidized by the rest of us. OSF did chip in for the parking garage. (Mobius is not in the downtown district.) I don't know the armory story, but it was built in part as a public assembly hall, so its minimal parking probably was grandfathered in, certainly before the current "distinguished owner." Tom Bird - Ashland, Or. - August 14th, 2:33 PM The argument that not supporting the Mobius variance is equal to not supporting the arts is the same as the conservative argument that anti war protesters do not support our troops. It is also not about the privileged class versus grunge, the rich against the poor or the homeless versus the Homers. This is about being good neighbors and respecting the law. Revizit - Ashland, OR - August 14th, 4:45 PM And people wonder why the town has become "varicose village". It's run by and for the "blue hairs". Anything new, young or hip is verboten. Take a look at the audience at OSF. A few more years and OSF and Britt's audience will all be in walkers. They are in BIG trouble. We're only a few steps from becoming Branson. Get out while you can! SeppiSlice - Ashland - August 14th, 6:49 PM Where do you live, Seppi? I'll be over in the morning to help you pack up and even buy you your first tank of gas out of town!!! This is NOT an OSF vs. Mobius issue. It is an issue of zoning and safety, both of which Mobius seems to be violating. That and the fact that they have apparently not been great citizens of the neighborhood they're in given the experience of the businesses very close by. Since they've broken the laws/rules, how can they even remain in business? David - Ashland - August 14th, 9:43 PM Seppi: To paraphrase Sir Thomas More: "Ah, old age, yes, he comes for ALL of us". But, then, Seppi probably doesn't know who More was. Pat - ashland, or. - August 15th, 5:29 AM Pat, not if all of us, just the lucky ones. But, I sympathize with Seppi's point. Given it's reputation as a cultural center, this town seems uniquely bereft of anything resembling a vibrant youth culture, and even more strangely a music scene. It's killed me for years (10) just how lame the musical choices are here. Especially given how many great musicians there are. Anytime there's a brief surge of goodness, something kneecaps it... Musically Frustrated - Ashland, Oregon - August 15th, 11:51 AM �whether it's mismanagement of a club or an irritating noise ordinance. This coupled with the increasingly large influx of retirees and the drip-drip exodus of young families makes it challenging for those of us who want to stay, but love (and miss) music. The Mobius has been one of the few bright spots recently, bringing in interesting music acts from around the country and world. I can't see why inhibiting it from continuing is a problem.... Musically Frustrated - ashland, Oregon - August 15th, 11:56 AM �as to David's and Revizit's comments, it seems to me that Mobius is attempting to comply with the law and be a good neighbor by going through the Planning Commish process. Just like there were a couple of angry neighbors who nearly endangered the RV Roasting Co. a couple of years ago, Peerless's & friends' complaints strike one as sour grapes. They deserve airing, but ought not be the final word on Mobius' value to the community. Especially given the dearth of other venues in town. Musically Frustrated - ashland, Oregon - August 15th, 12:03 PM Furthermore, the reason it's easy to blame this on the geezerification of town is that there's been little vocal support from the elders in this community for a vibrant music scene. One gets the impression that Boomers and Silents have their musics and their memories and have no use for anything new. I mean, they do come here to retire after all. This isn't to condone generational warfare, but to point out that a reaction like Seppi's isn't totally devoid of reality despite its incendiary tone Musically Frustrated - ashland, Oregon - August 15th, 12:08 PM Thank you all for your very indepth and passionate comments. I would like to offer any and all of you the opportunity to come in and speak to me in person and see and learn more about what we do. I hope that personal communication and a glimpse of the inside of our business may help some of you understand why we are seeking this change of use permit and parking variance. I am here Monday through Friday, 9-5 pm. Beryl Jacobson, Co-owner, Mobius Productions Beryl Jacobson - Ashland, Oregon - August 15th, 12:53 PM The Mobius has been serving the community for years now, providing a safe, clean, classy, all-ages venue for people to enjoy world-class live music, art and dancing. They have put Ashland back on the map for touring artists that in the past would drive right on through town and not stop. Please go watch a show at the Mobius (or http://mobiuslive.com/) and form an opinion for yourself. The Mobius should be granted the variance in order to continue to serve the people of Ashland. Mariana - Ashland, OR - August 15th, 1:43 PM It seems unfortunate that we can't look at this in a different light. This appears to be a valuable asset to our community, in the way of live music for all ages. Let's ALL work together to find ways to make it work for everyone. Peerless, any ideas? Maybe we can approach the Mobius as a great concept whose execution needs refining? robin - Talent, or - August 15th, 2:16 PM Musically: We've actually been to Mobius a couple of times and liked what we heard. My objection to Seppi's post had to do with the tone. If one is trying to build support for something, does it make sense to alienate potential supporters? I like the idea posted by "maybe"--a temporary permit. BTW, I do agree that Ashland is a bit of a music vacuum and could use some variety. Classical and "old school" aren't everyone's cup o' tea. Pat - ashland, or. - August 15th, 3:15 PM This argument can be oversimplified as "quaint vs grunge", in that a mildly grungy establishment is fighting for the right to operate in a quaint district. Assume the Mobius is willing to move to a grungier neighborhood where live music events aren't going to bother anyone. Now, where is that neighborhood in this town? What? We don't have one? So where "should" venues such as this be located? Eugene? Portland? Baghdad? Richard Cranium - Ashland OR - August 15th, 6:30 PM Lumpy's on Ashland Street has been for sale for a while, as has the old bowling Alley. Either of them would seem to be a much more appropriate location for a "grunge" music venue Tom Bird - Ashland, Or. - August 16th, 9:10 AM Is Ashland and are the Mobius neighbors friendly to a music venue? If that is the question I am sure the answer is Yes. The issue for the Mobius is that they have been running a music venue without permits to do so. They now need to go through official channels and obtain proper permits. That is the only issue here. Everything else is deflecting attention from what is really happening. deb - ashland - August 16th, 10:06 AM It's not "just permits", or the issue would already have been decided -- Rogue Valley Roasting Company was nearly run out of the neighborhood despite the fact that they operated with valid permits from that location for many years. Lumpy's would make a fantastic venue; there's no residential uses close enough to be bothered by live music, and it's far enough away from gentrification to avoid those issues as well. I hate to say the Mobius should move to please its neighbors, but... Richard Cranium - Ashland OR - August 16th, 1:16 PM On the support of live music in Ashland: Alex's has great music Monday and Thursday, no cover. I have been down there with two or three couples in the house. Same is true with The State of Jefferson Pub. Get out and support local live music and more venues will believe your words by your deeds. Please Music now - Ashland, Oregon - August 16th, 4:00 PM OK, Seppi, Frustrated, Cranium, et al... YOU find a location next door to where YOU live. Doesn't matter if it's zoned properly or not 'cause Mobius will operate there for several years before asking for permits. If just tossing out zoning and safety rules is OK, then YOU folks better not be the NIMBYs here. Make it your personal mission to locate this business in YOUR neighborhood. Then, in five years we'll see if you feel the same way. This ISN'T similar at all to that coffee shop issue. David - Ashland - August 16th, 5:07 PM Frustrated....please take a breath, dude! Geez! The bottom line here is that this business needs to work within the community zoning/safety codes. As I suggested, give 'em a temporary variance and see if it'll work. If not, then don't make it last. It's really the market that drives the music scene. If there were truly the large audience you all seem to believe exists, someone would be able to make a venue work. So far, it hasn't happened. But again, take a breath & stop making accusations. ...maybe - Ashland - August 16th, 5:13 PM This conflict is about the City's failure to offer adequate parking and pitting citizen against citizen with their failure to do so. Their ridiculous belief/policy that no parking equals less traffic is coming home to roost. The consequences are serious and go beyond their philosophies about transportation or cars. If Ashland really wants to be a �pedestrian friendly� community it needs to supply adequate parking. Livability includes being able to park and having easy accessibility to any venue. on and on - ashland - August 16th, 7:11 PM Ashland makes me sad. This used to be a place that tried to support businesses and arts of various forms. Now it seems a town just full of stodgey people. I moved back this year bringing my business and family with me, but I wonder if it was a mistake. How sad. I wish you the best Mobius. Brian - Ashland - August 17th, 12:11 AM Maybe: I've had several since writing, thanks. I wasn't making accusations so much as expressing frustration. I'm also not claiming that a large audience exists, though I think a large enough one does. (Consider the Yard Dogs show from a few months back which sold out fast.) David: I've lived near clubs many times in my life. I love being near where interesting things are happening. If I wanted silence and stillness I'd move away from town. And 4th and A is just barely residential. Musically Frustrated - ashland, OR - August 17th, 10:24 AM The claim<i>'"The usual aftermath of a concert at Mobius involves arriving at work the next morning to find broken glass/beer bottles, cigarette butts, trash in general and graffiti," </i> is total crap. Every single time I've been at the Mobius, I've met nothing but an attentive staff, polite patrons, good music & a clean site. What Peerless really fears are people spending their $$$ at places other than their own. Totally baseless claims! Peerless has just lost a customer. DeLonde Bell - Medford, OR - August 17th, 11:58 AM We here at The Mobius appreciate the communities interest regarding our application for a conditional-use permit. In order to help this discussion properly represent the actual situation, there are a few misrepresentations that we would like to address here. In addition, we would like to take the opportunity to offer a little more from our perspective. It is our hope that this clarity will help you to be more informed about your position regarding our change of permitting--whatever that posit The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 2:28 PM We would like to address the misconception some have about The Mobius being a "punk", "grunge" or "hard rock" club, or that we host "rave" parties at our venue. This perception could not be farther from the truth. Since The Mobius came under new management over two years ago, what we actually feature, record, and webcast, is grammy award winning jazz, bluegrass and world music performances, as well as, monthly art presentations, tango and poetry nights, film premieres and acting classes, all w The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 2:30 PM The most important misrepresentation we would like to address: The "safety" of The Mobius. This issue is not about running an "unsafe" nightclub. The statement in the article by Robert Plain reads "Additionally, the Mobius would like to hold events for up to 120 people, but Ashland Fire and Rescue said it is only permitted to have 49 people in the building, including its staff." Included in the comments section of the article online was a link to a news article about a nightclub fire on the East Coast. We are certain this was an unintended misunderstanding, but an unfortunate one for those who wish to be correctly informed about this issue. In addition to typical duties, Ashland The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 2:31 PM So, this issue is--ultimately--about parking and the conditional-use zoning change process. Again, the present occupancy--based on zoning as a business--is 49 people, and we have been advised that the building can safely accommodate 200+ people. That cannot legally happen until the use-permit is changed. That change of use permit cannot be done until we either a) show 30 committed parking spaces OR b) get a variance from the city. This is why the public notice calling for submissions was posted. We thought this would inspire comments about parking considerations and the additional foot, bike, and car traffic that this would lead to--always a charged topic in Ashland. However, parking i The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 2:31 PM Which brings us to the third point we would like to address, the public submissions in support of, and against, the Mobius. We (naively) assumed the community benefits of this permit change would outweigh the inconveniences, as the increased traffic would also be a benefit for some of the other businesses in the area. Furthermore, many of the business we share space with are not open at night, and so parking should be even less of an issue as this is the time most of the increased traffic wou The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 2:32 PM We have always assumed that we would be one of the first to be contacted if the operations of the Mobius were adversely affecting business in the area. Some of the concerns which we have been made aware of are valid. It is our hope in the future that these concerns can be immediately addressed at the time they occur, rather than saved and stated as a generality without the support of public record or documentation. We take responsibility for not checking in with our neighbors, and also hope in The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 2:33 PM We are a young business, and we are learning, and the only way to get better is through feedback. In the future, we hope that the entire community will take advantage of our open door policy to come in and address concerns, send us an email, give us a call... whatever is most convenient for you to be heard with issues regarding the Mobius' place as a positive addition to this community. The Mobius is but one of the projects of our parent company, Equilibrium Media (Mobius Productions, llc). W The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 2:33 PM While talk of changing locations is attractive and have occurred here internally, the fact of the matter is that this is not a financial reality at this moment. With this conditional-use change, we have the opportunity to be a lasting, viable business that can create even more jobs in this community and increase Ashland's exposure with "Mobius Live!" over the internet. Our opportunity to continue to grow this environmentally oriented, technologically focused, media business that creates jobs i The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 2:34 PM If the city is willing to ignore zoning in my neighborhood, I would welcome the Mobius as a neighbor -- they certainly can't be any noisier and/or cause worse parking issues than the University (did you know SOU is virtually exempt from ALL CofA zoning requirements?) As I've said: if it's purely a zoning issue, this discussion is superfluous; I believe the bigger problem is that there's no "proper" place for operations such as these, so someone will always complain that it's "by *their* house". Richard Cranium - Ashland OR - August 17th, 3:07 PM The Mobius is the only venue in town with a variety of shows, is affordable for most, and has range...the flakiness of citizenry can be seen with the loss of the Blue Mountain, building a new library then closing it and unaffordable housing...let the crash come! Jlm ( [email protected] ) - Ashland - August 17th, 4:08 PM Thanks for your respectful comments, Mobius representatives. It's too bad the Tidings cut off your statements, but your transparency in describing the complete situation, and your interest in maintaining a collaborative process, are refreshing to me. Go Mobius! Jane Slater Ashland, OR Jane Slater - Ashland, OR - August 17th, 6:03 PM Forget the firetrap Mobius. Why not have concerts in the Grove. Plenty of parking and huge basketball court sized area for standup concert viewing. Also near APD for crowd safety. Biggest secret in Ashland is that the Grove is empty most of the time other than minor class activities and audio sessions. Manuel - Ashland - August 17th, 8:00 PM EXACTLY, Manuel! It just seems that Mobius is trying to squeeze 25 pounds into a 10 pound sack. Maybe the current location is not the best. Cranium has also offered his neighborhood. His mild NIMBYness of cautioning there is "no 'proper' place for operations such as these" is not true. The Grove is one example that's probably better suited. ...maybe - Ashland - August 18th, 5:57 AM hey people cant we just all get to rock and roll together! lets have a great music place here in oregon , great way to make money for the town and business, jacksonville can do it why not us???? raj - ashland - August 18th, 2:39 PM Funny! The non-profit Artisan Guild got an illegal encroachment permit to operate a for profit based crafts fair on public sidewalks and play music without business license in one day from our Mayor. Then there are the rest of us who get the preverbal run around. I was sent to the Parks Department by the Planning Department who said go to the City Council/ administrator who said talk to Planning! Two years later and nothing! Good Luck Mobius! Vote these progressive maniacs out! There killing us! mad as_____ - ashland - August 18th, 4:17 PM If you want to have an informed opinion about this issue, you need to read this: http://www.ashland.or.us/files/august14planningcommissionpacket.pdf The Mobius item begins on p. 143. CMA - Ashland, OR - August 18th, 9:35 PM CMA: thanks for pointing us in the direction of educating ourselves on this issue. Pure/simple, like all other applicants for these types of requests, burden of proof is upon the applicant. Staff says such proof has not been provided; staff can legally do only one thing here: recommend denial. While I support their request and laud them for reaching out in this forum, Mobius needs to be a little more creative with their application. I wish them luck, I'd love all good music venues in town. And, EC - Ashland - August 19th, 7:05 AM and, those of you who live near the RR District, you know that these types of requests will pop up once in awhile; that happens in zoning districts that allow these types of uses. You're doing the right thing to state your protests, but it might also help to approach applicants for these types of things and request additional info when warranted, instead of jumping all over their backs in a public online forum. It's all about communication, education, and R.King ("can't we all just get along?"). EC - Ashland - August 19th, 7:08 AM check out whats at mobius tonight>>> http://www.themobius.com it's tony furtado live online for free! or go down to the mobius and see it in person! but the fact is it is high quality music, prodcution and an right on! enthused - ashland - August 19th, 10:19 PM To read the full Mobius response go to this link: http://eqtvconnect.ning.com/profile/MobiusLive Tank you, The Mobius The Mobius - Ashland, OR - August 20th, 10:44 AM Ashland has a huge number of amazingly talented musicians, not to mention those who come here to perform, yet we only have a couple of venues. There is music--much of it with little to no cover charge--almost every night, and this includes the Mobius, which books acts that wouldn't normally be here. Someone is going to complain no matter WHERE you put a club--its current location, among galleries and a restaurant, seems fine. I support their application. Scott Calamar - Ashland, OR - August 21st, 8:51 AM I am a 40-something parent and teacher who cherishes the diverse music brought to Ashland by the Mobius. Every artist mentions what a great venue it is. These evening shows are community events, rarely crowded and most of the attendees are respectful adults like myself. There is noone to bother as the daytime 4th St. businesses are closed and the closest residences are around the corner. We leave nothing but energy. Frankly, I don't see the problem, it would be a huge loss to our town! Rick Browne - Ashland, OR - August 21st, 3:32 PM Does anyone remember going to Positively 4th Street for reggae shows back in the day? Man, it used to be more fun around here! What is the big deal around here now? You guys just seem to debate everything to death. Loosen up! Retirees and transplants, please respect the community that you've moved into. We're not all old or rich, and some of us actually like to have a good time. Thanks Lady A - Ashland - August 23rd, 2:20 PM Regarding only the issue of why not just move it? An events venue is more than just an empty room; it's also ambiance, sound systems, lighting, spaciousness, location. A space that suits thirty couples dancing line of dance, close embrace may be all wrong for a salsa evening for 200 hundred. My group has used the Mobius, Mojo, the Grove, the Community Center, and considered other spaces as well; each has its pluses and minuses for our particular needs. No one venue can be perfect for every use. John Gaffey - Ashland, OR - August 30th, 12:52 PM Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising: Debt Help Inkjet Printers Payday Loans Free Ringtones Debt Consolidation Security Systems Debt Relief New Hampshire Primary Advertisement: Copyright © 2007 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved. Del.icio.us