Java Barn
Encyclopedia
The Java Barn was established in 1993 as a student-run coffeehouse
at St. Lawrence University
(SLU), it is a well-known venue among touring bands on the East Coast of the United States
, including those who have risen to fame such as Ani DiFranco
, Guster
, Dave Matthews Band
, , and Vertical Horizon
.
scene, especially in northern New York
state, known as "the North Country". At SLU, group of students, interested in having live music at the school, petitioned and established a coffeehouse in Payson Hall, one of the school's buildings. A dormitory 3 University Avenue, and thus the Theme House was created. While shows typically took place on Friday and Saturday nights, and the tenants routinely made the 10 minute "trek" between their residence and Payson to facilitate the shows.
This location was originally proposed to be a temporary location, since the demolition of the Health Center & Artery buildings have been in the University's master plans for years. This demolition would ultimately create green space that was lost due to the construction of the Student Center. Whether Java is moved for a 4th time is still up in the air, as its location at the Health Center has proven to be very popular, and alterations of the Health Center might turn it into a permanent location. In 2010 the Health Center housed its final concert, the Java Barn is now located in an annex off valentine hall (science and geology department building).
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
at St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University is a four-year liberal arts college located in the village of Canton in Saint Lawrence County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2300 undergraduate and 100 graduate students, about equally split between male and female....
(SLU), it is a well-known venue among touring bands on the East Coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including those who have risen to fame such as Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
, Guster
Guster
Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1991, the group is known for its live performances and humor, founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel came about to begin practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford,...
, Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
, , and Vertical Horizon
Vertical Horizon
Vertical Horizon is an American alternative rock band formed at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1991. The band is best known for a string of hits in 1999 and early 2000s, including "You're a God", "Everything You Want", and "Best I Ever Had ". Their most recent album, Burning the...
.
The Payson Coffeehouse
In the early-mid 1980s, there was a popular folk musicFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
scene, especially in northern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state, known as "the North Country". At SLU, group of students, interested in having live music at the school, petitioned and established a coffeehouse in Payson Hall, one of the school's buildings. A dormitory 3 University Avenue, and thus the Theme House was created. While shows typically took place on Friday and Saturday nights, and the tenants routinely made the 10 minute "trek" between their residence and Payson to facilitate the shows.
The Java Barn
In 1992, Payson Hall was renovated into SLU's admissions building. A new venue had to be established, and the chosen candidate was an old barn located behind 5 University Avenue. This would prove convenient, as the new residence and venue was one house up from where the current students were living. The house was named the Coffee House, and the barn was christened the Java Barn. Operating between Fall 1993 to Spring 2006, the Barn's location was popular due to its proximity of being on the border of the SLU campus, near the town center. This brought about some interaction with the community, and students enjoyed the distance from the main campus and their studies.Relocation
Towards the end of the 90s, the nature of shows at Java began to change: louder, amplified rock gigs replaced the quieter acoustic folk concerts. Because of Java's proximity to the Elm St. neighborhood, a petition was delivered to President Sullivan, protesting the loudness of the Barn. After much deliberation between the members and the administration, it was decided that Java would have to be moved. This new location would be the Winning Health Center, about 50 feet from the Payson Coffeehouse. To commemorate its closing, Java's annual festival, "Java Jam" would be the Barn's last show. On May 6, 2006, the Ryan Montbleau Band was the final artist to play in the venue, and the Barn was closed forever.The Winning Health Center
After brainstorming the possibilities of Java's future home, it was realized that the vacant Winning Health Center seemed a natural choice for its relocation. The Health Center's location in the center of campus put Java far away from the possibility of neighbors complaining about noise, and it would be easy to reconfigure the building to suit Java's needs. In an interesting return to the days of the Payson Coffeehouse, students would continue to live at 5 University Ave., and would make "the trek" to the Health Center for shows.This location was originally proposed to be a temporary location, since the demolition of the Health Center & Artery buildings have been in the University's master plans for years. This demolition would ultimately create green space that was lost due to the construction of the Student Center. Whether Java is moved for a 4th time is still up in the air, as its location at the Health Center has proven to be very popular, and alterations of the Health Center might turn it into a permanent location. In 2010 the Health Center housed its final concert, the Java Barn is now located in an annex off valentine hall (science and geology department building).
Notable Bands which have played at Java
- Dave MatthewsDave MatthewsDavid John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
- Grace Potter and the NocturnalsGrace Potter and the NocturnalsGrace Potter and the Nocturnals is an American rock band from Waitsfield, Vermont.-Career:Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' lead vocalist is multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter, who attended St. Lawrence University for two years before pursuing music professionally...
- GusterGusterGuster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1991, the group is known for its live performances and humor, founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel came about to begin practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford,...
- Derek TrucksDerek TrucksDerek Trucks is a Grammy Award-winning, American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. He founded The Derek Trucks Band and worked as a session musician when he was still in his early teens. Throughout those teenage years, he toured with The Allman Brothers Band primarily as a slide...
- Aqueous
- Pete Francis (of DispatchDispatchDispatch or dispatches may refer to:In literature* Dispatches , a 1977 book by Michael Herr about the Vietnam War* dispatches , a magazine edited by Gary Knight and Mort RosenblumIn radio and television...
) - Ani DiFrancoAni DiFrancoAni DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
- RubblebucketRubblebucket-Formation:Musical couple Alex Toth and Kalmia Traver first met at the University of Vermont where they were both enrolled as music majors...
- EOTOEOTO-Description:The band's music is created live and without prerecorded loops.The band formed in 2006 as a side project of The String Cheese Incident incorporating looper pedals, like Echoplex and the DJ program Ableton. According to one reviewer, the duo sets their live instruments free and take on...
- Roots of Creation
- The Heavy Pets
- Townhall
- Hypnotic Clambake
- South Catherine Street Jug Band
- Electrik Blue and the Cosmik Truth
- Ryan MontbleauRyan MontbleauRyan Michael Montbleau is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He annually tours across the U.S. with the Ryan Montbleau Band.-Background:...
, later The Ryan Montbleau Band - Addison Groove Project
- Dexter Grove
- The Zen Tricksters
- John Browns Body
- Garaj MahalGaraj MahalGaraj Mahal is a four piece band, based in the United States, playing a fusion of jazz, Indian music, rock, and especially funk: Kai Eckhardt , Fareed Haque , Alan Hertz , Sean Rickman and Eric Levy...
- Mr. Charlie and the Blues for Breakfast
- Jesus and His 12 Apostles
- The Assembly of Dust
- Tea Leaf GreenTea Leaf GreenTea Leaf Green is a five-piece jam band from San Francisco Bay Area, comprising Josh Clark , Trevor Garrod , Reed Mathis , Scott Rager , and Cochrane McMillan .-History:Tea Leaf Green began in the fall of 1996, when Scott Rager met Ben Chambers on the...
- U-Melt
- Zach Deputy
- Gym Class HeroesGym Class HeroesGym Class Heroes is an American hip hop rock band from Geneva, New York. They have collaborated with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump on numerous occasions, notably for providing backing vocals on the song "Cupid's Chokehold." Stump also produced the majority of their album The Quilt.The group formed...
- RAQ
- DJ Logic
- Pnuma Trio
- Eliot Lipp
- The Macpodz
- Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad