North Pole Strip Club: Fredonia House Venue
Over my 3 1/2 years away at school at SUNY Fredonia, I’ve been to more live music events than I can remember. Arriving at college with only my own judgment, anxiety, thrifted button-down shirts, and half-sure bravery to guide me led me to some interesting places my first year away. Then I settled into a tribe of like-minded individuals and a major that actually made sense for me (Music Industry). I remember distinctly walking far past campus to Birchwood, Central Avenue, White Street, Eagle Street, Center, Day Street, and many others by myself, using only my ears to find live music.
House shows are plentiful in Fredonia if you know the right people. They happen in living rooms, basements, otherwise quiet upstairs apartments, and back porches. Their musical subject matter spans from intimate jazz jam sessions to math rock improvisation to hardcore to indie pop to pop-punk. In all their abundance, none of these places have had an impact on Fredonia’s house show scene quite like North Pole Strip Club.
NPSC has existed as college housing for many years, but it’s existed as a hangout and venue for Music Industry majors, Performance majors, live music fans, and general college hooligans for nearly 6 years. To get a better understanding of what the house’s impact has had, I interviewed Alex Vasiloff, Dan Calderone, and Mike Tomasulo, two current residents and show-throwers and one fresh alum.
When did 37 start throwing shows?
Mike: There’s actually a few different answers to this, and it gets kinda confusing. We started throwing shows at 37 under the name “North Pole Strip Club” in 2016. However, shows were being thrown at the house sporadically since the early 2000s.
Who were the foundational members involved in throwing shows as NPSC?
Mike: In 2015, I started looking for houses in Fredonia to live in for my junior year (2016-2017). I found the house listed on Craigslist and contacted the landlord immediately. That next year, the house consisted of myself, Dan McCormick, John Vaughan, Rob Brennan, Tom Brennan, and Tanner VandeSande.
Dan: As for Alex and I, we give so much credit to the guys before us for truly establishing NPSC as a legitimate house venue. They brought the house into the national DIY touring circuit, so it was easy to build up from there.
What kind of impact has 37 had on the local Fredonia scene?
Mike: This house venue has become the longest existing house venue in the college town. It has become a staple venue within the DIY music scene locally and nationally. For the most part, every local Fredonia/Buffalo band has either played the house or has heard of the house and wants to eventually play there. It’s crazy. That house has almost developed its own personality. You know the vibe to expect when walking into an NPSC show, and it will always be a good time in a safe environment. The college has even acknowledged the house as a reason that students are attending school here. That was honestly huge to hear.
Dan: It’s insane! When our band (Eerie Shores) first started out, we dreamed to play North Pole because at every show, you’re guaranteed to have a crowd who will vibe with whatever music it is. NPSC is a platform for local bands to get serious about their craft. It introduces local bands to more established Buffalo and touring bands. On top of that, the fans can always expect an amazing show at a safe space they can have fun at. The artists and the fans just feed off of the energy. To summarize the impact in one word: community.
Alex: You know, it’s funny. It impacts a lot of things in Fredonia. The shows we have at NPSC are a medium for people to come and be whoever they want. You can go to a party elsewhere in Fredonia, but for people who may be socially awkward or don’t want to go to a party with only drinking games and Spotify, NPSC shows give you a reason to bond with others, make new friends, and share memories together while seeing really cool bands from around the country play. People express themselves differently, and they feel safe to do so around an NPSC crowd. They make new friends and support the bands. They get weird together and aren’t afraid to look or act goofy around people. It impacts the culture and lifestyles of people. Our shows give people a reason to hang out.
What have been some of your favorite shows to come through 37?
Mike: There’s too many to count. I’m a little bit biased being a member of Kill The Clock. All of our shows at the house were the most memorable to me, and everyone went extra hard. Absolutely one of the things I will miss most about living there.
Dan: Oh, dude there’s a lot – too many to choose from. The Kill the Clock holiday show in 2018 was one of the most crazy shows. I remember The Burkharts’ show in Fall 2019 solely because of how fun those dudes are to watch play. Every time Bernie and the Wolf comes through, the crowd loves them. It’s cool to see Bernie and the Wolf have the crowd’s complete attention. And the hip-hop shows we’ve done? It’s a whole new scene to us, but more people show up than we ever imagine – their dedication is crazy.
Alex: Awe wow… oh boy. You know man, I’ll never forget when The Traditional played with Rescue Dawn and Johnny & The Man Kids on March 3, 2017. That was a crazy show. Kill The Clock with Rescue Dawn will always go down in history. The Love Bite show was a classic. I also remember when Kill the Clock played their last show at NPSC as a band. It was total chaos. I think my favorite show to happen while living at the house was when Hand Out from New Orleans came through and played with Ghostpool and The Jokes On Us in 2019.
What kind of problems do you face throwing a show in a basement?
Mike: There are so many. Sound is tough. It’s a strange room to have good sound in. Depending on where you stand, you might hear a different show from the next person. Amps and drums don’t get mic’d up, so usually it’s just vocals trying to cut through the PA. Sightlines are also another thing. You’re standing in a flat basement with a low roof and 80+ other kids. If you’re standing in the back, chances are you’re listening to the show while looking at the hairlines of the singer, guitarist, and bassist – good luck seeing the drummer. On a serious note relating to the house, it’s a huge potential danger to those living in the house dealing with issues like theft, noise ordinances, pissed-off neighbors, and landlords. We are lucky at NPSC to never deal with these issues. Other house venues usually are not so lucky.
Dan: First off, the size of the space. People have no problem packing the basement out, and it makes it very intimate, but with a little more room we’d be able to see more dancing and moshing. It can also be hard to sell the space to bands for them to play there. If they don’t already know how professional we treat the show and how great the turnouts are, they may be turned off by just a “basement show.”
Alex: Luckily, not a whole lot. I think we’ve got a pretty good system in place right now where we’re prepared for some things, such as equipment breaking, bands forgetting certain pieces of gear, power outages, or our basement being wet ’cause our house foundation sucks when it rains. At basement shows, literally anything can happen. We’re always worried about turnouts when mother nature is acting up. It’s hot in the basement during the summer, rain can keep people away, snow can prevent a band from showing up if they’re not experienced in Buffalo weather in the winter. Weather is always a huge factor if people are even going to show up. Cat shit and piss can stink up the place if they get down there. We haven’t run into too many problems we weren’t able to work around or fix, but you gotta be prepared for a lot, and you have to keep safety on your mind all the time.
What are the upsides to doing house shows?
Mike: Typically, it’s a more intimate environment for the artist and the fans. People are friendly and are there to have a good time.
Dan: There’s a lot, man. I personally love the intimacy of the shows where the crowd is right in your face. That’s hard to get with a stage. The environment where it’s very simplified and laid-back is another upside. People tend to enjoy the show as if it was a party. We luckily have an amazing community of fans who go crazy at the shows but also really respect the house and our rules.
Alex: Some of the upsides include meeting the bands and talking to them, getting to know them, helping them out, hearing them say they had a great time in Fredonia and that it’s a special place. That always makes us happy. Seeing people dancing to a bands they’ve probably never heard of is great to see, especially when you see some people on campus repping that band’s merch on campus or around town. It’s just nice to see people enjoy things we enjoy, and support bands and each other. It’s really, really cool. It’s also free entertainment for people to watch! That’s always an upside when you’re a broke college kid.
What is the music community around Fredonia like?
Mike: I can’t say too much about it now since I have been out of school for two years. However, when I was in school, it seemed like the hottest scene in the USA. Attendance for all Fredonia shows, including other house venues and BJ’s [a local Fredonia bar and venue], was huge. Bands from Buffalo and elsewhere in the states couldn’t wait to play a Fredonia show from the hype-spreading online. Having built-in crowds was one of the No. 1 things bands looked forward to when playing Fredtown.
Dan: It’s like nothing I’ve seen anywhere else. The audience supports the hell out of any music or artist they hear. We really owe it all to them. There’s been shows on Monday nights where we all have class the next day, and 50 people are still going wild. We’ve built up this house venue because of the people who are there solely for the music.
Alex: The scene is very supportive, always. Constant interaction with bands, always creating and experimenting with new ideas and feeding off of each other, always looking for the best intentions for every band – Fredonia is truly a diamond in the rough. If there’s music, there’s people. It doesn’t even have to be at NPSC; there’s just an overwhelming amount of music lovers in this town. This community has your back.
College can be a great time, but at the end of the day, it’s a temporary time in our lives. How has living at NPSC influenced your decisions and what you want to do continuing onward?
Mike: I graduated in 2018 with a degree in Music Business. I still book shows, I still play in bands and tour. I’m still friends with many of the bands I booked at NPSC. My current career path is focused on tour managing, and I’m now working with many of the same bands I once booked while in Fredonia. Long live the North Pole Strip Club!
Dan: This house made me realize how happy music makes me. It’s made me want to pursue playing music with Eerie Shores as long as possible. After we graduate, we’ll have the time to really start touring and devote everything to the band. NPSC has also made me love the ability to host a show and watch it all unfold from behind the scenes. With that, I’d like to eventually open a venue and do exactly what I’m doing now but on a larger scale. That’s the end goal I guess.
Alex: After graduating, my plan is to stay in Buffalo and be involved in the music scene as much as possible: going to shows, seeing new bands perform, setting up some shows in Buffalo, playing in my band, and seeing where it all leads. NPSC showed me that no matter where you go with music, stick with the people that care about you and the people that you care about. It also showed me that taking risks can be fun and rewarding as long as you weigh out your options.
With a consistent fan base of students, incredible musicians and artists, and a wonderful group of students who live at the house to create an environment for bands to do what they do, anything is possible at NPSC. Next time you’re there, don’t forget to make a donation, buy some merch, and thank the organizers and fans for making the ever-growing DIY house show scene possible. Hail Fredonia, and long live the North Pole Strip Club!
