Saying goodbye

A shattered glass door now bars the way to an empty Bloomington venue, a home to all styles of music and political leanings. Where once there was rocking loudness, now there is the echo of empty walls. Where once there was Secret Sailor -- a collective of mostly liberal learned B-towners who hosted Pages for Prisoners meetings, shelves of zines and puppet shows -- now there is a dusty floor.\nThe Sailor is closed -- out with a bang and a dozen bands at the last concert on Dec. 29. Although originally conceived with, well, a not-so-clear conception, the bookstore-turned-meeting-space turned into a venue too, hosting multiple shows each week (as many as 20 this past July for an independence festival, says one collective member). \nSecret Sailor, formerly of 202 N. Walnut St., opened its doors on Feb. 1, 2000, thanks in part to Bloomington resident Sam Dorsett. It later became a collective, with staffers volunteering their hours. When the store started out, it was "empty," says ex-sailor and IU alumnus Matt Trisini. \nThough former collective worker senior Monica Sentmanat believes the Sailor started as primarily a proponent of "radical literature," Trisini says there was no definite purpose. They both agree it wasn't originally slated as a venue. \n"As far as what it ended up doing, Secret Sailor was just some of everything," Trisini says. \nAnd it seems, at least in part, that he is right. The Sailor was a bookstore, yes, but it also hosted shows or meetings many nights of the week, and was open for anyone to use as they so desired, as long as they followed the collective's basic guidelines. \nThese basic guidelines may be summed up at the former store's now outdated Web site, http://www.tofuequalslove.com/secretsailor, on the Secret Sailor Code page. The code in part says, "Secret Sailor Books is a resource for anti-authoritarian activists, free thinkers, revolutionaries, radicals…" Despite or perhaps because of this philosophy, Trisini and Sentmanat say the Sailor had a welcoming attitude, with many types of people visiting. \nThe same was true of the organization of shows: virtually anyone was able to set up a show at any time, and the floor held punk, folk, acoustic, jazz, electronic and other types of music. One time, someone even organized a rave. \nIt was free to book a show at the Sailor, an option more business-oriented venues can't offer. Some artists would have came to town regardless of whether the shows were free or not, Trisini believes, but many might not have. The space offered an intimate atmosphere like basement shows, but with more room. \n"I think it filled a niche for a while," Trisini says. Though there have been other shifts in the B-town scene recently, he doesn't see that as a problem. He says the scene is always changing and venues are always opening and closing, though he will miss the Sailor.\nOne local musician, whose band played at the venue three or four times, will miss the Sailor's uniqueness as well.\n"I got a genuine sense that they love music and wanted to help bands, they provided the structure when necessary without being obnoxious about it," says junior guitarist Ashton Stewart. "I guess it worked that way because it was a small venue."\nStewart's band Hijla plays what he calls "rock with some new wave." The student musicians have played most, if not all, the all-ages venues in town, including Rhinos, Dunn Meadow and WIUS VIBES. An all-ages stage is the type of venue where Stewart says the music really matters. In a bar, he says, people go to drink or be with friends and to hear songs they know. He contrasts this with an all ages venue like the Sailor was, where the band is the reason for going. And the Sailor might have offered a focus within this focus -- not just on the band, but on providing original and intimate music.\n"I think the Sailor offered an opportunity for more do-it-yourself kinds of acts and independent acts that were trying to emerge out of the Bloomington scene to have a place to play and be seen by people who might really enjoy it, whereas they might not fit in the bar scene," Stewart says.\nThis venue space, nestled amongst the bar scene on North Walnut, also offered a little more than just a place to play or see a rocking show. Sentmanat says, "It wasn't a place you just attend and become disconnected." She says musicians and show-goers were able to participate afterwards, either by setting up a show of their own, attending activist meetings or volunteering.\nOccasionally this volunteering led to other things. This skull and crossbones-adorned venue gave space for various benefit shows, in turn helping Pages to Prisoners and tree-sitters, as well as the Sailor itself. \nCome the end of the month, it was usually fundraising time, Trisini says. He claims he doesn't know how the Sailor usually made it by on book sales, with a limited selection, but sometimes donations were needed. Despite this hard work to meet the bills, just over $1000 was allegedly stolen during a period of time this year, he says. This was more money than the collective had raised at a particularly beneficial benefit, and was one of the last turns of the key on the closing of the Sailor. \nWith no money coming in from free or donation-only shows and little from book sales, the Sailor never made much money. The aim was not to become rich but to give an open home for thought and music for whoever partook. \nYet, with pirate paraphernalia in the windows and anarchist and other stigma-attracting business going on inside, many might not have seen the atmosphere as very welcoming. Yes, Trisini admits, the Sailor came off as intimidating, but inside, the collective members were good people, and shows offered an intimate atmosphere.\n"We worked on that for two years," Trisini says. "Part of it was just what we were, as far as an open space and a lot of punk shows and political literature. But in some ways, people had a lot of stigmas before they even got near the space. I don't think the space helped at all, either."\nThe Sailor was a sum of many parts -- part store, part meeting place, part venue, with a unique spin on all of them. Though it did so many things, Trisini feels it may have been overwhelming for the space. And with many memories, Trisini still feels the Sailor didn't live up to its potential. \nBut even so, when it came to shows, Stewart feels the Sailor had its loyalties in the right place.\n"At the Sailor, the focus is on the music"