It looks like it’s the last call for The Call, which is causing blues fans to have the blues. After 20 years the Providence nightclub, which was once called the Last Call Saloon, is closing its doors on Elbow Street in the Jewelry District and leaving a void in the local live blues music scene. The last show at The Call is scheduled for New Year’s Eve with Woonsocket’s own blues product Duke Robillard. Evolving Funding Landscape for Not-for-Profits Not-for-profit organizations are being asked to do more with less,… ”After that we’re not booking any shows,” said Assistant Manager Abner Gonsalves. “I’ve been told by the owner to get ready to close.” Owner Paul Roidoulis could not be reached for comment. The Century Lounge, the venue connected to The Call, which is also owned and operated by Roidoulis, will remain open. When asked if some of the acts who normally play at The Call would continue performing next door, Gonsalves said it is not likely. ”It hasn’t proven to work here, so it wouldn’t work at the Century,” he said. Knight Hess said he will be very sad to see The Call close. A longtime patron of the establishment, he boasts of seeing acts like Koko Taylor, Dr. John and the Radiators. ”It’s kind of like the end of an era,” he said. “Blues isn’t enough to fill this room, because most of the people that used to come out are now married with kids. And when they do get out, there are others who aren’t getting out on the same night, so it’s just never enough to fill a room.” Bob Bell, manager for local blues legends Roomful of Blues, said his band really enjoyed playing at The Call. ”It’s a nice middle-level club,” he said. “It’s well-known and fairly spacious. It’s not your sort of hole in the wall place.” Jan Schmidt sits at the handcrafted oak bar amid the friendly warmth of wood and brick that is The Call’s décor. Schmidt is the singer with Rory & the Blues Hounds, a regular act to appear at The Call. She and Blues Hound leader Rory Malloy organized a weekly “Blues Buffet,” which was successful with the after-work crowd for a time. ”It’s a shame, because there is a group of us who are single and in our mid-thirties who have no place to go now when we want to see a band we really like. Maybe if we’re lucky somebody will come along to fill this niche,” she said. Gonsalves said running two adjoining venues no longer makes sense for the business, but that most employees will stay on staff, and simply focus their energy on The Century. He said The Call had been staying afloat, but after the terrorist attacks on America things just got worse. ”As far as the lack of business with The Call goes, it was pretty bad,” Gonsalves said. “After September 11 it was just atrocious. We’ve just got to pay the bills and The Call was not economically feasible.”
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Sing the blues for The Call; it’s closing time
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