Victoria jazz club seeks help surviving latest pandemic wave after 40 years in operation
One of Victoria’s iconic music venues is reaching out, asking for financial help from its loyal followers and patrons.
Hermann’s Jazz Club has been showcasing local, national, and international blues and jazz musicians for over 40 years in B.C.'s capital.
Recent COVID-19 restrictions have forced the jazz club, which has a restaurant and ticketed venue licence, to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
The reduced capacity plus surging COVID-19 cases means in-person ticket sales have been decimated as of late, leaving the club scrambling to keep the lights on.
Hermann’s has been livestreaming concerts by donation since the beginning of the pandemic, as well as hosting live audiences as permitted by B.C. health regulations.
But the club says revenue streams have dwindled in the past two months, and government subsidies aren't enough, leaving management no choice but to turn to the public for help.
"It’s our first and only appeal through the pandemic," says Ashley Wey, manager and artistic director at Hermann’s Jazz Club.
"This wave has hit us the hardest and what we are asking for really is support to help us with operational capital to help us be able to pay staff and get food to serve."
Wey says the appeal is a short-term measure and will help keep musicians working
"We’re all really worried about the artists and how they are going to pay rent, but also the venues have been hit so heavily, it’s really tough to keep going."
Hermann’s Jazz Club is run by the Arts on View Society, which was incorporated in December 2016 for the purpose of preserving the iconic jazz club.
The society’s goal is to enhance the public’s appreciation of jazz music through all-ages live performances.
Wey first started coming to the club at the age of nine with her dad, who was friends with Hermann, and later became a musician and entertainer herself, travelling around the world performing.
She continues to perform at the club as well as mange it, saying it’s like her second home – and for the community, a cultural center.
The cause is close to her heart.
"We aren’t planning on shutting down, but this is a cry right now from us asking the community for support and donations to keep us going."
If you want to support Hermann’s Jazz Club and the musicians that perform there, donations can be made through the Arts on View Society.
For more information on Hermann’s Jazz Club, upcoming concerts, or livestreaming events, visit the club's website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
B.C. theatre to pay $55K to neurodivergent actor in discrimination case
British Columbia's human rights tribunal has awarded a neurodigergent actor, who was diagnosed with sensory and learning disorders, more than $55,000 after finding that a Kelowna theatre company discriminated against him because of his disabilities.
Who's responsible for regulating cannabis stores operating under the sovereignty banner?
It's not quite clear who is supposed to be regulating so-called sovereign cannabis stores or even ensure they're benefiting Indigenous communities.