Farewell to the Berkeley Cafe music hall; and (no) news on Sadlack’s

This weekend saw the closing of the Berkeley Cafe music hall, one of Whiskeytown’s key venues from the mid-1990s period that “Losering” covers. And while I’m sad to see it go, at least the joint went out in style. Chapel Hill roots-rock icons Southern Culture on the Skids, who already qualified as venerable during Whiskeytown’s heyday and are still going strong almost two decades later, blew the roof off with a last-waltz performance that went long into the wee hours of Sunday morning. I was there to do a report for the paper, which is here.

Meanwhile, things are still up in the air with another “Losering”-era landmark in Raleigh, Sadlack’s. The previously announced June 1 deadline for finding a new location came and went without any news, and it’s still open on Hillsborough Street across from the NC State Belltower. All sorts of tantalizing rumors have been floating around town about possible spots for a relocated Sadlack’s, but owner Rose Schwetz was still mum when I did one of my regular check-ins on Friday afternoon.

“Well, it’s getting a little closer,” she said. “We’re working on a location, lease and upfit. But still…nothing I can tell you about.”

That statement seems in line with the sign below, which has been on the wall at Sadlack’s for a couple of weeks now. If anything changes, you’ll be the first to know.