Turf Club changing management

We've got the scoop (thanks to Gimme Noise) on Saturday's cancellation of the Marijuana Deathsquads show and the impromptu closing of the Turf Club. Mere hours before the doors were to open Saturday, a sign was placed on the window that stated "Closed for Repairs" and Deathsquads honcho Ryan Olson posted on Facebook that the show was canceled. Fishy, right?

Speculations raged, but on Sunday word came from Turf Club owner Tom Scanlon that the bar is simply changing management. 15-year Turf staffer and ousted manager Dave Wiegardt was integral in turning the divey Midway club from a bland blue collar watering hole into one of the epic mainstays of the Twin Cities music scene. Reasons behind his departure were not released. Taking the reigns as of January 11th is Josh James, a veteran Turf employee.

According to the press release, "New hours of operation and a new direction will be the hallmarks of the re-working of the venerable jewel of the midway," and "Focus on local music will remain the cornerstone of the business."

We don't like the words "new direction" when it comes to something as classic and iconic as the Turf, but be won't get our pitchforks and torches out quite yet. The fact that the new manager is an internal hire is absolutely a good thing, so we're trying not to get our Turf-lovin' panties in a bunch.

Word has it that the Turf Club will re-open as of January 11th. Re-booking of displaced shows in the interim is currently being hashed out - most notably, next Saturday's MC/VL goodbye show.

Read more on Gimme Noise here.

Photo by Andrea Swensson

Submitted by @theiverson