After work, the Station Bar & Curio on Tinker Street is an artists’ hangout. The eclectic bar, which opened in 2016, has a covered patio and a stage, where for years it has hosted a range of amplified, outdoor performances.
“We try to go as broad as possible. Anything from spoken word to punk to whatever’s in your heart," says Ben Rollins, who owns the Station with his partner, Lily Korolkoff, a Democrat running for the Woodstock Town Board.
Rollins says they’re restricting events to Fridays and Saturdays for now, to stay in line with a potential update to the town’s noise ordinance.
“I have been consciously aware of noise complaints for the last nine years of my life," he adds.
Noise complaints have become a sensitive subject in Woodstock, especially since an emergency order allowed venues to bring more of their concerts outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. That order has since expired, but the shows haven’t. Groups like Keep Woodstock Peaceful say some venues, including the Station, are ruining their ability to live in and enjoy their homes during the warmer months.
Musicians, and those who support them, say music is part of Woodstock’s identity, and restricting outdoor shows could severely impact local artists and businesses.
“We have worked on this main street for 40 years. We’ve watched the trends come, we’ve watched them go," says Rachel Macro-Havens, artist liaison and co-president of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Arts. "Always, the people still come and ask four things: where’s the music? Where was the Woodstock festival? Where are the artists and creatives? And where’s parking?”
Woodstock is known for being the place where the 1969 music festival of the same name didn’t happen (It actually took place in Bethel, New York.). But Woodstock has a long history as an arts colony, and an equally long history of outdoor performances.
Musician Michael “Clip” Payne, with the collective Parliament-Funkadelic, has lived in Woodstock for nearly 30 years, after moving here from Detroit.
“When I got here, what I dug about the place…the community moved and was energized," he says. "The kids could participate in on the music that was being played in the clubs that would have their doors wide open. And cops would come down, and if it was too loud, they’d just say, ‘Tone it down a little bit.’ But the community came out.
“Then the money comes in," he continues. "These are people like, hiding in their houses and saying, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to hear something. I’m going to call and make a complaint.’”
The current noise ordinance, passed in 2018, was at least partially motivated by an increase in complaints about Airbnbs. It prohibits “unreasonable” noise, which can include: any unnecessary sound between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., dogs that bark more than 15 minutes, long-running security alarms, a revving engine, overnight construction, and amplified music.
The ordinance doesn’t go into detail about how outdoor venues, buskers and the weekly drum circle fit into this, other than to say “individually sponsored events” need a permit or other permission from the town.
Keep Woodstock Peaceful alleges some venues, including the Station, have violated their permits. The Station did have to temporarily close its stage last year, pending review from the Building Department.
Rollins says the noise ordinance has always been vague and inconsistently enforced.
“We’ve done our best to abide by what we know is appropriate," he notes. "And not having laws that were clear, and not having a response to what we’re doing — like, when are people offended? When are people not? Was this week OK? Was this month OK? We didn’t get a call, so I guess we’ll just keep doing that.”
Discussions over changes to law have been tense. A public hearing last year was shut down by Democratic Supervisor Bill McKenna because so many people turned out that, without a PA system, they couldn’t hear over one another. McKenna created a “bipartisan” Noise Task Force to discuss the issue, but its work is not available to the public. A second attempt at a hearing ran smoother, but officials closed it before collecting everyone’s input. It was never successfully rescheduled.
A majority of attendees spoke in support of the local music scene. At least one person called for more restrictions.
"I've been here for 25 years, and everybody got along until a few bad actors came in...And now I just went through town, and there's a bar in town. And you can't walk down the street without being assaulted by music," he said, to scoffs from the crowd.
"It was clear that there was animosity about even the idea of wanting to discuss the issue," notes Democratic Councilmember Bennet Ratcliff. He says some impacted residents are hesitant to call for more regulations, because of how heated the subject has become.
“People felt like they just wanted to either play their music or not be bothered," Ratcliff adds.
Speaking with artists, it’s clear they don’t feel heard by the town, either. Anna Womack, municipal liaison with the Chamber, says she spent countless hours last year researching Woodstock’s zoning laws and how other municipalities tackle noise complaints. She and the Chamber conducted their own meetings to collect input, and submitted a list of recommendations with a side-by-side comparison to Supervisor McKenna. They didn’t hear back — not until April, when a new ordinance was proposed on the town’s website.
The update incorporates some of the Chamber’s language, and it has a section dedicated to outdoor music, but it would restrict amplified performances to three hours between noon and 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Sound cannot exceed 70 decibels at the property line of the nearest residence. Saturday shows could go longer and later in July and August, and Sundays would be allowed on holiday weekends. Otherwise, venues must apply for a special event permit from the town, and they’re each limited to five permits a year.
"If you have a timeframe of 12 to 9, then every venue in town is only allowed to have events from 12 to 9 on those two days," Womack explains. "If [venues] aren’t talking and working together — and even if they are — there’s the very high likely possibility that you’re going to create competition in an unhealthy way.”
Keep Woodstock Peaceful has also decried the proposal. On its website, it says 70 decibels is already too loud for neighbors, and that the overall bill serves to "officialize and generalize the use of invasive outdoor amplification for commercial entertainment."
As the debate over specifics continues, a public hearing was cancelled last month and tentatively rescheduled for this Tuesday, according to the Chamber. But it's not on the evening's agenda.
Councilmember Anula Courtis, a Democrat who is also running for town supervisor, says the bill is simply not ready.
“It was not a fair compromise toward the musicians," she adds.
Ratcliff says he likes some of the Chamber’s suggestions. He just wants to see all parties come together.
“A lot of artists who come and live in Woodstock love to play their music, and a lot of people who live in Woodstock love to enjoy the outdoors," he tells WAMC. "I think the two groups need to coexist."
Depending on who you ask, this is an issue that is either robbing people of their homes or robbing Woodstock of its identity. Back at the Station Bar & Curio, resident and poet Michael Platsky says he wants a Woodstock where the streets are filled with music. His late wife, Kathy, loved to dance — and outside shows were some of the only events she could attend, as she struggled with pulmonary issues.
“The ability for her to go inside of a nightclub and hear music, she couldn’t last more than 20 minutes," says Platsky. "Outdoor music became essential for her, because live music was nutrition for her.”
Womack worries the debate is symbolic of larger cracks in the community.
“It makes me sad, because we're at a point where we've lost a couple of really big community members recently. That's natural, it's part of the cycle of life. It happens...but the community is at a really big risk of breaking," she says. "And I know that some of the feedback that I’ve gotten is that folks on ‘our side’ of the issue are exaggerating or being overdramatic. But really, the health of a community really comes down to how you can speak to each other and how you can be in space with each other.”
