1. The El Mocambo Closes…Almost
As a drunken man with a $2,000 suit and tattoos waves four $50 bills on stage, the last of stale
bar chip bags are flung into a crowd of mostly grey-haired patrons.
“Sam what have you done to the place, it looks like shit,” slurs red-faced Dragon’s Den judge and
entrepreneur Mike Wekerle. As he stumbles around he cackles at the “reserved” signs scrawled in
highlighter pen on rough cuts of print paper. And here, standing before the audience, staggers the
saviour of the El Mocambo.
“El Mo’s last show” reads the billboard hanging below an iconic neon palm tree, still glowing
bright beneath a splotchy, weathered patina. It thrives as if living as a reminder of the glory days behind
it, standing as a beacon of hope for the once rich live music culture in Toronto. But it was evident that
the El Mo’s days were numbered.
It’s subsequent downfall marked an unfortunate trend infecting Toronto’s live music scene.
We’ve seen more than a few venues close in Toronto recently: The Big Bop complex, including
Reverb and Kathedral in 2010, Siesta Nouveaux in 2012, and the Kool Haus/Guvernment complex next
year. But what a decade of closures could mean is a new evolution in the way we experience live music.
From what we know of the venues that have closed their doors, and in the El Mocambo’s case,
were in danger of closing, there is a trend in how they’ve operated. Each venue was built to specifically
showcase and house live music.
Richard Flohil, Toronto publicist and promoter working over 50 years explains that this is a
problem venues and complexes are being faced with as they close. “There is a market for live music, but
places like the Kool Haus and The Big Bop only ran on shows and not the rest of it [food and drink
sales]. That’s why they never survived. It’s a diluted market.”
But even after threatening to close twice in the El Mo’s 60-year stint, the venue did have its
share of successes.
Opening in 1946, the El Mocambo was one of the few locations in Toronto to obtain a liquor
licence, starting out as a restaurant and dance hall duo.
After shifting hands throughout the years, the El Mo reached Mike Baird and former Toronto
Argonaut and accountant Tom Kristenbrunin 1972. As the El Mo’s longest running owners of 14 years,
Baird and Kristenbrun developed an impressive resume of acts like Elvis Costello, U2, and The Ramones.
But the most scandalous of all being the Rolling Stones accompanied by Margret Trudeau in 1977.
After the sex, drugs and rock n’ roll days stained the walls of the El Mo, a missionary named
Abbas Jahangiri bought the building in 2001. He made room for a women’s shelter and dance studio on
the upper level, sparking controversy within the Toronto music scene. Some industry professionals like
Dan Burke, who previously booked the El Mocambo before Jahangiri took over, even went so far as to
boycott shows there.
“The disgruntlement was so great over Abbas buying the place that they never gave us a
chance,” says former El Mo booker for Jahangiri, Yvonne Matsell. “He was just like any other retailer
looking out for a building, not knowing the history behind it.”
All scrutiny aside, Jahangiri managed too keep the El Mo alive for another 11 years with the help
of Matsell’s bookings on the bottom floor. From hosting Arcade Fire’s first ever Toronto show to having
MGMT, 30 Seconds to Mars, Cage the Elephant, Monster Truck and many more gracing the stage. His
time with the El Mo made him the second longest running owner of the location in its name.

2. The El Mocambo Closes…Almost
Although Matsell says a venue must transform with their audiences to stay afloat, the way we
want to experience music these days has changed. She says “People would see all three bands on the
bill—come from the beginning, stay until the end. Attention spans are just not what they use to be.”
With Matsell’s advice in mind, what successful venues like the Horseshoe Tavern,
Sneaky Dees and The Phoenix have in common is the fact that they have more to offer. They provide
food, libations and a neutral, unassuming ambience. These venues have groundwork set in place for easy
switchovers, going from a club to a bar to a stage (or all of the above), keeping a steady flow of
interested patrons.
In terms of how the El Mocambo use to run years ago, the shows brought people through the
doors. The fact that it was a bar was secondary. “Back then, it wasn’t a place to launch your career,”
says Flohil, “You’d have to have a career that was already happening to play at the El Mo. Upstairs you
had to fill 300 seats for 5 nights, and still every night was packed.”
Sam Grosso, previous owner of the El Mo, still feels it’s difficult to sustain an audience and keep
a venue going. On a Friday and Saturday night, he estimates 100 people turn away at the door because
of cover charges. He says people just aren’t use to paying for music anymore.
As new venues open like Jazz Bistro (previously revived from Top O’ The Senator), The Dakota
Tavern, and The Painted Lady, each venue opening proves a positive evolution forthcoming in Toronto.
Each features some aspect of a tight-knit, laid-back live music community. It shows an urban music
scene moving away from big-ticket venues into cozy bars or taverns with an overlap of culture and
variety.
As for what’s in store for the El Mo now is not all a mystery. After purchasing the building from
Grosso for $3.78 million on the “11th
hour” of being set to close, Mike Wekerle tells the press that he
plans to “preserve its rock n’ roll roots”—a phrase known all to well by owners in the past.