How To Save A Milestone at Motorco Music Hall

Rapid gentrification is creeping toward the “World Famous” Milestone Club, an independent music venue kept alive by a die-hard DIY community in Charlotte, North Carolina. The walls are covered in stickers and graffiti, encrusted with more than 50 years of punk rock history, a lineage longer than New York City’s famed CBGB. Some of the greatest bands to ever play music got their start on the Milestone’s stage, including R.E.M. and Nirvana.“It’s like a museum for music,” one fan said.But that might be coming to an end. As a ‘for sale’ sign hangs in front of the decaying 117-year-old building, rain collects in buckets and the list of needed repairs keeps growing...

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Rapid gentrification is creeping toward the “World Famous” Milestone Club, an independent music venue kept alive by a die-hard DIY community in Charlotte, North Carolina. The walls are covered in stickers and graffiti, encrusted with more than 50 years of punk rock history, a lineage longer than New York City’s famed CBGB. Some of the greatest bands to ever play music got their start on the Milestone’s stage, including R.E.M. and Nirvana.“It’s like a museum for music,” one fan said.But that might be coming to an end. As a ‘for sale’ sign hangs in front of the decaying 117-year-old building, rain collects in buckets and the list of needed repairs keeps growing. The torch of ownership has been passed through a string of dedicated owners including Buck Boswell, the club's current owner. He knows the Milestone's days could be numbered, but is doing all he can to keep the venue open.This documentary was filmed over four years and captures the struggles that the pandemic brought to the Milestone and venues like it nationwide. With independent stages already on the endangered species list, fans faced the heightened threat of losing these coveted sanctuaries for live music and the cultural support system they create.The film features dozens of Milestone alumni, including the Violent Femmes, who reflect on the many shows they played at the club during the 80s and the troubling trend of historic venues like the Milestone shutting down.“We're still trying to recreate the same energy that we used to create at the Milestone and the other small clubs,” said Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie. “I guess it's natural that a lot of the clubs are closing, but it's a sad thing for live music. It's a sad thing for people playing music together.” The threat to the Milestone seems even more ominous as other independent venues in Charlotte and all around the country fall like dominoes, many closing their doors over the past decade. Between the live music industry’s expansive corporate takeover and coronavirus closures, how will the Milestone survive and stay true to its heritage in a world where $5 rock shows are quickly becoming a thing of the past?

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