Cave 9

Cave 9 was a volunteer-run non-profit all-ages punk, hardcore, hip-hop, electronic and indie-rock venue located for most of its six+ years at 2237 Magnolia Avenue on Southside. It was founded by Aaron Hamilton and Angelica Hankins as a live-music venue which could be an all-ages, alcohol-free alternative to bars. From its opening on March 8, 2002, the club, which could hold 175 people, hosted live music almost every weekend night for a $5 cover. Its working motto was "We’ve got too much heart” (from a song by Huntsville's Pine Hill Haints).

In 2006 the club, officially known as Cave 9 Music and Arts Project, Inc., received non-profit status from the IRS. The board of directors consisted of Hamilton, director, William O Butler, Renee Clay, Jim Fahy, Ryan Hanson, and sound engineer Trent Thomas.

In 2008, Cave 9 became one of the venues where the non-profit Scrollworks organization began giving free music lessons to the community. It backed the creation of "Awesomefest" as an alternative to the label-sponsored Furnace Fest at Sloss Furnaces. The venue also hosted film screenings, book trades, art and craft classes and exhibitions and dances as well as the occasional pot-luck lunch, flea market or punk-rock wedding.

In early 2009 the club vacated its original location and held a number of performances at Greencup Books before re-opening at 3607 1st Avenue South in Avondale. A March 9 show there, however, was shut down. Without a viable venue, the club shut down later that month.

References

• Weber, Matt (n. d.) "Cave 9's Aaron Hamilton - The Kids Wanna Rock" interview. Birmingham Buzz
• Burgess, Jeremy (March 2, 2007) "Cave 9 rocks with independence." The Birmingham News
• Wolfson, Hannah (June 1, 2008) "Program aims to enrich young lives, help establish connections with free music programs for Birmingham children." The Birmingham News
• Martin, Adam ( ) "Birmingham Indie Retrospect (1998-2005)" Bham.fm
• Martin, Adam (March 5, 2009) "Cave 9, v. 3.0". bham.fm
• Martin, Adam (March 15, 2009) "CAVE 9 (2002-2009) R.I.P". bham.fm
• Ells, Blake (January 26, 2017) "The Punk Legacy of Cave 9" Weld for Birmingham

See also

• Best of Times, promoter of many events as Cave 9

External links

• "We've Got Too Much Heart: A Cave 9 Doctrine", documentary by Joey Brown at YouTube.com