Don’t call it a bar -it’s an experience

The Royal, where live music is served with just the right vibe

By TOM BECK

Herman Dye had been waiting for a music-focused open mic night to appear in the Glenside area for a while, and just over a year ago he got his wish. That’s because Sept. 18, 2021 saw the grand opening of Glenside’s newest music venue, The Royal. And Dye loves it –which is why he’s waiting in line outside the door 15 minutes before the venue’s 7:30 opening for Wednesday night’s weekly open mic night.

“The vibe is good,” he told the Local on a cool October evening. “It’s a relaxed atmosphere. The people aren’t that judgmental. They know you’re going to have some good acts, you’re going to have some so-so acts, but they give everybody a chance.”

The Royal gives Dye a chance to network with other musicians and practice his craft of singing and playing guitar to a backing track. He hopes to eventually get a gig opening up for a more popular musician to expand his audience.

“Musicians need an outlet to play,” said Dye. “Most of the places are down in Philly and that’s a good little trek to go down there. So it’s good that it’s in the area.”

Dye and other musicians prefer The Royal to other live music spots due to its status as a music venue – and not a bar.

“It’s the only one around that’s strictly for music,” said Fran Carroll, who’s been a regular at The Royal’s open mic nights for about three months. He started performing there because he heard it was the best open mic night in town.

“There’s no Phillies playing in the background, there’s no people ordering dinner. The people here come to listen to music. They’re not here to get drunk; they pay attention when people are playing. They don’t talk when you’re playing, which is completely different from every other place.”

Meant for music

Andrew Sironi, who has performed stand-up comedy at the venue on multiple occasions - and even emcees the open mic nights from time to time - concurred with Carroll. It’s a room meant for music - or in his case, stand up.

“I think that informs a lot of the atmosphere of the room,” he said. “It’s a great energy for open mics. It is nice. People are attentive. It’s always a great crowd and a very familial atmosphere.”

And that’s precisely what the venue’s co-owners, Bridgett Gordon and Jerry Clarke, envisioned when they opened the place.

In his day job, Clarke is both a lawyer and an accountant. Gordon is his legal assistant. In addition to being co-workers, they also play in a classic rock cover band called The Stinks.

“When we play at a corner bar or the local VFW or something like that, it’s great. It’s very warmly received,” Clarke said. “But as a performer, the people aren’t there to hear music, they’re really there to have a good time.”

That’s not the case at The Royal.

“We’re certainly not a place where the Phillies game is going to be playing,” said Gordon. “People come there to see music, and I don’t know if that’s the case in other places.”

Clarke described his business as “truly a music venue.”

“You’re part of the audience, and you’re expected to participate as an audience member,” he said. “Not as a bar patron.”

The music-focused approach has its challenges, however. There’s an obvious reason why most places prioritize alcohol sales, and that’s because it brings in the money. That’s something The Royal hasn’t done consistently over the past year, but Clark and Gordon hope that changes. Clarke described business as being “spotty.” He attributes that partially to COVID-19 and partially to the venue being so new.

“People are still realizing what we are,” he said. “When they come to a show, they love it. We want more people to consistently come to shows and build that up.”

Gordon described attendance as “hit or miss,” but noted the strength of The Royal’s open mic community as an example of one of the positives.

“There’s always a crowded room on Wednesday nights,” she said. “There wasn’t one week where someone new hasn’t showed up.”

The Ways and means

The Royal doesn’t have a liquor license.

However, The Ways Restaurant & Brewery - located just next door - does. The Ways and The Royal have an arrangement where The Ways sets up a stand to sell beer in the venue and The Royal gets a cut of those sales. For now, it’s working.

“We were debating whether we should be bring-your-own,” said Clarke. “But we feel [buying beer at the venue] was the vibe we’re going for.”

What makes things even more complicated is the fact that everybody who works for The Royal still has a day job. Clarke doesn’t see himself quitting his full-time job any time soon, but one of his near-term goals for the venue is to have it become more of a destination for touring artists.

“They’ll say ‘we’re touring the Philly area, what about The Royal?’ - that type of thing,” said Clarke. “And I think that’s just a matter of reputation and word of mouth and social media and all that stuff. That’s kind of where I hope it goes.”

Over the past year, some of the most notable events have included headlining performances from local musician Ben Arnold; comedian and former host of VH1’s That Metal Show Don Jamieson; and Mother Nature’s Sons, a Beatles tribute band.

“We had a band here that was a local cover band of four or five 25-year-olds who graduated from Abington High School,” said Clarke. “They were energetic, good-looking kids and it’s almost like the whole high school came here one night. It was amazing.”

It’s the kind of familial atmosphere that Gordon had been hoping to foster.

“Our goal wasn’t just to provide music, but also a home for people to provide healing or an escape to their life,” she said. “The Royal isn’t a space or a building. It’s a community of people.”

A Message From The Executive Director

Welcome to Friends of the Wissahickon’s inaugural appearance in Wissahickon Magazine and our first print newsletter in more than two years! Our popular quarterly newsletter had been digital-only since the pandemic suspended our printing and distribution capabilities, but now we’re back even better, with a new format and higher production values. And, thanks to our new partnership with the magazine and the Chestnut Hill Local, FOW will be reaching more readers than ever.

Our print newsletter isn’t the only thing that’s back. Over the past few months, I’ve been to more in-person meetings and events than I have in the past two years. And that includes FOW events that drew larger-than-usual numbers, such as Harvey Street and Bells Mill cleanups and our annual summer Ice Cream Social, attended by a record 425 people! On each occasion, I heard the same comment: “Isn’t it nice to be together in person?”

From cleanups to guided hikes to Valley Talks and the All Trails Challenge, even the progress of restroom facility expansion, there are many opportunities to keep coming back to the park, whether you’re simply soaking up the many benefits of being in nature or learning about Wissahickon history and FOW’s work.

But every FOW member who visits the park is helping conserve its 1,800-acre wooded gorge. More than 3,000 strong, our members support FOW’s efforts to care for the hundreds of species that call the Wissahickon home in our precious watershed. Members help the park serve as an outdoor classroom to provide environmental education programming for the next generation of park stewards. And so much more. We invite you to join us. Visit fow.org/ wissmagmember to learn how.

As we look forward to a bountiful new year, we look back with pride and gratitude for all we accomplished this year –together.

Wishing you and yours joy and good health during this season of celebration and all year long. Let’s continue to be great friends.

Ruffian Tittmann, Executive Director

40 W. Evergreen Ave., Suite 108 Philadelphia, PA 19118-3324 (215) 247-0417 • office@fow.org • fow.org @fowissahickon

The mission of Friends of the Wissahickon is to conserve the natural beauty and wildness of the Wissahickon Valley and stimulate public interest therein.

OFFICERS

Alyssa Edwards, President

Fred Magaziner, Vice President

Garrett Trego, Vice President

Darium Poke, Treasurer

Ethan Birchard, Secretary

PAST PRESIDENTS

Cindy Affleck

Charles Dilks

Jeff Harbison

Robert A. Lukens

David Pope

John Rollins

Edward C. Stainton

Robert T. Vance Jr.

Will Whetzel

BOARD MEMBERS

Sarah Weidner Astheimer

Christine Bamberger

Kevin Berkoff

Ethan Birchard

Lula Defersha

Adam DePaul

Alyssa Edwards

STAFF

Kevin Grant

Fred Magaziner

John Meigs

Hooman Parsia

Darium Poke

Garrett Trego

Will Whetzel

Ruffian Tittmann, Executive Director

Christina Bassler, Communications Coordinator

Pauline Berkowitz, Capital Projects Coordinator

Varian Bosch, Field Coordinator

Laura Feragen, Editor/Publicist

Shawn Green, Director of Field Stewardship

Denise Larrabee, Editor at Large

Sarah Marley, Development Director

Amelia Marren, Volunteer Program Coordinator

Maeve Pollack, Development and Database Manager

Melanie-Monaye Sanders, Development Assistant

Audrey Simpson, Business Manager

Ashley Velez, Executive Coordinator

NEWSLETTER

Denise Larrabee, Editor at Large

Laura Feragen, Editor

Moon Design, Layout

Wissahickon Bike Bridges are Open!

After delays from the pandemic, a hurricane, supply chain shortages, and other obstacles, the Wissahickon bike bridges at Ten Box reopened at last to the delight of all those involved in the extensive $1.2 million project, as well as those gathered at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 16. Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Deputy Commissioner Patrick Morgan thanked FOW for keeping the public informed about the project, which completely restored and reinforced the four-decadesold trail bridges, including replacing the often-slippery wood planking with a safer, more durable metal surface.

“We are grateful to Parks & Rec for identifying the issues and getting the work done,” said FOW Executive Director Ruffian Tittmann, who also thanked the public for being patient. “These bridges have come back better than ever, so we can enjoy them for another 40 years. Congratulations!”

Deputy Commissioner Morgan noted that this project demonstrates Philadelphia’s investment in providing access to the Wissahickon trails and nature. The bridges connect the Lincoln Drive and Forbidden Drive sections of the Wissahickon Valley Trail. An important link between Forbidden Drive and the Schuylkill River Trail, from Wissahickon Valley Park to the Art Museum, the bridges are a popular and sustainable option for commuting to Center City.