It’s a sad day for music fans who love tiny, rowdy rooms: The Cave, the longstanding Chapel Hill watering hole and incubator for countless local bands, will close on April 30. Mark Connor, who runs the venue, shared the announcement this afternoon.
In a statement on The Cave’s Facebook page, the club thanked the musicians, bartenders, and patrons who have kept the bar in business over the years. The club had been trying to find a buyer for the past six months, but none came through.
“Unfortunately, as of this past Monday it became clear that [selling] would not likely be an option and that it is unlikely that the building owner would lease the space to another group wanting to continue as The Cave,” the statement reads. You can read it in full here.
There are some other changes afoot this week a few blocks down on Franklin Street at Local 506. On Tuesday, Local 506 announced that it would be changing hands again. Kippy and Tom Perkins, who have owned the club since 2014, sold the club to Stephen Mooneyhan, a longtime employee, and Rob Walsh, a local music scene vet who you likely know from his band Bitter Resolve. The pair celebrates their new chapter in business on May 4 with a dance party deejayed by 20th Century Boy.
