January 09, 2003

OLCC Declares War on Underage Musicians

It seems that a new rule from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, ostensibly intended to prevent strippers under the age of 21 from performing in adults-only clubs, is irking clubs that book underage musicians, since the rule technically bans "all minor entertainers -- including musicians -- from performing at adults-only places as of Jan. 2."

"Whether they meant to affect us or not, it does affect us greatly," says Adam Mackintosh, a manager at Dante's in Southwest Portland. He estimates Dante's books bands with underage musicians at least once every two months.

In theory, under the rule clubs are able to apply for exemptions in order to, say, "hire a 20-year-old drummer" -- but the OLCC reportedly admits that such exemptions are not likely to be granted.

As such, we hereby dub this OLCC action the "Underage Musician Unemployment Act" and encourage musicians under the age of 21 to petition the OLCC for jobless benefits, to be taken out of the state's alcohol revenues.

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