Toronto's Cameron House to reopen with new owners

I love the Cameron House. A small chill music venue in Toronto, located near Queen and Spadina, Cameron is all about promoting young talented musicians and artists. I've seen great folk and indie rock there, as well as a smattering of spoken word performances. And let's not forget its outdoor veneer: swathed in brightly coloured graffiti, the Cameron House stands out on this strip of Queen Street West, where it holds court amidst this "garment district." Now the 30-year-old Cameron House is undergoing serious revamping: according to NOW, the venue will close May 1 after being sold to the owners' silent partners, the Paul Sannella family. Evidently, it will reopen and operate as a "family-run business" (uh oh, that means no more wild nights of music, right?). Duncan Buchanan, a staffer at the bar for 23 years, told NOW about the new proprietors: "I asked [co-owner] Cindy what they were going to do, and she said she had no idea. It sounds to me like it's going to be a bunch of rich 20 year-old kids from Thornhill and Rosedale trying to run a club." It's a shame the Cameron will be revamped for the worse. Few venues hold a cachet of cool and relaxed, of being a fun place to catch music and a venue where you can dress down. It might not have been the most energetic venue, but the Cameron was appealing to music fans who actually wanted to hear music, not to "be seen." Here's hoping the Cameron's future honours its past.