Reclaiming Capitalism – The Upton Sinclair Socialist Reading Room by Jon Bosworth
According to Brennan Hamill, owner of The Sinclair, in 1906 the structure at 521 W Forsyth Street was a slaughterhouse and had been for almost a year. That same year, Upton Sinclair published The Jungle. Arguably an inspiration for the entire “creative nonfiction” genre, the fictional novel acted as a sort of expose` presenting the inhumane practices of the meat industry, from immigrant labor forced to work in slave-like conditions for almost no pay to the corruption that infected American communities in the early 20th century.
Sinclair had difficulty getting the book published, but when Doubleday finally did it was an instant success and has since come to be known as a social and literary masterpiece. The literary irony of a place’s name is not exactly something you think about when picking the bar you want to go to on a Saturday night, but The Sinclair is just that sort of place; it’s a literary irony sort of bar.
I recently responded to one of those cheap, tedious, time-wasting Facebook surveys about favorite places to read, and I have to imagine that my responses were unusual; my favorite places to read are on a city bus and in bars. Try going into most bars and sitting in a corner with a book, and you’ll get an array of strange looks and even some marveling drunks who will approach you like a strange but harmless creature that they just can’t understand.
It’s hard to find a good reading bar in Jacksonville. When you enter The Sinclair, portraits of Ray Bradbury, John Steinbeck, and Upton himself grace the walls. In fact, Hamill’s original full name for the bar was going to be the Upton Sinclair Socialist Reading Room (The USSR Room), and indeed he hopes it will foster a similar community to the socialist activist communities Upton Sinclair was a part of in the early 20th century. I found my reading bar.
This location has gone through many transformations since its slaughterhouse days. Your grandfather might remember it as a brothel, but you probably visited it as The Voodoo Lounge back in the early 2000s. The classic walnut wood-trimmed bar only has occupancy for 80 people and that is precisely what Hamill wants.
“When a place is this small, 20 people can come out for a show and it feels like a good night. 50 people could come out and it feels sold out.”
You may know Brennan Hamill from such local hits as the bands Lackawanna Carriage Works and (formerly) Dang!, or you may know him from when he was booking Yesterday’s, Avondale’s rather redneck bar (which Hamill almost turned into the CBGBs of Jax, except the forces of redneck were too strong to be opposed and too drunk to be reasoned with), or you may have simply seen a large redheaded man with a posh red beard driving a bitchin’ 70s red camaro around Riverside and downtown. On the other hand, you may not know him at all.
I recently heard him described as “austere” (of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor), which isn’t altogether fair. He’s funny, but he does take his ideas very seriously. And anyone that visits The Sinclair will be glad for that, because taking a building that has hosted everything from the slaughtering of animals to rival gang knife-fights over the past 100 years and turning it into a venue welcoming musical theater and alt country bands takes a firm hand at the rudder.
Although the beer and wine bar is already open for business Thursday through Sunday nights, his grand opening is planned for August and that is when we will start to see local bands taking the stage. The opening night will feature local alt country acts Pine and Bone and Hamill’s own band Lackawanna Carriage Works.
After that kickoff Hamill assures visitors that the live bands he puts on stage will be the best original music that Jacksonville has to offer. He won’t overstuff shows or pair opposite bands with one another, shows at The Sinclair will be carefully constructed quality events sure to please locals looking for a discriminating venue.
Hamill’s intellectually ironic bar will also be a haven for neo-socialists and a business that is always more interested in art and music than in turning an enormous profit. That doesn’t mean he intends to be one of the many downtown spots that throw bad art onto the walls to be a part of Art Walk (although he intends to be open for Art Walks), but rather he hopes to bring new dynamics of art to the Jacksonville social scene, including live theater, radio dramas, on-stage talk shows, and any ideas that he thinks fit the vibe. His primary goal is to support the art community, the entire art community – not just painters and musicians – and provide a venue where creative people can find an audience for their work.
Come to The Sinclair now to enjoy eclectic DJs playing music that you’ve never heard, but will want to hear again. From Nancy Sinatra to Velvet Underground to Belle & Sebastian, you’re likely to hear new favorites by groups and from eras you thought you had already mastered. Then look to August for The New Art to take the stage. When you check The Sinclair out for yourself, bring a good book and order a Lillet on the rocks. Tell the bartender Urban Jax sent you.
