Goodbye to the Metaphor Cafe - The Jewel of Escondido

With Intent had a gig last Saturday (July 17) at the legendary Metaphor Cafe, located on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Juniper in Escondido, CA.  Ed De Caro and I have played there numerous times, beginning with our last band CenterAisle and carrying over into the early incarnation of With Intent (which just consisted of Ed and I) to the current incarnation of With Intent which now includes Dan Stuart and Mark Schlaefli. 
 
When I arrived to the cafe for setup in the early evening I was greeted by the owner of the Metaphor, the great Jim Nemish.  Jim is an Escondido icon.  He has owned many a business over the years (he was a hairdresser by trade) and in the 80's he suffered a serious stomach ailment that required hospitalization.  Many people in the community pulled together and gave him support during his convalesence, and when he got back on his feet he felt compelled to give back to the community.  What resulted was the Metaphor Cafe, established in 1989.  Jim wanted to open a place where people could hang out in a drug-free/crime-free environment.  He wanted that environment to center around the arts.  He encouraged musical acts, comedians, magicians, artists, photographers, sculpters, and any other type of artist to perform at the Metaphor.  He couldn't afford to pay the acts that passed through the Metaphor, heck, he barely broke even over the years.  But that didn't stop the artists from coming in and honing their wares. 
 
Now as I was saying, Jim greeted me last Saturday as I arrived to the Metaphor.  It was a miserably hot, sticky day, but I was looking forward to playing that night.  Jim shook my hand and showed me an article that was written in that day's San Diego Union Tribune, our local newsrag.  And there on the front page of the local section was the headline "The Metaphor to Close its Doors".  I wasn't too surprised, as Jim had alluded to quitting in one of his own online journals on the Metaphor's Website <www.metaphorcafe.com>. 
 
We sat down at the bar and as Jim lit up a cigarette (in violation of code, but why should he give a shit at this point?) Jim talked to me about how the city was putting the screws to him.  Seems all he wanted was to have the city's non-profit small business council open up their books.  They pretty much spat at him, thinking that Jim was just a gnat to be swatted away.  But Jim was persistent.  He had many years under his belt running various businesses on large to small scales; they were not dealing with small potatoes here.  Jim started a petition drive and was successful in getting the books opened.  Suddenly, he found he was being hassled with various code violations.  For example, Jim had a sandwich board he would put on the edge of the sidewalk to advertise the entertainment for the evening.  He got slapped for a code violation for that.  They basically started nickel and diming him.
 
The Metaphor was not doing too well financially for some time.  It had never been a moneymaker, but that was not Jim's intent.  He just wanted for it to pay for itself and make a little profit so he could keep it going.  But 2004 was not kind to Jim, and coupled with the hassles brought forward by City Hall, sadly Jim decided to call it quits. 
 
Since I've resurrected my musical journey a few years ago I have played quite a few gigs.  In fact, I've squeezed more gigs the past two years between CenterAisle and With Intent then I had in my previous 20 years of playing (I took a 12 year break from playing live music in between this time though).  I can say unequivocally that the stage in the Metaphor is one of the smallest I've ever played.  The hum from the neon sign in the window caused some havoc with our amps.  Escondido in the Summer is miserably hot, and the ventilation is not that great in the Metaphor.  But without a doubt, this is the best venue I've ever played, and it has nothing to do with the physical aspects of the place.  No, it just feels like home.  I never have any butterflies when I walk onto that stage.  Even when Ed and I played as a two-some, just an acoustic guitar and a bass, I still felt calmly confident walking on that stage.  
 
I am going to miss playing at the Metaphor.  I envisioned us someday having our CD release party there.  I looked forward to knowing we could always go back and play there in front of the pool players in the back and to the regulars who sat outside, smoking and drinking their coffees or beer.  Most of all, I'm going to miss Jim, his cook Andy, and all the people who make up that great little place.  There was a nobility about the venue, and it makes me sad to see it go.  There's not many places like this for a band to cut their teeth.  Most places are coldly business-like, but the Metaphor was a welcomed respite. 
 
Well, we have one more gig this Saturday the 24th, and we will play the Metaphor no more.  Jim is booked all the way to the final day of August 21.  From August 22-28, Jim will be holding a weeklong party to celebrate before closing the door for good.  I plan on being there.  
 
Jim Nemish, I know I speak for a lot of people you touched over the years, but I'd just like to say Thank You.  The world could use more Jim Nemishs.