Jonathan Bitz Opens Syntax Physic Opera, Speaks About Scene
by Tim Wenger
Syntax Physic Opera. A unique name, for what promises to be a unique venue. The “physic opera” will be just that- a physical representation of the Denver Syntax, a ten-year-old music and art review covering the Denver area and its happenings, opinions, and thoughts.
Jonathan Bitz, the man behind the literary and the physical, has been visualizing a place like the physic opera for years. “We’ve needed a new music venue, to a degree,” he states plainly. We are sitting on dusty barstools in his unopened establishment tasting beer and chatting about the scene, his plans, and my newfound knowledge that bitters, neat, is not my drink of choice. Bitz is a former talent buyer, longtime musician and writer, and a thoughtful entrepreneur. His hopes are, among other things, to give musicians a new angle with which to present the live performance piece of their art. “I think that the idea for me has been to present shows a little differently. Instead of doing, ‘Show starts at nine o’clock, we have three or four bands, headliner goes on at twelve.’ I’ve always thought that there was a different way to do that.”
Bitz by no means thinks that he has the formula for this re-constructed approach down pat, but has a strong idea of where to start. “I kind of get tired of the rhetoric of the idea of a show,” Bitz says. “The shows that I want to be at that are exciting are cd releases. They are the shows that really mean something to the players. It’s the shows that their parents come out, their siblings, their cousins.” He wants patrons as well as musicians to feel a buzz at the events, for them to be something special and memorable, instead of just another show at another bar.
“What about an event for the band?” he says. When speaking with Bitz about his vision for the physic opera, it is not hard at all to see the melting point of his tenure as an art appreciator and his time in the music business. He wants his patrons to feel connected to what is happening, like they are more than just a ticketed concertgoer. He wants the experience to be a memorable one that will create a buzz in the streets. For his customers, “What about something that I feel, ‘I found this. I know these guys, I love these guys, I drink beers with these guys. I want to be a part of this community here.’”
Hospitality and feeling welcome are key in this approach, and Bitz’ foresight, at this point, has apparently tipped him off to the fact that his interviewer and guest is not at all enjoying the glass of room temperature bitters sitting in front of him, me having mistook the bottle for unfinished wine. He grabs it and tosses it in the trashcan behind him. He moves to replace it with a fresh beer while explaining his strategy for choosing the artists that will grace his stage.
“It’s about people that I love, it’s about people that I want to be around,” Bitz says. “It’s about people that are working hard, creating. Coming up with a different structure. Maybe that means starting shows a little earlier. Show time is nine pm, that’s kind of typical show time around here. Well, what happens before that? Can we do some live jazz during dinner? I love the supper club idea. I love diverse mediums. Shifting it up a little bit, giving people a bit of a pallet cleanser.”
The Syntax Physic Opera, as it appeared to me in its unfinished state, is comprised of two main rooms- a bar room, and what I am led to believe will be the venue room/dining hall to the left of the bar. The cocktails will be fashioned by Charles Anderson and represent and “old Denver” theme. The bar is set to feature many herbs, local spirits, and, to the woe of this author, local bitters. The food menu is being prepared by Chef David Beckwith, and will follow in the same footing- 19th century Denver with modern flare.
Bitz also hopes to offer a bit of Denver culture to bands touring through from out of state. “Anything goes, is my idea,” says Bitz. “We’re talking about down the road, hosting bands to stay here, even if they’re not playing at the venue. To give them a room for the night and to give them a shower. I want to feed people. I want to make sure musicians have a beer in their hand, that they’re happy, that their guests are happy. How do we do that? I think there are different ways to approach it.”
Bitz has been involved in music for most of his life and has seen may such approaches that he felt were overplayed or did not benefit the artist, and he hopes to create a strong sense of bonding between artist, talent buyer, and venue. “Music was the thing that bonded myself to my two brothers,” Bitz says. “It was the thing that I learned early on that moved me. I did not grow up in a musical family, and decided in my late adolescence that I need to learn how to play an instrument. So I started playing guitar. Things started changing to this degree that I started understanding musicians. What it grew into was this idea of Syntax, about taking a literary word-and-story approach to life that is musical. If you look at anything, life is musical.”
“What it ended up transforming to me was this idea of, wow, there are all these little bands here in my hometown that nobody has any idea about other than these little niche cultures,” he says. “People need to know about these people. I’ve stood in front of these bands and wept, had life changing emotions where things shifted inside of me. I felt like I needed to reach out and instead of talking about it, create those kinds of shows.”
This concept led Bitz to create The Moveable Feast at The Walnut Room and eventually The Living Room Series at The Meadowlark, and finally to the concept he is presenting with the Physic Opera. “We’re interested in creating a medicine show,” Bitz says. “It is just this idea of creating a multi-sensory experience for people. Not leaving one thing out. It’s about the art, it’s about the food, it’s about the music, it’s about the cocktails. It’s about absorbing all of your senses to some degree.” Find a list of upcoming events, specials, and more at physicopera.com
Online: facebook.com/physicopera
Category: Local Flavor
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