Albany's Trinity Methodist operating an illegal nightclub

Church Youth Nights an 'Illegal Nightclub,' Albany Says
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Compiled by Ted Olsen | posted 07/17/2006 09:30 a.m.

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Today's Top Five

1. City shuts down church's rock and roll
"An organ recital is a church event. This is not a church event." That's the ominous argument of Albany (N.Y.) Police Chief James Tuffey, who sent his officers to break up a concert at Trinity Methodist Church and summon pastor Maurice E. Drown to court for running "an illegal nightclub."

Tuffey says that the church's taking donations at the door for the youth rock shows (where smoking and alcohol are banned) is akin to charging admission, which makes it a nightclub.

(Actually, according to the Albany City Code, it would not be a nightclub, since the code's definitions require such establishments to sell or allow the consumption of alcohol. Now, the city might make a case that the church is violating its code by running a "nonalcoholic dance club," but if Drown's summons actually uses the word nightclub, it seems clear that he can win his case outright.)

The church has been using its stage for entertainment ministries since 1931 and has long hosted sock-hops, dances, fashion shows, and other events. The Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau even lists it as a "creative meeting space" for hosting outside events. So why the problem now? Ask neighbor Colleen Ryan: "You've got a herd of kids standing out there with spikes and studs and what look like prison tattoos," she told the paper. "We are trying to promote the city as a good place to live in and raise children in."

Let's complicate things a bit by noting that the church's youth music nights, called "New Age Cabaret," include bands like Drown Retarded Children and Clitorture (which has a lovely song called "Why Won't Jesus Die" that starts like this: "Why won't Jesus [expletive] die? Hopelessly turning the pages, the good book of lies. Your moral guide to a self-righteous life. Knees pounded into the dirt, free will has died. In the palm of God's hands, you're wasting your life. Slaughter the lamb. Worship the goat. Pry the Lord's hands away from your throat. Before I pray, I'll slit my own wrists. Religion of hate, to each his own scorn. All these years of worship have left you with nothing."

Agree with Chief Tuffey now?

Youth rock at church hits sour note Albany's Trinity Methodist operating an illegal nightclub, police say

By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Friday, July 14, 2006

ALBANY -- Organ music has long had a place in church. But what about the power chord? There will be no more music -- rock, punk, ska or even polka -- coming from the basement stage at Trinity Methodist Church on Lark Street, where police say an ongoing program of youth rock bands turned the church into an illegal nightclub. "That's not the image we are projecting," said the Rev. Maurice E. Drown, who has hosted the all-ages, no-alcohol shows since March. "They are really stretching it to find some way not to have the youth in here." Police Chief James Tuffey, who sent officers to the church Wednesday to halt a concert of four bands and issue Drown a summons to City Court, said the church is breaking the law. "An organ recital is a church event. This is not a church event." Tuffey said neighbors complained about noise and kids hanging around the church, which is located in the heart of the city's liveliest neighborhood, where a string of bars and nightspots keep the street busy well into the night. The shows are the brainchild of the Rev. Joyce Hartwell, who moved her New Age Cabaret into Drown's church after it lost its North Albany location this spring. She said she uses young people's love of music to tap into their spirituality. "You can't confine religion to one book or procedure," said Hartwell, who provides books on Christianity and other world religions, as well as art objects and drawings, as part of the "Artists All-Faith Center" in the church. Alcohol, drugs and smoking are banned, and donations are taken at the door, said Hartwell, who ran an a similar operation on Manhattan's Lower East Side for more than two decades before coming to Albany in 2000. "I think it is great that the kids are paying their way. They are not asking for a handout," said Hartwell. Tuffey said the church is charging admission for the shows, which makes it a nightclub. "This is the only places that all of our friends can go," said Kate Baranowski, a 16-year-old from East Greenbush who is part of an all-girl punk band called Public Noise Concern. "My parents like it a lot better because it is not a bar ... Everyone there is very cool and mellow," said Baranowski, whose year-old band had a paid gig at Saratoga Winners. She was aware of the spirituality room "with books, and Bibles and stuff," but hadn't been in, usually because she is busy setting up equipment for shows. Rich Kuperberg, whose 14-year-old son, Dan, has played at Trinity, said the program helps kids who feel the pressures of the world. "This is for their spirits," said Kuperberg, a 56-year-old mime instructor from Averill Park. "This is not a nightclub. The more outlets they take away from the kids, the more problems they are going to have." But some neighbors see menace -- not spirituality -- during the shows, said Colleen Ryan, a Lancaster Street resident who lives near the church's side door.

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