Indie rock club moves to the Rotunda

Punk rock fans need not be disappointed by the closing of 4040 on earlier this month. The indie rock club -- previously located at 4040 Locust Street -- will reopen this Saturday in the Rotunda at 4012 Walnut Street, about a block away. Last February, community residents and city officials approved zoning changes that allowed the introduction of 4040 to Locust Street in the spot which once housed Urban Outfitters. Neighborhood complaints about noise led to the change of venue, although 4040 Locust Street was meant to be a temporary home for the club from the beginning. "The neighbors were getting a little tired of the noise," 4040 co-owner Sean Agnew said. Last spring, Agnew created the club to help provide alcohol-free social options for Penn students and other neighborhood residents. Agnew -- the head of R5 Productions, which is responsible for bringing shows to the club -- said he is looking forward to the move and the end of conflicts with neighbors. "[4040] was a little sterile, just a big white room with a huge ceiling," he said. "It didn't have a lot of character." Agnew noted that in addition to the complaints from the neighbors, the video store next door and the Hillel Foundation, -- which shared the building with 4040 -- both expressed displeasure at the noise level. 4040 will share the recently renovated Rotunda space with the student-run group The Foundation, which provides free shows featuring local artists once or twice a week. The Foundation, described as a "community arts program" by co-director Andrew Zitcer, will have first pick for showtimes, and 4040 will fill in the gaps. "I think it's a boon for both of us," recent Penn grad Zitcer said of the collaboration between himself and Agnew. Students who frequent the club said they approved of the new location. College sophomore Jason Rosin said he is looking forward to attending shows at the new venue. "I like it because there's a lot of good local talent there," he said. "It's a pretty intimate environment, not a huge crowd." Engineering senior Dan Khouri, who played at 4040 last year with his band, The Atreyu Complex, agrees. "Because they shared [the location] with Irv's Place, there was a lot of conflict," he said. "I think it's a lot better, just because there were so many complications." "And [the Rotunda] definitely has better acoustics," Khouri added. Neighbors had mixed reactions to the move, with some glad to see the noise disappear but others saying a few noisy nights was worth having the club nearby. "I've found that the club interfered with my studying," said Wharton senior Jared Lieberman, who lives at 4039 Locust Street. "I just couldn't concentrate in my room." His housemate, Wharton senior Josh Kuntz, disagreed. "I'm a huge fan of indie music," he said. "And I used to leave my window open so I could hear it." But the owners of the Video Library, which is located next door to the former 4040 location, said they have not enjoyed having the club as a neighbor. "When the bands were playing, it was definitely a serious distraction," said Whitney Schilling, co-owner of the Video Library. "The soundproofing of the building is so bad, and the sound was constant." "While we loved the idea of having an exciting venue next door, when [the bands] were playing it was uncomfortable," he added. And Agnew said he hopes that 4012 Walnut will not draw as many complaints as the former location. In his e-mail newsletter, Agnew recently wrote, "We are all looking forward to getting on with a nice clean fresh start with the Rotunda."

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