Jailhouse thievery

>>

by Lorraine Carpenter

Metal "krust-core" acts are banned from the Jailhouse Rock Café after the venue was robbed following a benefit show on April 3. The Equality For All benefit--which raised money to send people to last weekend's FTAA summit in Quebec City--featured a number of local krust-core bands (also known as grind-core and closely related to death metal), including Atheretic and Kuru.

"I stand outside and deal with cops and risk my own arrest so these shows can go on," says Jailhouse co-owner and booker Domenic Castelli, who adds that only a small percentage of the krust-core crowds tend to ruin it for everyone. "If one of my patrons smashes a window across the street, I've got to pay for it, and a couple of people out there thought we were rich enough to get robbed."

The benefit money stayed with the show's organizer but approximately $1,000 and 12 bottles of alcohol were stolen from the bar. "That was just after we paid the rent so we had no money except for [the earnings from] that one night," says Castelli. "Nobody got paid for two weeks because of it."

According to Castelli, the robber stayed well hidden in the bathroom after the venue closed that night and then escaped. Though the robber's identity and whereabouts have recently come to light, no charges have yet been laid.