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  • Kelly O

Capitol Hill Seattle reported on December 8 that Los Angeles club owner Erin Carnes and LA musician Brianna Rettig have designs on buying Capitol Hill club Chop Suey. Carnes currently runs The Escondite in downtown LA with Brian Houck. I contacted Rettig to find out what the status of the deal is. She responded, "Thank you for your interest. At this moment in time I have no comment and neither does Erin Carnes or her partner Brian Houck."

Reached by email, Chop Suey talent buyer Jodi Ecklund offered her knowledge of the matter. "There is a potential new buyer. As of now nothing has been finalized. I have been told by my boss to cease all bookings starting 1/20 and was told to cancel all future bookings. The owners haven't shared much with me as to whom the potential new buyers are. I can neither deny or confirm if these are indeed the prospective buyers. I wish I had more to share and at this time I don't.

"I have no idea if the new owners plan to keep any of the current staff or not," Ecklund continued. "I am hoping to get more information in the days to follow. In the meantime, I have been encouraged to look for new employment. I am really proud of what we were able to achieve for the local music community. I really hope if the sale is finalized that they realize the importance of keeping venues like Chop Suey thriving.

"My main goal is to get as many people through the doors with our remaining time there. And, additionally, to find work for all of the current staff."