When Dunedin Brewery celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend, it’ll be with one hell of a journey behind it.
On March 15, 2020—as his venue and brewery hosted a Radiohead tribute—Michael Lyn Bryant knew what was coming and how empty it would be within a week.
Dunedin Brewery 25-year anniversary w/Dead Set Florida/Dunedin Pipe Band Grade 1
Saturday, July 24. 11 a.m.
Bands at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., special toast by founder at 2 p.m.
Throwback 1997 Summer Peach Wheat Ale available
Dunedin Brewery
837 Douglas Ave., Dunedin
dunedinbrewery.com
“I recall walking in while they played ‘Karma Police,’ the entire room full on a Sunday evening, and tears rolling down my cheeks because it would all end soon,” Bryant—Vice President and General Manager of Dunedin Brewery told Creative Loafing Tampa.
Two days later, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered all bars and nightclubs closed to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Booking bands is just a slice of what Bryant does at Dunedin Brewery, but it’s the most rewarding work he does and while live music took a pause, he—live other local music lifers—took a break from the thing he loved the most so that could focus on keeping the doors open at 937 Douglas Ave.
“From that point, it was make ends meet, or lose it all. Despair is the best way to describe that loss,” he added.
Bryant had to lay off most of the Dunedin Brewery team and what was left of the staff pivoted to “Pie or Die,” a wood-fired pizza and beer takeout operation. They settled into that model and then waited for the any news about reopening.
But the word never came, so Bryant brought a 4K Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and started live streaming with a May 20 set by Row Jomah. Nobody was allowed to attend. Soon, Bryant opened it up to small audiences, and members of The Motet, String Cheese Incident and the Heavy Pets were among the small crowd.
It was the first time Bryant had charged for anyone to see live music at Dunedin Brewery. So he kept streaming, and soon, the venue figured out a socially-distanced floor plan and immediately sold out of $150 four-top tables. That kept Bryant believing there was a demand for live music.
Artists started reaching back out to take part, and the year away from aggressively filling a calendar gave Bryant time to re-tool his approach to booking and budgeting.
“I looked back and noticed that I was booking simply to fill dates sometimes. When you don't personally believe in an artist you are bringing in, it makes it near impossible to promote them. Nothing against those who I don't personally believe in, but as a musician myself I have specific taste,” he explained. “And that taste has been the success of our live music.”
So he stopped stressing over empty dates. If no one could play a weekend show, he didn’t spend money just to fill a spot. Instead, he created an in-house band to play the gaps.
“We have a full band of talented musicians who can improvise a night of entertainment without any planning,” Bryant said. “This not only gives my staff a platform to pursue their art and talent, but also puts money in their pocket.”
As a mutating virus and unvaccinated folks threaten to derail the progress the live music scene has made, Bryant told CL he believes that there’s enough vaccine out there to give everyone a chance to protect themselves from COVID-19, but he also sees the choice to get poked as a personal one, and one that “hopefully remains such.”
Good breweries have long been known as bastions of sanitation. Cleaning and disinfecting things is just as part of the beer-making process as the malt, mash and fermentation. Bryant says that Dunedin Brewery weathered 2020 with minimal incidents and minimal positive COVID tests; he trusts his gut to make informed and rational decisions.
“It is in our nature to do things as best as we possibly can for the greatest number of people possible while operating a stable business that supports our community with a realm of art and creativity,” he said. “We've been here for 25 years and look forward to the next 25 years, no matter what battle we face next.”
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This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2021.