Owners ‘saddened’ by closing of iconic Hamilton music venue This Ain’t Hollywood

The building that houses iconic Hamilton, Ont., music venue This Ain’t Hollywood has been sold, according to its owners.

The sale means the end of the club, which regularly hosted live music events five nights a week for more than a decade.

“While the industry and infrastructure is changing, we felt that it was a proper time for our departure. The COVID-19 pandemic also brought a lot of uncertainties for the near future,” owners said in an Instagram post on Sunday.

“While we are saddened by the end of this era, we look upon the last 11 years as a truly special chapter in Hamilton’s illustrious musical story.”

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Named after an album from Hamilton punk rock band The Forgotten Rebels, the club opened in 2009. After more than nine years of hosting music events, owners put the building up for sale in late 2018 for just over $2 million.

Monster Truck guitarist Jeremy Widerman, who says the band got their start at This Ain’t Hollywood, heard about the venue going on sale in 2018 and hoped it wouldn’t happen.

“I’m pretty sad and upset to find out that it finally did go,” Widerman told Global News, “Not only because This Ain’t Hollywood was a critical venue in our upbringing through the Hamilton music scene but also just kind of as a sign of the times of venues of that size becoming endangered.”

In the social media post, the owners thanked staff and patrons while admitting their “disappointment” with the closure.

“While we are saddened by this announcement, we look at the memories with lots of pride and happiness.”

No final date has been set for the closure of the club.

The building sale will close on Aug. 4.