RUMOR: Walter’s on Washington’s Finances Raided

We were tipped off that one night last week, during a show, Walter’s on Washington had an unwelcome visit by the authorities aka the man aka The Law. Different from the chronic noise complaints and subsequent visits from the police, the most famous instance of which being last year’s tazer-fest during the Two Gallants show, this was apparently a raid relating to taxation. “Nah, these weren’t HPD cops – they were finance people,” our source says, “Comptroller or something like that. They emptied the money out of the bar register and asked the kid who had set the show up about his tax id or something.” Speculation abounds, but the people gunning for Pamland’s final outpost may get their petty, unwelcome, suburban justice the same way Elliot Ness got Al Capone.

The destructive gentrification of Washington between I-10 and Downtown has long been bemoaned as the root cause for the closing of the three other live music venues on the strip in as many years; the Rhythm Room, Silky’s and Mary Jane’s Fat Cat. Walter’s could be easily considered the city’s most important all-ages stage for touring bands that are just getting onto the blogosphere’s radar, and with it the best way for locals to get in front of a like-minded audience. With no obvious successor, and troubles Walter’s may be having is trouble for us all. Dearest 1415 Washington, we wish you all our best.