Redgate-turned-Dazed house radiated ‘essence’ of Syracuse music scene
Dazed, formerly Redgate, served as a community gathering space for music lovers. The house had a variety of spaces like its porch, basement and indoor space, allowing for different social dynamics at the same venue. Ike Wood | Asst. Photo Editor
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Polly Hoffman and Kieran Romano sat on their porch during the first week of school, watching passersby interact with the red torii gate in their front yard. Some gave the large red structure curious glances. Others stared fondly and whispered to their friends. The gate serves as a campus landmark, one that the Syracuse University community was lucky to experience.
This summer, Dazed announced it’s no longer hosting live music shows at its house, bringing three years of tradition to an end.
“This house really brought people together, which was a long-standing favorite thing,” Hoffman said. “We all love music.”
On Aug. 6, the group announced on Instagram that they’re closing the house show venue because their landlord and his insurance company no longer permit basement parties. The house has been a gathering place from its beginning as Redgate in 2022 to its resurgence as Dazed last fall. After the post, many friends and other venue organizers reached out to Romano and Hoffman expressing sadness and concern.
The Redgate house was more than just a house for its tenants. It gave organizers a place to share their passion for music. When Dazed organizers moved in, they continued the tradition of hosting parties each weekend while making it their own. Cassie Roshu, Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographers
The original six organizers of Dazed signed their lease knowing it was Redgate, a house they frequented as underclassmen and shared many memories in. After deciding they wanted to live there, they also wanted to carry on the tradition of hosting shows.
Hoffman said she met most of her friends as an underclassmen while attending parties at the house. Romano added that the layout of the house lends itself to socialization.
With what he referred to as “the big three” — the indoor space, porch outside and basement — there was a space for everyone, whether they wanted to party or have an intimate conversation. Dazed was one of the few venues on campus with this variety of spaces.
Jared Rowland, a former organizer of Redgate and bass player for The Gritty Jawns, said the house was more than just a home for its members; it fostered a community of music lovers. Performers showed off their talent and passion to an audience.
“It was more than just a loud sweaty basement. You could be upstairs socializing, you could be on the back porch smoking a cigarette. You could have a variety of different experiences under one roof,” Dylan Fox, another organizer of Redgate, said. “Because of that, the community that was created was much stronger.”
Dazed offered multiple areas for building community. Students could gather on the porch or in the living room to chat, or enjoy the live music in the basement. Cassie Roshu | Senior Staff Photographer
For some performers like John Webster and Stone Camillo of Ancient Spaceship, the house functioned as a second home. The band, local to Buffalo, played at both Redgate and Dazed. They were encouraged to perform by Studio 89, another band that played at the house.
“It always felt like home,” Webster said. “The crowd was always so welcoming and some of the wildest people I’ve met in a good way.”
Rowland emphasized the importance of the houses’ consistency — few other music venues were hosting every single weekend. Returning to play bass for The Gritty Jawns reminded him of the music culture the house cultivated.
Fox recalled people looking forward to the shows each weekend. The house created a space for people who weren’t attracted to fraternity parties on campus to enjoy themselves on the weekend. The venue’s consistency differentiated it from other house shows that only hosted a couple times a semester.
“(Dazed) made it their own. They found their own way,” Fox said. “They took what we did and made what they saw as improvements on it.”
When Fox first found out about the house’s closing, he was grateful it didn’t happen while he was running Redgate, but saddened for the Dazed organizers. He said he can’t blame Dazed for stopping the shows, but doesn’t deny the negative impact it will have on the music community, taking away a space where budding musicians have the chance to try new things and get discovered.
Dazed gave small bands a platform to share their music with a student audience. Though the housewill no longer host concerts in their basement, the organizers want to find new ways to cultivate Syracuse’s music culture.Collin Snyder | Staff Photographer
Camillo said he’s never in his life seen a music community like the one at Redgate and Dazed. Webster added that in his six or seven years of performing at hundreds of shows, this specific venue stood out to him more than any other.
Hoffman and Romano are deeply saddened by the loss of their house as a community space. It’s a bittersweet goodbye, partially because their house is easier to live in. With only four roommates as opposed to six, they find the space less chaotic.
Though the exterior has remained the same with its iconic red gate, the inside is now fully furnished with decor, mirroring a traditional college apartment. Previously, furniture was tied up and the walls remained bare to prepare for the events they hosted.
The two said they want to continue hosting shows after receiving offers from friends who own other venues and spaces. Hoffman and Romano know they have an audience of dedicated music lovers and hope the following stick around for shows at other places. Webster said what separated the house from other venues the most was the people and the energy.
When Polly Hoffman and Kieran Romano toured their junior year house, they knew it was Redgate, a concert venue that holds memories for many Syracuse University students. The pair were excited to continue the tradition.Ike Wood | Asst. Photo Editor
“The coolest f*cking music venue and the coolest f*cking people we’ve ever met and had the pleasure to play for,” Webster said.
Camillo said it was atypical to see such a large group of people so dedicated to the music at a house show venue.
Fox and Rowland remain optimistic that Dazed will continue to share live music with its audience. Fox said the group has proven their creativity throughout their time managing Dazed, a quality that will aid them in relocating.
While Hoffman and Romano remain hopeful for future collaborations, they’ll never forget the impact Dazed had at Syracuse. For new students, the house will no longer represent what it once did.
“It’s sad that maybe in future years the legacy of it will kind of die,” Hoffman said. “It’ll just be the house with the big gate.”
Webster made it clear that for those who played at the venue, the experience will not be easily forgotten. So, in some ways, the legacy of the house with the red gate out front lives on forever.
Nothing will change the impact the house made on the music community, Rowland said. He hopes if nothing else, the music continues.
“The legacy that I hope carries on is the essence of the music in Syracuse,” Rowland said. “The greatest legacy, for me, would be that music continues in Syracuse University’s student body.”
