To learn more about The White Elephant, 16391 N.E. 182nd Ave., Hockinson, and for upcoming listings, check out the club’s website at: http://www.the-white-elephant.org/.
An eerie mist gently rose from the raised platform deep inside the plain-looking white barn in Hockinson.
From the outside, the 1930s-era structure seemed quiet and completely in place among the rolling fields and hills of the rural town.
But inside, on a stage upstairs, Nazfiratu’s growling brand of Death Metal pierced the silence, as black-clad band members held one of their weekly practices — complete with a haze of dry ice fog.
The strange barn, which was originally built for the town’s Finnish society, has been a dance hall, a church and the storage site for a local contractor over its long history.
It took on its newest form in February, after sitting vacant for about 10 years, when local entrepreneur Michael Lind turned it into an all-ages, teen and kid-friendly music club called The White Elephant: Hockinson’s Theater of Rock & Roll.
The building and business are a strange mix.
Inside and up some stairs, where you might expect to see a hay loft, you’ll instead find a polished wood-floored concert hall that rivals anything in Vancouver or that city south across the Columbia River.
While the concert hall has the overall feel of a rock club, don’t expect to knock back a few cold beers while you listen.
The White Elephant is an alcohol- and drug-free establishment, and that’s how Lind said he wants to keep it.
“What we were hearing from the bands we deal with is that they were never able to have their kids come see their dads play or their moms sing, and they said they really wanted that,” said Lind, who has four children with his wife, Brenda. “We’ve had kids as young as 5 and up to 19 or 20 here. Taking the alcohol out of the equation saves us a lot in insurance — and it stops the headache of worrying about drugs.”
Still, Lind reluctantly admitted there’s also a much simpler reason why he ultimately decided to go all-ages and alcohol-free.
“The state said no freaking way,” Lind said with a laugh. “I’m right across the street from a school.”
The White Elephant actually has three schools almost within spitting distance. The town’s middle and high schools are across the street. The elementary school, that’s down the road maybe half a mile.
After pondering it for a while, though, Lind and his family thought that perhaps the no-alcohol and kid-friendly idea could be a benefit, rather than what many rockers would see as a curse.
“The idea was always to be about music, and I think this is a unique way to keep the community involved and let everybody share that music,” Lind said.
So far, things are moving along well. Lind has a list of about 70 acts from Portland, Vancouver and around Clark County that he can draw on for shows. Some of the more well-known local bands that have played there include Element57, Dear Assassin, Whipcord, Garden of Eden and Gordon Avenue.
Lind also lets younger musicians from across Clark County practice on his stage for free, which is a big help to folks that are just starting out, said Lucas Holmgren, 20, a singer/songwriter from Battle Ground who has played some acoustic guitar shows for The White Elephant.
“I think it’s great that young kids looking to play music now have a venue to do it — especially in this area,” Holmgren said. “I don’t have to go down to Portland to play.”
The venue can hold about 250 people right now, and as Lind continues to restore the building, he anticipates it will grow to hold about 400, he said.
Bands mostly play shows on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 10:30 p.m., although Lind said he’s also trying to set up an all under-18 night on Thursdays for the area’s musicians who are still in high school or middle school.
On the nights that he’s played, Holmgren said he was surprised by how many people showed up — including people he’d never met before.
“There’s definitely always people down there to listen,” Holmgren said. “It’s usually a mix, some friends, some strangers. It’s nice because it opens my music up to a wider audience. It’s amazing when somebody I don’t know connects with my music like that.”
Larry Crawford, 20, who just joined the Vancouver band Gaia as a guitar player, said he also likes the club’s no-booze policy because it means his under-age friends can come see him play.
“For the community it’s in, I think it’s a good fit, and they’re really in to giving back,” Crawford said. “I love it. The draw, I think, is if you’re looking for something new and a little different. It’s very welcoming, and it’s a breath of fresh air to have this out here.”
Lind, who has an engineering background and moved to the area about nine years ago, said giving back to the community is part of his philosophy. He uses his skills to build custom instruments through his other small company, Butcher Guitars,
Each year, he gives four away, one per semester, to Hockinson High School and Middle School.
The schools then raffle off the guitars to pay for music programs, which is something Hockinson High School Principal Brian Lehner said he appreciates.
“It seems, so far, to be a good partnership between them and the schools,” Lehner said.
And even though it’s a rock club, Lehner said he’s also not heard from anybody in the community, parents or otherwise, that there are any problems with noise.
“I haven’t heard anything bad about it,” Lehner said.
Eventually, Lind says he hopes his club will be a resource for musicians all across Clark County, a launching pad for new acts and even a site for other events such as weddings or exercise classes.
“We’re open to everything, and it’s not just for Hockinson — that’s Battle Ground, Vancouver, this whole area,” Lind said. “I’m hoping this becomes something that the whole community uses, for dances, events, and of course rock shows.”
Especially rock shows, said Holmgren, who said he hopes word of mouth will spread quickly about The White Elephant.
“Come down and check it out — I think people are really going to enjoy what this place has to offer,” Holmgren said. “It’s local talent, but it’s by no means all amateur. There are some great talents playing there already.”
