ONCE

History

ONCE was the music room JJ Gonson ran inside her Cuisine en Locale space on Highland Avenue in Somerville. The first live show in the ballroom was Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys in 2013, and the club took the name ONCE, from One Night Culinary Event, in January 2016. The 411-capacity hall, with a parquet floor, gold ceiling, and chandeliers, occupies a building that had earlier been a theater, a bowling alley, and a wedding hall. It booked local and touring artists including Mitski, Orville Peck, Amanda Palmer, and Evan Dando. Gonson announced a permanent closure on November 25, 2020, after the pandemic shutdown left the club unable to cover rent and utilities.