UPDATE: Cuppys Coffee and how the grinch stole the scene - By PT Rothschild

December 17, 2007 by PT Rothschild.

Murrieta, CA – On a chilly southern California Saturday night, just after the first band had started playing to a full house at Cuppy’s Coffee and More, Murrieta Police rolled up with three squad cars and an SUV and announced to the music hungry teens, “You have to leave! The show is over!” Then an officer walked over to owner Johnny and handed him a ticket, citing him for operating without a license. It was 7:14PM. As news spread around the scene like a wildfire, suddenly a number of past events all started to show a web, dare I say, of conspiracy?


In the past several nights at Cuppy’s, a few teen smokers have been issued tickets ($300) for smoking cigarettes within 20’ of the doorway. Although I’m not sure just when this law took affect, this past week is the first time I have heard of it being enforced on anyone attending a music show there. It was reported also this week that when co-owner Charity went down to renew the shop’s business license, she was first given one set of paperwork then told upon her return that she needed more paperwork filed out and that would mean she was not going to be issued a license at this time. Holy Shades of the Vault, Batman! Furthermore, just Thursday night after leaving Cuppy’s and on his way home, shop owner Johnny was stopped by the Sheriff and his car was impounded for late registration.

Being down to one vehicle is definitely putting a strain on being able to do business, look after two children and their extra-curricular activities, and go to work. But it looks like that’s exactly what’s being done to Cuppy’s. For those who say I’m being partial because I’m a fixture at Cuppy’s and support the atmosphere that allows new music to debut regardless of age and experience, I say only one thing - pick up a copy of the latest Temecula Valley News, Issue 10 Volume 7, and turn past the story of the Abbott Labs layoffs which happened two weeks ago, to page 23, the ‘Valley Scene.’ There you will NOT find any all ages Cuppy’s show listings, proving that the ‘plug had been pulled’ on Cuppy’s before the 12/14-12/20 issue was ‘put to bed’ and delivered to the community, and the law walked in on 12/15 officially.

Keep it here at the Full Value Review to see just how this continuing story plays out. Also, the place where the scene was all started by Full Value Entertainment in 2004, Madlins (most recently known as Mike’s Mochas) is but a shell. That location, off Overland Drive in Temecula, is now bare, stripped of the fixtures that once marketed great tasting refreshments to the valley’s first throngs of new music fans.

(editors note: all ages shows are still being offered every week at Cloud 9 Coffee in Murrieta and a few other local coffee houses on select nights. Consult your local listings for more information on who is appearing, cloud9coffeecompany.com or myspace.com/cloud9coffee).

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