Yellowknife (Aug 23/06) - A weekly staple of Yellowknife music life in Old Town is no more - at least for the rest of this season.

On Friday, Aug.11, the Wildcat Cafe was inspected by the Liquor Licensing and Enforcement agency, which charged the restaurant with exceeding its capacity limit, set at 32.

According to the charge, 57 people were in the Wildcat that night attending the jam session. Operator Brad Morrissey said that the number of people allowed into the restaurant is usually closely monitored, but on Aug. 11 he was short-staffed and was in the back of the Wildcat doing dishes when the liquor inspector appeared.

The restaurant was not immediately shut down, but the Friday night jam sessions have been cancelled for the rest of the season, he said.

Morrissey will attend a hearing Sept. 11 to face the music for the overcrowding infraction. As this is the first time something like this has happened at the Wildcat, Morrissey said he is unsure of the repercussions.

He is worried that the restaurant's liquor licence may be revoked and that the opening of the 2007 summer season will also be effected.

"We broke the rules and got busted for it," said Morrissey.

Nevertheless, he hopes that the Liquor Licensing Board takes into account differences between the Wildcat and other nightspots in town, stating that "the Wildcat is harmless."

Batiste Foisy, a regular at the Wildcat's Friday night jam sessions, is saddened by the news that the weekly weekend tradition is ending for the summer. He sees the sessions as a venue for the city's best musicians to get together and play. The Wildcat was only doing what it always does Aug. 11, he said, "packing patrons in to have fun."

Foisy is concerned that no other venue will be able to capture the spirit of the Wildcat, a Canadian landmark and a heritage site. He predicts that musicians will now move around private campfires to jam.

Yellowknife musician Steve Smith is also saddened by the news of the cancelled jam sessions. He sees the overcrowding as an indication that people are still looking for a place to play and listen to music in Yellowknife, and that other places need to fill the void.

Smith said that "live music can happen anywhere and beautiful things can happen."

Yet, "the Wildcat has a great ambience" that will be difficult to replace.

The Liquor Licensing and Enforcement body refused to comment on the matter as the investigation is ongoing.