Venues need to consider what they want before hiring bands

NOTE: This blog was published on the date shown at www.TriadLiveMusic.com and is reposted here for archival purposes.  

Children of Karma

Mon-Jul26-2010

    No one likes to get the short end of the stick and even if a venue doesn't charge a cover for the evenings entertainment doesn't mean they should offer patrons less than their best. I live in Burlington which is a good fifty minute drive to some of the venues on the other side of the Triad, so when I decide to travel that distance to see a popular local group perform then I expect an engaging evening, not only from the band but the venue as well. That was not the case this past Saturday night. Oh the band, Children of Karma, was great and we had a good time listening to the music they performed. The venue however seemed to not understand what is required to host a musical act. To start the evening off the band had to wait almost an hour out on the street for the dining area to clear so that they could set up. So a show that would normally start around 10:15 didn't start til after 11 pm. That meant no sound check other than their first song. This particular venue is divided so that the dining and bar areas are in two different rooms. If you are going to have a band play at your venue they should be playing on the bar side, not the dining side. But the real kick in the groin for this night was when the bartender came in and asked the band to lower the volume - that they were too loud. Now, as I was sitting in the front row I can tell you with a certainty that the volume was already below what I would have expected it to be and to have the band lower it even more was just plain insulting to the band.
    Admittedly there are several reasons that factor into the lack of audiences at some venues lately. Most of those reasons start with the economy being so poor, but bands and venues can also contribute to the poor turnout, usually by lack of advertising and promotion, but when a venue doesn't know what the hell they are doing or what they expect when they hire a band then that is a major problem. The venue in question would be much better off either not having live music or switching to acoustic performances rather than an amped up band. As it was, the venue game me the impression that having Children of Karma perform was an afterthought and that is very degrading to COK, who deserve much better treatment than that.

Ten-0-One: a sports bar with a side of music

NOTE: This blog was published on the date shown at www.TriadLiveMusic.com and is reposted here for archival purposes. 

Mon-Jul12-2010

    When my friend Staci McBeth of Kitty Hawk threatened me with my life if I didn't make it out to see them play Friday at the Ten-0-One sports bar in Winston-Salem I had to make a tough decision... okay, it really wasn't a tough decision, actually it was a no-brainer. Any chance to go see and hear Kitty Hawk is a treat I wouldn't want to pass up on if at all possible.
    We arrived in downtown Winston just as the crowd that come down to see the Dash play was letting out. I had never been to Ten-0-One before so I wasn't at all sure of where I was going in the dark other than to find Burke Street. But with the help of Google Maps on my iPhone I found it easily enough and from there it was a simple drive down the short street to where the crowd was.
    The venue enjoys the "after-the-ballgame crowd" on regular nights but with a spacious dance floor and decent enough stage area (for a venue its size), Ten-0-One easily transforms itself a hot little venue for live music. Because of its location the establishment enjoys a healthy mix of patrons, from baseball fans who don't want to end their evening after the last out to nearby residents who are in the mood for some late evening entertainment. The crowd on this night was a good mix of ages, sex and races, a feat that doesn't happen often with live music venues.
    As Kitty Hawk rocked on into the night the dance floor stayed full, or nearly full, giving the band a grand dose of energy to feed off of with each new song.
    The one negative aspect of the venue is that in order to enter you have to walk through the outside smoking area which means that for non-smokers entering the venue must endure a few brief moments of the odor from the smoking patrons - a small price to pay to be able to enjoy live music inside without the stench of smoke.
    The staff at Ten-0-One is fast and courteous, keeping patrons drinks filled and tables cleared of empty bottles and glasses. TV's, pool tables and dart boards allow patrons to enjoy more than just the music.
    For those who live on the west side of the Triad, Ten-0-One provides a wonderful little escape for those seeking a different experience in nightly entertainment.

Everybody loves them some Cheebo

NOTE: This blog was published on the date shown at www.TriadLiveMusic.com and is reposted here for archival purposes.  

Cheebo

Sat-Jun14-2010

    The first time I caught some of Koozie's music was last year but I was only able to stay for a couple of songs before I had to leave. Those couple of songs though were enough to make me vow to catch them live again as soon as I could. Since that time I have made good on that vow a few times. Koozie is in my opinion one of the top three or four bands in the Triad area. But the band itself draws it's persona and public identity from their front man, a performer who goes by the single moniker of "Cheebo." Sporting long hair fashioned into dreadlocks, baggy clothes and always a drink in one hand, Cheebo's appearance is instantly identifiable but his voice, one of the strongest in the triad, is one which can wrap itself around the lyrics of any song and make it instantly a Koozie song.
    During the week I had built up Cheebo and Koozie so much to my date Friday I had started to worry I might have built them up so high that she would expect too much and be disappointed. Thankfully Cheebo and company didn't disappoint and she was sufficiently impressed, enjoying the music and the outlet to dance it provided her.
    As the band took to the stage for their opening set at After Hours Tavern Friday night, the crowd was thin in number and I worried that the event may not have been publicized enough during the week, but as the set continued on the crowd increased and bodies were moving en masse on the dance floor. Cheebo doesn't jump around on stage, prance back and forth or even move very much, he doesn't have too - his vocal work is a magnetic force that reworks the songs the band covers, songs from artists as varied as the Eagles, Commodores, Steve Miller Band, Kid Rock, Alice In Chains, and Nickelback. But don't make the mistake of thinking you'll hear a duplication of the original artists songs, once Cheebo and Koozie lay into a tune they "own" it, often merging multiple songs from different artists together into one and just as often Cheebo melds his special blend of "normal" vocals with the rage of "screamo" and the result is off the chain!
   Much too soon, the 2:00 am last call came and with it Koozie wrapped up their final set. But once more I vowed to catch Koozie again at the next opportunity I have. I think my date will like that too. ;)