Musicians and music fans are always asking me about the places I go to to review live music. Bands and their fans cannot possibly find time to check out every venue out that’s out there. Some never move beyond their local watering holes. Most don’t want to go a place for the first time until they’re sure it will be worth their time and money. So, lend me your eyes and I will write about every good room I’ve been to that I can think of off the top of my head. As I usually keep things positive, I will say this is a list of venues that don’t suck.
Let me start up north in my home state of New Hampshire.
If you haven’t already been to the Village Trestle in Goffstown for their Saturday night bands or their Sunday afternoon presentation of the Wantu Blues Jams, you’re missing out on something truly special. The Village Trestle could be the new Rynborn, especially when the economy gets closer to its previous strength. On Saturday nights, the Trestle has hosted Lisa Marie, The Tokyo Tramps, Arthur James, and Rockin’ George Leh. Some of the more local bands like Common Knowledge and Dead Undercover are just as talented if not as commonly known outside of New Hampshire. Almost as important is the food. The Village Trestle offers up some of the tastiest burgers I’ve ever had the pleasure to devour. I’m talking about Samuel L. Jackson level tasty burgers. Just the right amount of meat, grease, and fixings. I always go for the double cheeseburger because I’m a hungry boy when I’m taking notes on a band that I’m digging.
I recently checked out the newer blues room Memphis BBQ & Blues in Milford. Brickyard Blues Band rocked the room with their fine selection of standards and originals. And, the kitchen makes fine pulled pork sandwich that went really well with the sauces offered. General Manager Chuck is a stand up guy and he makes sure everything is comfortable for his patrons. I expect good things to come from this establishment in the years ahead.
When I’m in the mood for more rock and roll and danceable R&B music, I head over to Whippersnappers in Londonderry. You have probably seen Whippersnappers on Mama Kicks’s website. Mama Kicks is the gold standard in New England cover bands. Front woman Lisa Guyer will deliver a moving rendition of “Georgia” while you take advantage of Whipps’ Two For Twenty Dollars menu. I usually have the chicken Parm meal while I’m getting into Mama Kicks, Souled Out Show Band, and many other fine cover bands. Whippersnappers hosts the lively music acts Last Kid Picked, Tigerlilly, Ript, and Never In Vegas.
Heading into Massachusetts you can check out The Tap in Haverhill. The Tap offers home brews that easily rival brand names and their food is good. The Tap has a nice dining area with a deck outside overlooking the Merrimack River for summer music entertainment. I’ve seen Throwdown Blues Band, Cindy Daley, and Track44 outdoors and I’ve seen Cookie Pierce’s band The Sugar Shakes in the upstairs lounge. The Tap is simply a good experience for anybody who has taste in the finer things in life, like home brews and blues.
The Acton Jazz Café, owned and operated by the lovely and talented jazz singer Gwen Vivian, offers the finest food, home brews, and jazz and blues. You have just got to experience this room. It’s décor. It’s bar. It’s sophisticated staff. It’s food. Words simply cannot describe it. It is an experience. The music offers everything from The Love Dogs to Chris Fitz Band to Delta Generators to Booty Vortex. Ms. Vivian clearly has an eye and ear for detail and she has kept this jewel of a room going through thick and thin.
The Village Smokehouse in Lowell is a room I’ve only visited once. I was there February 2011 to see Booty Vortex do their disco thing. I remember that Booty Vortex sounded great in the long, cavernous old building and that the food was good. Lowell is also home to The Back Page where I saw the Erinn Brown Band. The band played exceptionally well and the room was very comfortable. The Back Page also hosts other fine blues talents. Mr. Nick plays there on occasion too.
The Palmer Restaurant is Andover offers a lovely room, part of a very nice restaurant. I saw the explosive talents of Dirty Blonde there, and I recall the food being exceptional. The Palmer was just one of those experiences of enjoying an upscale band at an upscale location.
Heading out to Worcester. I’ve been to the funky vibe rooms The Lucky Dog, Ralph’s Diner, and Tammany Hall. All feature original band showcases and all three bring in quality indie bands. The Lucky Dog hosts the Green Street Music Series, a program that essentially rounds up the best singers in town and puts them in front of a dynamic house band for tribute concerts that honor classic rock heroes of yesteryear. Ralph’s Diner is where I saw the Steamy Bohemians and where I discovered the over the top prog rock band Ellis Ashbrook. Ralph’s too has tasty burgers that go well with the bottled beer in their stock. Nothing fancy. But very good in its kitschy, down to earth appeal. Tammany Hall is where I recently experienced the double bill Custard Pie and Gilmour’s Breakfast. Tammany Hall is a room that attracts music fans who really dig this kind of talent and that vibe made it an even cooler experience.
Sterling, Massachusetts is home to the ever growing in popularity Black Sheep Tavern. The Black Sheep is home to the Sunday Bah-Jam hosted by the abundantly talented and superbly cool A Ton Of Blues. Not only will A Ton Of Blues and many local artists like Fran Dagastino rock your Sunday afternoon, booking agent John Ippolito brings in some of New England’s finest. In fact, the last time I was there the Bah-Jam featured Chris Stovall Brown and Madeleine Hall. The Black Sheep also whips up a damn good pizza. The owner, Kokes, had a vision for what he wanted to do there and he is doing it in style. The vibe is incredible.
The Greenfield Grill out in Greenfield, Massachusetts was where I saw the prog rock band Birds Of Prey. Not only was it a night of fine musical performance, the food was good too. A dining area sits on one side of a function room. The other side of the function room sit’s a band stand. In between is a wide open dance area. The acoustics were perfect for the prog rock Birds Of Prey to unpack their sophisticated melodies and odd time signature grooves and rhythms. I remember having a good burger there too.
Let me swing back to the North Shore. The Rhumbline, Captain Carlo‘s, and Latitude 43 in Gloucester all had that distinct North Shore charm. The Rhumb Line is like an all night dance marathon party when they have reggae and or anything danceable. It is also a fun listening room when they Lisa Marie in one of her many duos. Captain Carlo’ has serious musicianship going on, either outside or in, and Latitude is where I saw an over the top reggae band, on a Thursday night.
The city of Boston is one of my favorite places to visit. Aside from the New England Aquarium, Museum Of Fine Arts, Old Ironsides and a hundred other historic landmarks, Boston has a couple of great rooms to check out blues. The Beehive on Tremont Street is an upscale dining experience to begin with. Throw in Blues On Sundays with host and keyboardist Bruce Bears and his eclectic guests and you have one hell of a Sunday night. They offer fine burgers and fine wines and fine everything else too.
One of my favorite rooms to review a blues band and to have a Samuel L. Jackson level tasty burger is Smoken’ Joe’s BBQ & Blues in the Hub’s Brighton neighborhood. Not only does Smoken’ Joe’s offer every blues act from Peter Parcek to Lydia Warren, Professor Harp to Mr. Nick, they have the best damn andoullie burger. There is nothing to compare to that special smoky flavor while I’m listening to Peter Parcek pay out a rippling, live wire guitar phrase or Professor Harp blow a cool, wavy line of old school harmonica notes. People keep asking me why I review so many blues bands there. The answer is simple. I like it there, especially those andoullie burgers. I once stopped by on a Sunday night and discovered the folky bluegrass musician Geoff Bartley. Bartley and his friends did some amazing things on their acoustic instruments and the speed they play at amazes.
Moving down to South Shore, I have been to The Next Page in Weymouth. I saw Gil Coreia on one occasion and Lisa Marie with Paul Speidel Band on another. The crowd was appreciative of those blues acts and that made for one funky good time vibe. Mari’s Place in Quincy was another fine room. I cannot remember the name of the band I saw there, but I remember enjoying the over feel of the room.
There are far too many venues to recall all of them off of the top of my head. I will be adding more to each paragraph as memory calls more rooms to mind. I’m also sure many of you will be politely reminding me of rooms you’ve seen me at that I neglected to include here. I’m looking forward to everybody’s feedback.
Many of these venues suck. Acton Jazz Cafe has lost many of it’s former artists because of Gwenn’s suck-ass booking policies. Last I checked she was doing a pay-to-play policy there. She’s got her favorites, and they come back year after year. Otherwise she gets into tax trouble and then bands have play a fundraiser to save the place. You may get two well-paying gigs a year, but then have to play a free gig to save the place from foreclosure. I guess she’s figured out how to run a venue and get others to pay her taxes. Brilliant.
Smoken’ Joes is elitist and won’t book unless you can promise a draw of 25 people. This doesn’t work for traveling bands whose following might not be available in this particular area. Hard working bands that may be great but are up and coming and don’t have a pack of college friends to pack the place and drink until they pass out can apparently suck it, as far as this place and the Rhumbline are concerned.
Anyone actually part of the live music scene can tell you that Evan doesn’t book the Back Page unless you can do something for him. Band after band says “what’s up with this guy? We pack every place we play, but we can’t get this egotistical asshole to return an e-mail!”
Village Smokehouse is another lame-ass coverband place driven by egomaniac Dan Millen’s booking policies which threaten to kill live original music, replacing it with ’80s coverbands.
Why would any decent venue put there clientele responsibility into a band that promises to bring all of their friends to a gig who will continue on with the band and offer the club no draw of it’s own?
Dear Frustrated,
I know that the business end of things can be frustrating. Sometimes it is hard to even get someone to return a phone call. But, as far as being a patron and reviewer, I have had nothing but good experiences at these establishments. Again, I’m sorry to learn that you’re bugging. I only know about my own experience dealing with the bands and the folks who operate these venues and their staff who wait on my and girlfriend Donna when we attend.
Bill Copeland
To the frustrated and folks trying to get into rooms..
I feel your pain and can tell you that most of these places that don’t return calls etc. usually are getting zillions of calls and you can’t take it as a slight to you or your music. It is just the way it is. Example a room that I used to play,,,mentioned in one of the clubs that don’t suck..I played there for a couple years or so every month…when the next round of booking for that venue started the person in charge told me to call him on Monday for my dates….well I called on monday…then a few days later..a month later, 2 months later…..five years went by and no return phone call…to be honest after the first month I called just to break his nuts..and did so for another few years. LOL…other venues if I cold call em and they don’t call back I don’t take it to heart. Cold calling is not the best way to contact a room.
Here are some ways that I have had luck booking:
1. Through a friend who is already playing the room
2. Making a visit to the venue, ordering some food or a drink and talking to them
3. Send an email being honest to what you can offer the venue…they love words like draw, upbeat music, fun and huge social networking
4. Send a promo kit and follow up with a phone call (i hate doing this)
5. Establishing good relationships with managers, staff and owners of venues..work on packing a place and doing well in a venue that you know you can pack. Then use that as momentum to get access to other venues near you. Let those other venues know that you are packing Joe Smoes Bar and Grille and you can do that for them too..
6. Word of mouth from other musicians about your band being a good draw, good music, something positive…best way to get others to do that for you is to do it for them.
I hope some of this helps and you get those gigs your trying so hard to get…
Go easy and be kind to your fellow musicians,
Best to you,
Joey
Bill, I know you’re not a fan of the place, but IMO Strange Brew in Manchester, NH is one of the best around for Blues.
On the seacoast – Press Room & Dolphin Striker in Portsmouth are two good places still around. I miss the Elvis room & Muddy River – they were great! Stone Church was great at one time, but never recovered the magic after its demise years back.
I agree, Back Page is a real nice room – both to watch, and to play. Beehive is also excellent. I used to frequent a lot of places in the Metrowest & Worcester area back when I lived down that way, but I bet most are long gone, or totally different now.
A complaint I have, and one I often hear from others… so many music venues don’t have enough room to dance. If you’re going to have live music, think about that.
i must speak on behalf of gwenn at the acton jazz cafe. there is NOT and never has been a Pay to Play set up at the cafe. On jam nights Tue-Wed-Thur-Sunday, there is a 5 dollar cover to get in. this money goes to the house band. On weekends door money pays the band. if you can pack and entertain the cafe crowd, you get paid very well.
the AJC has a very generous community, which holds the Cafe in very high regard. people are stepping forward to help keep an oasis for good music of all sorts, as well as the AJC community happening. It takes the work of a lot of people to keep that little place going. all of us are proud of the place. it’s the best.
Whoever FRUSTRATED is, he knows nothing about the Cafe, and should not make such statements if he has his head up his bum.
fran dagostino band
I have to agree with Fran Dagostino. I have never heard of anybody having problems with Gwen Vivian.The AJC did run into some problems with paying their share of employee taxes to the Commonwealth. But, it was economic, for everything that I read, not incompetence. The bands that play there rallied around the AJC and help Gwen Vivian save it.
Mike, I was only writing about places I have been to, that I could recall off of the top of my head, and where I enjoyed myself. I have been to the Press Room a few times, but it didn’t make it to the surface of my middle aged memory. I will be expanding the article as more rooms come into my recollections. As I want to keep this positive, I’m not going to mention any rooms where I have been but didn not enjoy myself, as was the case in a blues room that I find not conducive to listening, as many patrons ignore the music and talk over it.
Ah yes, the ambivalent audience effect. That’s a real drag when performing. I’m not sure how much that’s a venues fault though. I’ve noticed some towns tend to have more engaged live music fans than others. Go to Milford or Dover NH any weekend, and you’ll find a strong music scene relative to the size of the town, because the people there actively seek it out and support it. That’s not the case everywhere.
That’s crap about AJC. I played there often, and although the place was packed to the gills, we couldn’t get booked there more than every 9 months. There certainly was a $200 “deposit” required against the door, which is when I stopped booking there, following in the tradition of many other artists such as Miles Donahue, who gave on dealing with Gwenn. Do the math: pay a “deposit” of $200 to play, only get booked twice a year, and then find that in order to play there, you have to play a free gig there once a year to keep her in business, unless your a personal friend of Gwenn’s and show up at her overpriced door charge shows. Then you have to pay a second door charge to stay for the second show, whether you’re still finishing your meal or not. Why do you think the Boston Horns stopped playing there? They figured it out early on, before the “deposit” debacle happened.
Jake’s Dixie Roadhouse, on the other hand, would *pay* $200 against the door. If more money was made at the door than $200, then the band would receive that, as well. It’s called a Guarantee, so that the musicians could make at least some semblance of what they’re worth. Also, the band was fed, far better food than the musicians would have to pay full price for at AJC.
Why should I have to pay a considerable cover charge on a regular basis, buy overpriced food, just so I can establish a relationship with Gwenn in order to play there *maybe* twice per year?
Mike,
I’d say its a venue issue that blues fans don’t show up at a venue that offers blues. The owner in question graduated from Tufts. He still seems to have his head in Boston. Almost all of his acts are from the Bay State. I don’t think those bands are drawing their Massachusetts fans up 93 and 293 into Manchester to see them at a room that is overwhelmed with people who aren’t listening and are talking over the music.
Perhaps the owner can bring in some local area blues bands whose fans won’t have to drive as far. Local musicians tell me that the local Manchester blues venue owner won’t even talk to them. I know that every time I see the band schedule, it’s the same bands from Massachusetts he’s been using for the last ten years. I have nothing against those bands. I know and admire most of them. Yet, I don’t their fan base at the venue.
I think that owner needs to take a closer look at local area bands. He should also look at bands, whether they’re from Mass or NH, that he hasn’t tried before. Because everytime I go to his venue, I feel like I went back in time 20 years and I don’t see any of the newer faces. I don’t see Lydia Warren, Gracie Curran, Alley Stoetzel, the Delta Generators, the Tokyo Tramps, Chris Fitz Band, Brickyard Blues Band, or even Evan Goodrow who did well there the few times they had him.
Some change is long overdue there. The owner could also do more to market the venue as a blues room. He needs to do more advertising, marketing, promotions. As opposed to just making his money off of the regular drinking crowd that mill about the Elm Street area.
Bill
All valid points Bill, but there have been a lot of changes at SB in the last year – updates to the space, new marketing team running print, radio, and web advertising, menu changes, and most of all there are several new bands in the rotation (most from NH). There was definitely a lack of variety in recent years, but steps have been taken to shake that up. No place is perfect, but they have kept live blues music going in Manchester through the bad economy while many places cut back, or stopped all together. Try it again, and you may like it… you may not, but it’s not just the same as it was.
One other room I want to mention – J’s Tavern in Milford. They have invested a lot into creating more live music options in downtown Milford. They have been extremely supportive of us and other local acts, and have regulars that are really into live music. It’s a great hidden gem, right in the center of Milford.
Hi Guys,
I am fortunate enough to have learned about the Brad Delp Foundation fundraiser taking place tonight at Whippersnappers from a friend. With a little digging, I came aross this music scene communication! I LOVE IT!
Now I can keep up with all of the local music news and hit some fantastic shows.
Thanks,
Susan (aka SU JO)
Hi Mike,
I have been there lately. Donna and I had a dinner date there some months ago. Mr. Nick was playing. We could barely hear him over the din of the disinterested crowd. I also check the schedule on the wall. I didn’t see anyone new, except maybe Lisa Marie’s name. And Lisa Marie pesters everybody until they put her on.
Again, the article is about places I’ve been to and could recall off the top of my head. Everybody is e-mailing venues. I doubt I’ll be able to make it out to everybody’s favorite.
Hi Su Jo,
Welcome to my online music magazine, BillCopelandMusicNews.com.
Please tell all of your friends about it.
Thank you,
Bill