PA & OH tape oppers -- venue help needed?

[DryCounty]

Hey my band (tulsa drone) needs some help booking a show in Pittsburgh & Cleveland (or any areas close by) and would like to get any information on where to play, etc.

We are a primarily-instrumental outfit that prefers the odd venue / theater / galleries / barns to the more 'traditional' rock clubs, but we'll consider anything.

We're not going to tour for a few months but any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

[bigtoe]

hey there...

check with patsintheflats.com

feel free to email...clevelands hard unless you know someone...even then...it's kinda rough...send me a pm or email and i can better help ya with who i know...a cd would be fab too so i know who to hook ya up with...

more folks on board will offer if they see ya here...

bigtoerecording@msn.com

best,
Mike

[joel hamilton]

From touring a bunch:

Cleveland: The grog Shop or beachland are always cool.

Youngstown: The Nyabinghi.

[bellulah]

good luck getting into beachland - they tend to be booked far FAR in advance and this is where bigger bands have been ending up lately. and nyabinghi in y-town is rad, but the guy taht runs the place (greg) has gotta like your stuff or he won't even think about it.

in akron ohio alot of people have luck getting into the lime spider. pretty nice and fairly large place, awesome beer selection.

kent has the outpost. the guy that does the booking is... well he could do his job better, but if he returns your phone call it's a REALLY cool place. dan the sound guy is really good.

back to cleveland, the grog shop is always good to newer bands. if you're metal try the pirate's cove.

just a few more names! good luck!!

[inverseroom]

Go to www.levelgreen.com--this is my friend Jim who is an electronic music composer but used to run Jim's Records in Pittsburgh. He knows everyone.

Man, you won't be far from upstate NY! You should try and get a gig here in Ithaca, at The Haunt or Castaways or The Nines.

[bigtoe]

"good luck getting into beachland - they tend to be booked far FAR in advance and this is where bigger bands have been ending up lately."

true - but with HOB coming in i think they may be booking a bit more...great place to play...great peeps...you pretty much need a booking agent or an inside connection... grog is the same way......boycott HOB...i hope places like the Beachland are ok money wise with em...

being from here it's easier...i helped a guy get a show here a couple months ago...they ask how much you'll draw - first thing...if you've never played cleveland it's like asking a kid fresh out of college on a job interview what his experience is. then the folks on the phone will ask you what you can do for them and their bands...it's all pretty seedy...pat's isn't.
come for the music stay for the beer...

to the pod.
Mike
PS - Y-town: Cedars. Pete the sound guy there is awesome. He runs a great studio called Ampreon...

[tkheadroom]

There's a new diy venue in Cleveland called the Tower, kind of the heir to Speak in Tounges (RIP). There is a website that the whole crew who does shows there is on, it's called ExperimentalBehavior.com. Last time I checked, it was down, probably up by now. You're looking for a guy called Steve Dracula (actually George). They might be down with what you're doing. If you point me towards a couple of MP3's maybe I can help you link up with people more specifically. Pat's in the Flat's is a good idea, but you don't want to be an out of town headliner with no local support, you'll play to just Pat and she won't be happy! Seriously though, if such a thing exists lemme hear you're music, I'm intrigued.

On another note, Lime Spider in Akron would probably be a good place to try as well.

Ted

[xonlocust]

the tower:

http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseac ... 1222090804

pat's is awesome - one of the best shows on my last tour (thanks to mike & co) but i've been trying to get into cleveland for ages - hard to break into. i'd also like to do a show at the tower sometime, it looks pretty great.

i've always thought (and usually experienced) that it's a lot better to play some small wierd space or even a house show or something if you're going to a city you've never been to (obviously there are some exceptions) - you get to make friends with the people in that town, and they will then be there for the next time you come through town. if there's some sort of personal, emotional investment in your show (some small group of people are really into the music and doing it to create a scene where none exists) vs. trying to fill a bar to pay the rent (nothing wrong with that either - it's just a different business model) - it makes more sense when you're starting out to find the hole in the walls. i wouldn't go see a band at the empty bottle i'd never heard of, but i would go see a show at a loft if my friends were putting it on. check byofl.org too.

[penelec]

Try Dan Rugh at EightOneFour in Pixsburg. He's a good guy, skater, punk rocker, dodgeball player, wheelie hoiker.

[DryCounty]

Thanks for all advice and mentions. We're quite adept at playing smaller venues, etc. since we have never played these areas before. However, we cart around a big six-foot-long bass hammered dulcimer that requires some serious 'comfort zone'. I've perused BYOFL for our last tour and got a Brooklyn gig (which sucked, another story)...looks like they must have updated it so I'll check it again.

Thanks again!

[Telecastr]

also in akron, is the Voodoo. i've seen a few shows there and it would be another venue to look into. if you feel like going 20 minutes farther south to Canton, the Football HOF city, there is a place called the Luna Grille. The Lime Spider as suggested is worth checking into as well as the Outpost in Kent. i don't live in Cleveland anymore and haven't been to any shows there in a while. you might want to check into Peabody's though. other than the Cleveland venues already suggested, that's the only other that comes to my mind.

[DryCounty]

Wow ... Canton ... brings back lots of fond memories. I grew up outside Cleveland in a tiny town called Bay Village. Brian Sipe was a childhood hero of mine. In summer, my dad and I would always drive down to Canton to the FHOF.

Look, I'm just not going to tell the rest of the guys and try my best to get us something in Canton. They'll just have to shut up and roll with it, damnit!

[Telecastr]

i know Bay Village. i'm originally from Brecksville/Broadview Hts. moved down to Canton for school. it's not the most happening place, but i'm too well networked here to move just yet. if you can, send me a CD of your band to get to the owner and i'll try to get you a show there.