Hey, Struggling Musicians: Here's Two Venues To Keep In Mind
OK, so I’m not a struggling musician--but I’ve heard the story many times about how hard it is to make some bank in the local arena. Some places take this much of a cut; other places say they'll only take that much of a cut--but end up paying shit. And so on. Now, I don’t know the practices behind it all because other people have to get paid--doormen, bartenders, whatever--but this weekend I found two places that offer the entire take of the door to bands.
I hear that’s a good thing.
I don’t imagine Black Tie Dynasty or Theater Fire heading over to Coppell but if they ever get the inkling, they might ask all their MySpace fans to head over to the Lone Star Country Club. They state proudly on their ads that “bands get 100% of the door,” and right now, the cover charges are going into the pockets of metal acts like Cancer Whore, Zenabi and Orthodox Fuzz. Yes, Lone Star Country Club's calendar looks a little more hard rockin' than most other venues, but I’m sure Coppell wouldn’t mind more options in its live music offerings.
(Not that there’s anything wrong with Cancer Whore.)
And then there's Plano's Love and War in Texas, where I caught Daryl Lee Rush perform on Friday. While this venue seems more about the food and drink, the live music ambiance amps up the revelry--and some of the crowd paid as much attention to Rush and his band as they did to their (freakin’ large) beers. The door is cash-only and that night it was a mere five bucks--all of which, the door lady informed me, goes to the musicians. The stage is out on the huge patio and, from the crowded looks of things, I imagine Rush had a good rest of the weekend.
I’m sure these aren’t the only places with good deals for bands, but now I’m curious about how other venues pay out. --Rich Lopez
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