RSMWhat’s the name of the venue your going to review? where in the US is it located and what part of town is it in?
OB Alligator Alley is located in Oakland Park, Florida (close to Daytona Beach)

RSMWhen did you play this venue and with whom?
OB I performed this past summer with the Latin Rock band “Soulare”.

RSMWhat type of music is played at the venue on a regular basis (Rock, acoustic singer songwriter, dance, etc) and what styles would fit best in the venue?
OB Alligator Alley is owned and operated by musicians and all styles are welcome. You can be a punk band, Jam Band, Pop band, Songwriter or play jazz fusion. All is welcome and all is appreciated!

RSMWhat size crowd makes this room feel full? …or Semi full?
OB Alligator Alley is a small club where 20 people makes it feel like a good crowd.

RSMDid this venue seem to have patrons/regulars or was the crowd you played to solely there for the artist?
OB Alligator Alley has loyal regulars and curious music fans. It’s a real listening room in the confines of their very modest space.

RSMWhat was the sound system and backline like? Did you have any contact with the sound engineer?
OB Alligator Alley supplies an entire backline of guitar amps (Marshall, Fenders, Peavey: good condition) Drums, Bass amps, Keyboards and PA. This room sounds fantastic! A small room but there is warmness to the place that can really get a band to play their best. Sound engineer is helpful but it’s more like set up and just play. Simple and sweet.

RSMIs there a charge to enter the venue? Do you know what percentage of the door bands get to keep or did you receive a set fee or tips?
OB I received a set fee for my performances. Alligator Alley charges $5 to $8. All prices are subject to change.

RSMDoes the venue assist in promoting the show or is promoting the show entirely up to the artist?
OB Venue has online web sites and they promote in local papers but it’s up the band or artist to get the word out properly.

RSMAny other things that stand out with the venue?
OB Alligator Alley is a place where a musician can go and play and experiment and be really listened to. It’s just a bar with a stage but it’s a great vibe and the sound in the room is fantastic.

RSMWhat’s the name of the venue your going to review? where in the US is it located and what part of town is it in?
OB The Bowery Ballroom: Located in downtown Manhattan in NYC.

RSMWhen did you play this venue and with whom?
OB I played the Bowery this past summer. I performed with New York Songwriter Derek James.

RSMWhat type of music is played at the venue on a regular basis (Rock, acoustic singer songwriter, dance, etc) and what styles would fit best in the venue?
OB The Bowery has every style under the sun. Weather you play hard rock, hip hop or pop music, this venue is well equipped to handle just about any style of music today. It can be an intimate venue but it can also be loud party atmosphere. All seems to be welcome.

RSMWhat size crowd makes this room feel full? …or Semi full?
OB The Bowery: I would say about 150 people makes it feel full.

RSMDid this venue seem to have patrons/regulars or was the crowd you played to solely there for the artist?
OB The Bowery had a mix of regulars but predominantly fans of the artist’s that were performing.

RSMWhat was the sound system and backline like? Did you have any contact with the sound engineer?
OB The Bowery has a great sound system. Great stage sound and ample time to sound check and feel comfortable. The engineers were very professional and patient.

RSMIs there a charge to enter the venue? Do you know what percentage of the door bands get to keep or did you receive a set fee or tips?
OB For The Bowery I received a set fee.

RSMDoes the venue assist in promoting the show or is promoting the show entirely up to the artist?
OB The Bowery does promote in local papers but it is up the artist to get the word out.

RSMAny other things that stand out with the venue?
OB The Bowery Ballroom is a great room to hear Rock N Roll. I have seen a great many shows there and I have always enjoyed the intimacy of the live room. It also has a great basement bar where anyone can just hang and have a few cocktails while the music gets piped in to the bar.

RSMWhat’s the name of the venue your going to review? where in the US is it located and what part of town is it in?
OB Macarena on south beach in Miami, Florida

RSMWhen did you play this venue and with whom?
OB I performed at Macarena this past summer with the Latin Rock band “Soulare”.

RSMWhat type of music is played at the venue on a regular basis (Rock, acoustic singer songwriter, dance, etc) and what styles would fit best in the venue?
OB Macarena is Latin Dance/Rock/Flamenco club. They host predominantly pop rock bands with a Latin flavour. Most groups that perform here lean towards dance and funk tinged styles. That’s what works best here.

RSMWhat size crowd makes this room feel full? …or Semi full?
OB Macarena is a medium size intimate venue and it feels really full with about 60 people. However they tend to fill the joint with close to 150 on a given nite.

RSMDid this venue seem to have patrons/regulars or was the crowd you played to solely there for the artist?
OB Macarena has a lot of tourists from all over the world. Miami is a hub for many folks from South America and this club welcomes them. So you have some international regulars. There are people there to specifically see the bands but it’s a bit 50/50.

RSMWhat was the sound system and backline like? Did you have any contact with the sound engineer?
OB Macarena provides drums and bass and acoustic guitar amps. We brought in our own gear and found it to be better for our purposes. The stage is not terribly big but it can fit a 5 piece rock band well. The sound engineer is very helpful and we were given more than an hour to set up and sound check. The sound system is made up of a house PA that includes monitors and overhead speakers for the house. The sound quality is good. Not a good place to get too loud.

RSMIs there a charge to enter the venue? Do you know what percentage of the door bands get to keep or did you receive a set fee or tips?
OB I received a set fee for my performances. Macarena charges: $8 to $15. All prices are subject to change.

RSMDoes the venue assist in promoting the show or is promoting the show entirely up to the artist?
OB venue has online web sites and they promote in local papers but it’s up the band or artist to get the word out properly.

RSMAny other things that stand out with the venue?
OB Macarena is a restaurant that serves amazing latin dishes and has a variety of great spirits to sample.

RSMWhat’s the name of the venue your going to review? where in the US is it located and what part of town is it in?
OB Session 73: located on the upper east side in Manhattan NYC.

RSMWhen did you play this venue and with whom?
OB Sessions 73 is a club in NYC I have been playing for a couple of years. I perform there regularly with my cover band The Sidetracks.

RSMWhat type of music is played at the venue on a regular basis (Rock, acoustic singer songwriter, dance, etc) and what styles would fit best in the venue?
OB Session 73 is a cover band venue. The only bands they book are cover bands. You can play acoustic or with a full electric band. Acoustic stuff is a mid week thing and the full Rock bands play on Fri & Sat. On occasion bands will play on Thurs.

RSMWhat size crowd makes this room feel full? …or Semi full?
OB Session 73: 60 people make it seem full.

RSMDid this venue seem to have patrons/regulars or was the crowd you played to solely there for the artist?
OB Session 73 has nothing but regulars. They are from the neighborhood and they are down to sing and dance and have a good time. It’s a built in audience at Session 73.

RSMWhat was the sound system and backline like? Did you have any contact with the sound engineer?
OB Session 73 has a modest sound system but that is all you need in this room. The acoustics are great and a band can fill up the room pretty easy. You have 2 monitors that are attached to the ceiling. We use the PA for just vocals. The amps and drums do not need to be miked because the sound carries beautifully throughout the room. The engineer is the bar manager and he basically turns on the mic’s and we just roll for the rest of the nite.

RSMIs there a charge to enter the venue? Do you know what percentage of the door bands get to keep or did you receive a set fee or tips?
OB Session 73 the bands receive a guarantee at the door no matter how many people enter. Admission is free at Session 73. The guarantee can vary from band to band. But they do pay handsomely : )

RSMDoes the venue assist in promoting the show or is promoting the show entirely up to the artist?
OB Session 73 has a website and calendar but again it’s up to the band to get the word out.

RSMAny other things that stand out with the venue?
OB Session 73 is a great place to play because there is always a party atmosphere in the air. People genuinely want the bands to be good and are on your side to do a good show. Management at Sessions is very generous with the bands by not only supplying drinks on the house but dinner as well. All that AND a guarantee! LOVE IT!

RSMWhat’s the name of the venue your going to review? where in the US is it located and what part of town is it in?
OB TT the Bears is located in Central Square, Cambridge Massachusetts (Boston area)

RSMWhen did you play this venue and with whom?
OB TT the Bears is a club I played in with songwriter Derek James a few months ago.

RSMWhat type of music is played at the venue on a regular basis (Rock, acoustic singer songwriter, dance, etc) and what styles would fit best in the venue?
OB TT the Bears is a great Rock club in the Mass area. You can have a full Electric Rock band or play acoustic. Pop, Rock, Songwriters work best here.

RSMWhat size crowd makes this room feel full? …or Semi full?
OB TT the Bears feels crowded with 60 people. But their capacity is closer to 200.

RSMDid this venue seem to have patrons/regulars or was the crowd you played to solely there for the artist?
OB TT the Bears is Rock club where people come out to see specific bands but the crowd tends to hang and check out all the entertainment. So it can be a late nite for sure ϑ

RSMWhat was the sound system and backline like? Did you have any contact with the sound engineer?
OB TT the bears is a bigger Rock Club with a big sound system. No backline is provided. The engineer is all business. The room sounds great with either a small band or big loud ensemble.

RSMIs there a charge to enter the venue? Do you know what percentage of the door bands get to keep or did you receive a set fee or tips?
OB I received a set fee for my performances. TT the Bears charges $10 to $15. All prices are subject to change.

RSMDoes the venue assist in promoting the show or is promoting the show entirely up to the artist?
OB venue has online web sites and they promote in local papers but it’s up the band or artist to get the word out properly.

RSMAny other things that stand out with the venue?
OB TT the Bears has music lovers and cats from the scene stopping in and checking out the new kids in town. You can count on getting some constructive feedback from the patrons.