Tips on how to book a show at the Seabright Brewery and the Wharf House
For all the musicians with pencils in hand agonizingly scratching out the perfect words to express their own “Private Idaho,” there are just as many already warming up their amps to continue mastering the guitar solo for “You Shook Me All Night Long.”
If done well, there is something undeniably great about hearing a band, any band, perform your favorite song. A familiar song can instantly bond a dive bar or a stadium crowd, as everyone belts out lyrics they’ve been memorizing for years. I still get goose bumps remembering the amount of endorphins released at my first Prince concert, singing “Purple Rain” in tandem with 6,000 other fans at the sold out Radio City Music Hall show.
Local booker Michelle Rossi is keenly aware of this phenomenon and makes sure to ask all bands for not only a CD, but a sample set list before considering them for a show at The Seabright Brewery (519 Seabright Ave.) or the Wharf House (1400 Wharf Road). Both venues consistently deliver fun, danceable bands that play a majority of covers and keep the bar crowd in high spirits. Rossi also looks for that certain je-ne-sais-quoi that makes a band stand out from the masses. Maybe it’s their presentation (a band that does ‘70s hits in period clothes) or their charismatic lead singer, whatever it is that keep people coming back for more.
Rossi focuses exclusively on booking local Bay Area bands (no more than three hours away) so patrons can see a band they love and know will return. Working in the Santa Cruz music scene for many years, Rossi is the first to admit that there is often more talent than there are venues and dates, but she still listens to every CD sent her way (find her address on the Seabright Brewery website) and is always open to good music.
Her key to success is knowing her audience: The Brewery and Wharf House are not showcase venues, this crowd just wants to unwind and have fun. Call it a cover band, call it a bar band, just make sure it you can dance to it.
For more details on how to book a show at the Seabright Brewery or the Wharf House, go to http://santacruzrehearsalstudios.wordpress.com/category/how-to/
