The Red Room

I may be taking a chance talking about this over a month before it sees the light of night (no daytime shows for now.) A friend here in SA and I have lamented for many months the lack of sucha place in SA, so we are endeavoured to start a listening room. It is a place for music nuts like ourselves to come hear people like Billy Harvey, Lanky, or other such bands play their quieter types of music without excessive talking, or other such normal bar -related interference. My friend Delphine is so gungho at the moment, it is almost scary, but there is light at the end of the tunnel I think. We have much work to do, to satisfy the needs of both artist and audience, but there are so many people out there we would like to see get better exposure in San antonio, we feel the chance is worth it. After all the miles I have put on my car to hear such performances in other Texas cities, I think it is about time to find a way to get the artists here, and give other people a chance to hear why I travel so much.

Being the eternal pessimist, I see all the potential pitfalls, but I am trying really hard to keep my chin up, and see the possibilites instead. I am hoping for success. I really want to make this city a haven for music, unlike Austin, which is more a haven for out-of-work musicians and dreams that often don't get realised. Yeah, I know, that sounds unfair, but SA has a crowd starved for good sounds. Our own beloved bands like Buttercup and the Swindles, Los Mescaleros and Pseudo Buddha have so much talent and so little exposure. The Red Room will hopefully become a place to gather a small (50-60) crowd of devoted listeners, who can then take word of what they find to further places within the city, opening doors that otherwise seem disinclined to give such stuff a chance.

Maybe I am getting older, but nothing moves me quite like getting to sit and be a part of someone else's music so completely that I feel I know that person by the end of the night. The array of talented writers, players and singers that have come into my life in the last couple of years is mindboggling, and almost none have I intially found HERE. It sucks, because I know they could do well with the right venue. I hope we become that venue. San Antonio may be lame (and we like it that way!) but we do not take our talent for granted.

We are aimming to open in April. If you think you'll be down this way, musician or listener, look up the Red Room, and come find out how music should be heard.



More as things progress. It feels right. I truly believe this will be a boon to the city's music scene.