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Hometown musicians say they travel  to play

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer Updated 8:45 AM Friday, February 26, 2010

If a band makes music, but there’s no place to play it, is there a local music scene?

Some members of area bands don’t think so, but there are at least a handful of local establishments that still try to feature music by live local bands.

Greg Banks of the Middletown-based heavy metal band Superkreep hasn’t found much of a music scene in Middletown in recent years.

Last December, the group played a New Year’s Eve gig in the ballroom above Middletown’s Sorg Opera House — and one of the reasons that gig happened was precisely because Middletown had otherwise run out of desirable places to play, Banks said.

Superkreep used to play regular gigs in Middletown, but two of the places they frequented, Barb’s Pub on Tytus Avenue and Coconuts on Cincinnati-Dayton Road, both closed their doors.

Superkreep and other local bands such as That Fury Remains and Final Approach have been playing outside Middletown, in places like BoJangles in West Carrollton, Banks said.

He believes that the scene is so anemic because of a general economic malaise in Middletown, with its multiple business closures.

“It has a lot to do with Middletown itself. You take a walk through the Towne Mall and see all the places that have shut down. You don’t have to have 20/20 vision to see how things are looking,” Banks said.

Rob Hoffman, the leader of the Middletown-based band Uncle Daddy and the Family Secret, thinks the problem extends far beyond Middletown or Hamilton.

“There are no gigs and that’s everywhere. I work the festival circuit, and there’s not even a festival circuit. There is no budget for that kind of stuff. And we’re not talking here, that’s all over the East Coast,” Hoffman said.

The local bar scene has been hit not only by the weak economy, but by the smoking ban passed in 2006, he added.

“They (bar owners) can’t afford to pay $200 a night, Hoffman said. “Unless you can play for free or close to it, there is no place.”

Road trips

None of this is to say there are absolutely no places for local bands to play. They just need to look outside Middletown.

Monroe has the Froggy Blues Cafe on 10 S. American Way. That venue has live bands on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, said one of its owners, Bill Jamison. Some of the bands hail from Cincinnati or Columbus, but most are from the Middletown area.

“Most bands like Stagger Lee that play here all the time have kind of a following. So does Slave to the Grind. So not only do we get our regular people, we get the followers of the band,” Jamison said.

Another area establishment that has mostly local bands is the Riverbank Cafe at 102 Main St. in Hamilton.

“It’s part of our business on the weekends. It’s a little folk and a little jazz, but it’s mostly local. Eighty to 90 percent of it is local people,” said Dennis Kurlas, who co-owns the cafe with his wife, Robin.

New wave

Even with the occasional success story, some local musicians and bar owners seem to agree that there is a dearth of local venues. And they each have different suggestions of ways to improve the situation.

Hoffman thinks the wave of the future might be not so much in playing out as in playing in — meaning, inside a home. Instead of recording his latest album in a studio, he held a contest through his label, Alpha Dawg Records, to record it in two area homes. That led to a fun “party” atmosphere, he said.

“It’s more of that underground mentality,” Hoffman said.

In addition to having local bands, Froggy Blues also has an open-mic night with a live band providing backing every other Friday.

“You sign up on the list and you play four or five songs. We’re more or less auditioning new talent,” Jamison said.

Sonny Moorman of Fairfield Twp. is well known for his gigs around the Cincinnati area, with his Sonnny Moorman Group. He doesn’t play in the Middletown area much anymore, but Moorman has seen success with his gigs at Charlie’s Throttle Stop on 7121 Dixie Highway in Fairfield, which he says is “thriving.”

“What I do see more and more is that places that are thriving is that they not only have alcohol, but decent food ... not just bar chow,” he said.

Banks has headed up the Ohio chapter of the Southern Metal Alliance in which area bands network and show up at each other’s shows for support.

“We’re trying to rebuild a scene around here,” Banks said. “We are supporting Middletown bands. We’re just trying to make some noise.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.

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