The House That Heaven Built
In Pursuit of the Perfect Live Music Venue By Paul Gains
PHOTO : PATRICIA TOTH PHOTOGRAPHY
THE WAYNE CHEDDIE BAND ONSTAGE AT THE MOONSHINE CAFÉ
There were
30 or so people in this small bar absolutely riveted by the musical performance they were experiencing . Drinks were left untouched . Nobody spoke . Fingers gently tapped on the tables , keeping time . And the ultimate indicator of a good performance was observed : cell phones had been temporarily discarded . The musicians had captivated this audience and it was a good night . Suddenly , from the back of the room , there came a loud roar from beneath one of four giant flat screen televisions that illuminated the room . The Blue Jays had scored a home run .
Half an hour earlier , at the top of the second inning , probably , the musicians had lugged out the PA system from a back room and set it up after some tables were moved to form a temporary stage . They had to ask for the television sets to be muted as they began their performance . Playing for $ 150 each , as they were , they might not have bargained for having to do manual labour in addition to performing .
In bars across Canada , this is a nightly occurrence . These bars have live music but can they legitimately call themselves a “ live music venue ?”
38 • CANADIAN MUSICIAN