Do you have ADMD?

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If you follow my online footsteps, you know that I see not one, but several bands every weekend and sometimes weekdays too.  I see and photograph the bands for my love of music and because I support local talent (over the imported kind that sells expensive tickets).  I also prefer live shows any day of the week versus turning on the television and watching American Idol or America's Got Talent.  I know we have great talent in this country - all you have to do is walk out the door and open your eyes, ears and mind to exploring new places. 

Some people like to sit and have a drink or two while watching a band.  I, on the other hand, have a camera strapped around my neck.  I like to capture the images so that I can share the excitement of being there with those less fortunate who sit at home and stare at a computer monitor or mindless television.  Sometimes, I catch a unique moment like a guest musician joining the band for one song or maybe just someone dancing crazy on a table.  Either way, it's better to share my pics with the public than to just let them pile up on my hard drive. 

I am not sure how many others out there are like me but I have a hard time sitting in one restaurant or bar for more than an hour. I am inflicted by what I have termed Attention Deficit Music Disorder or ADMD, for short!
To help others who suffer from this "disorder", I have put together a summary of four suggested areas in Broward County where you can simply walk from one music venue to another without getting into your car before you have experienced music in at least three different places.
Since Deerfield is about as far North as you can get without stepping into Palm Beach County, I'll start with the beach area.  Head to the curve just north of Hillsborough Blvd on  A1A and find a spot to park anywhere near the beach.  I know at least four places to check for live music, two of which overlook the sand.  Check out Oceans 234 and JB's on the Beach literally next door to each other.  Both offer an assortment of seaside live entertainment at their patio bars overlooking the Atlantic ocean.  They are even romantic if you want to impress a loved one!  Directly across the street, you will find what some may call a dive bar called Kahuna Bar & Grill.  It's a hit or miss with the talent I have heard there.  Last stop, where you may be surprised at what you find is a place called Rattlesnake Jakes - located a few doors down from the Wings souvenir shop.  One night, I was stuck there because the band was so spread out that they blocked the front door!

My next walking tour takes us to Fort Lauderdale Beach.  At the intersection of Las Olas and A1A, you will find the infamous Elbo Room.  I think that its' name comes from the fact that it is jam packed on weekends on two floors - even though the bands only play in a small section of the bottom floor.  Nevertheless, this is a very popular young adult drinking establishment.  Head North on A1A about 5 minutes on foot and you will find Lulu's Bait Shack located on the 2nd floor of Beach Place outdoor shopping complex.  The same bands that play at other music hot spots throughout Broward play Lulu's every weekend but the atmosphere does something that makes the bands sound better to the mix of tourists and locals at this popular restaurant/bar.  In between Elbo Room and Lulu's Bait Shack, you will find live music outdoors from solo musicians as well as indoors at smaller places - you just have to keep your eyes and ears open and you will find them!

If you already spent too much time on the beach during the day, I also recommend the downtown area spanning from the Museum of Discovery & Science to the Riverfront shopping complex.  Between those two landmarks, some of my favorite places to find quality bands are: The Original Fat Cats, The Poor House and Tarpon Bend.  All three are on or just off SW 2nd St and are a few minutes walk from each other.  The first two seem to feature bands that start at 11pm so expect to be there until the early morning hours.  There are also many other bars with live music and dance clubs all located on the same small stretch of road so expect parking to be expensive or public meters hard to come by if you arrive during peak hours. 

Lastly, in Hollywood, I recommend walking the short stretch of Hollywood Boulevard between 19th and 20th avenues.  Parking is easy to find in the two public garages located just two blocks North or South of The Boulevard.  Whiskey Tango is probably the largest venue in this area and features a great place to eat while listening to an acoustic set on the outdoor patio in the early evening hours or have a drink inside after 10pm when the rock bands play on a stage behind one of the two indoor bars.  Walk two steps West on Hollywood Blvd and you can't miss the sounds eminating from Mickey Byrns Irish Pub where the bands are squeezed into a small stage that may have at one time been the window display for a boutique.  My newest favorite venue is literraly next door and features both rock and blues bands - appropriately, the venue is called The Big Easy.  Between those three, you are sure to enjoy some great entertainment.  There are also many fine international cuisine restaurants either on Hollywood Blvd or Harrison Street one block south - so arrive early and enjoy dinner! 
Watch for my next blog, the driving Pub Crawl for some of my favorite places you can drive as long as you keep sober!
Look for the daily live music event schedule on http://www.weekendbroward.com/

Real Friends?

Anyone who has visited my Facebook page lately may have noticed on the left-hand side of the screen a category of faces titled "Real".  Facebook intended to have users separate their family members from the rest of the friends and display them prominently in this section of their profile page.  However, I chose to select a few friends instead of family and gave them the title of "Real".

Who do I consider a real friend?  Examples include not only saying Happy Birthday on your Facebook wall but actually making plans to celebrate with you in person!  A real friend is someone who you not only could confide in but someone who also feels that they can share their own personal stories with you.  After all, friendship should be a two-way street.  I think you are getting the idea now, right?

I am sure that you know a few people who have told you that they have hundreds, or even thousands of friends on Facebook.  Wouldn't it be nice to hear the truth - how many are REAL friends?  The other day, I attended a workshop on setting goals.  We did a brainstorming session on how to improve our relationships, both personal and in business.  The goals had to be specific and measureable.  Since social networking is such a popular theme these days, I decided that it would be a great goal to meet more of the people behind the faces of my 500+ Facebook friends.  I hope to move at least one face each month off the regular friends list and onto the REAL friends list. 

If you are not currently on my REAL friends list and you personally know me, please do not get insulted.  This isn't a special club I am trying to create.  It is just a way for me to measure one of my goals in life, which is to have friends that I can call, at a whim, to go somewhere  or do something fun when everyone else is too busy with their family or REAL friends.   I just started this project recently so I may not have had a chance to update your status yet - or you might have to consider some of my criteria and whether or not you have met it.  I will do the same.

I have thought long and hard about whether or not this category will cause tension amongst people who have known each other for quite some time.  I am hoping that the positive outcome of improving relationships will outweigh the awkwardness of not being publically on the REAL list.  Is this something you might consider doing too?  I would love to hear your feedback - and perhaps someday put YOU on the REAL list!

Best Wishes,

Rob aka The Weekend Concierge

A Fallen Hero

Do you remember where you were when you heard about the Space Shuttle blowing up? How about September 11th, 2001?  April 17th will be one of those milestone days for me because I was sitting at Starbucks, uploading band photos from the previous night when I read about the demise of Jimmy Pagano.  My first thoughts were - was it a car accident or a heart attack?  I would never have imagined him getting involved with a bar fight (trying to help the bartender collect on a bar tab).  He was definitely not a figher.  The most physical he would get would be to give you a hug!

In the other hand, Jimmy was a soldier.  He was one of the few people I knew who fought for the right of local bands to have an audience.  He was proud of his history of holding jam sessions at local bars so that musicians could network and get an extra day of playing in front of a live audience instead of their garages.    If you were part of his Facebook friends network, you probably remember how frustrated he would get with people who promised to come out and see him or his bands play but didn't show up.  While he used Facebook extensively to keep in touch with his extensive network of friends, he really believed in the power of seeing people in person.  I remember how happy he was to see me last time I saw him.  It's one thing to communicate online - it's another to follow up with a personal visit.

On April 17th, I changed my profile photo to show a flag at half mast because Jimmy is a fallen hero and it's the only way I know to honor him for all the hard work he has done for our local music scene.  I am not sure who is going to trace that bad wire next time I attend a local band's concert.  I am not sure who I will approach next time with my ideas for a local music festival.  All I know is that his hard work did not go un-noticed and he will be missed by everyone.

The newspaper and mass media called him a drummer.  I am not sure how Jimmy would have felt about that description.  Sure, he played the drums, but that is not how he wanted to be remembered.  His Facebook page says exactly how he wanted to be known.  Here's what it says: "Promotions/ General Manager/ Event Producer/Coordinator at Self Employed  who Studied at The School of Life.  He Lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida From Bedford, New York Born on January 4, (1957)."  May he continue to live in the hearts of us all for ever and ever.

More photos and event listings can be found at http://www.weekendbroward.com/

Weekend Broward Blog: Change it up!

Weekend Broward Blog: Change it up!: "Grindstone at Gatsby's If you love watching live bands strut their stuff like I do, you will appreciate this piece of advice: 'Change it u..."

Change it up!

Grindstone at Gatsby's

If you love watching live bands strut their stuff like I do, you will appreciate this piece of advice: "Change it up!".   I've seen so many bands put all their effort into recreating the sounds of the original artists that they forget that the original artists were also famous for putting on a great show!  I have also seen bands playing the same songs in the same way every time I see them.  Unless you are doing a world tour, you depend on your loyal fans to come out and see you whenever and wherever you play.  That means using improvisation, taking advantage of onlookers and inviting guests to participate - especially those that have experience playing in front of crowds.  



SLEJJ at Hot Shots in Sunrise



This weekend, I experienced both types of bands.  Take a look at the photos and you will see unique images of these bands that you will probably never see again.  That's because they broke through the monotony and used their environment to their advantage to make each show a more enjoyable experience.  The importance of getting people to stay and watch is something that webmasters call bounce rate.  Website managers measure not only how many people take a look at their website, but more importantly, how many spend a significant amount of time on their site, which enhances the online experience (and gives advertisers a bigger bang for their buck). 

In the real world, you can measure how many people come and see a band but how about measuring how many stay or leave between sets?  This weekend, I was about to leave after seeing a few songs from one of the bands when, suddenly, a friend was invited on stage and voila - a new show was born!  I ended up staying an extra half hour.  For venues, that translates into an extra drink sold.  For fans, it can make the difference between an "okay" night versus a memorable one.  For the bands - it can mean bigger and better crowds next time they play.  It's a WIN-WIN-WIN so remember "Change it up!"

Blues Brothers Soul Revival at Coconut Creek Casino

Photos courtesy of http://www.weekendbroward.com/

Friends Rule

You know the story.  You want to do something different this weekend like see a great band but a friend of yours would rather go to a dance club.  You can either go see that great band all by yourself or go dance to that hip hop non-stop dance beat until your feet ache and your wallet is empty from those expensive drinks.  If you follow the "friends rule" rule, you will go dancing with your friend because you don't want to go alone.

Now all that was on Thursday night when you started thinking about the weekend.  Friday comes and you get a text from your friend telling you that they have to cancel because their boyfriend just called and invited her to dinner followed by who knows what.  That's the next phase in the "friends rule" - you can call it the boyfriend/girlfriend rule.

Now you have a choice to either stay home alone or go see that band you really wanted to see.   Maybe you will make a quick phone call or text to see if you can get some last minute plans going with another friend - one who probably does not have a date.  Maybe you will take a bath or shower and think it over, remembering the infamous Clash "should I stay or should I go?"  The rest of the lyrics never enter into your mind.

Does this story sound familiar, more or less?  It's what I imagine goes on week after week for some of us.  It's the reason why we have so many choices of what to do each weekend but end up siding with whatever peers are doing.  It's the reason why bands work so hard to win your hearts, DJ's spin their tunes to a heavy beat and restaurants entice you with sumptuous meals.  It's an effort to win you over but remember.... Friends Rule!

Missing the Blues

It's been a week since I enjoyed the weekend long Riverwalk Blues & Music that took place downtown Fort Lauderdale.   What I like about attending music festivals is the variety of music and the variety of people enjoying the music with me.   This event was no exception.  Although I recognized some of the acts, most were ones which I had never seen or heard before.  The people too, seemed to be a crowd with which I was not familiar.  Many of the blues fans were baby boomers.  The music seemed to bring back memories of their childhood and forget about their present day realities.  Sound familiar?

As someone who was born after the baby boomer generation, I still enjoyed the toe tapping entertainment.  Unlike many rock shows I see, the lead singers were easy to understand.  They all seemed to make you feel good for being there and supporting their favorite charities.  There was also a lot of attention paid to remember Don Cohen, the founder of the festival 22 years ago, who recently passed away of a brain tumor.

Having observed parts of the festival starting from the "Will-Call" party at the Downtowner Saloon where volunteers were being trained the night before the official start to the "After-Party" taking place at Bourbon on 2nd, I learned to admire how much work went into putting on this event.  As with other outdoor events, uncontrollable factors such as rain and cold temperatures threatened all the efforts.  Luckily, the grounds dried up just in time and people brought blankets, ate spicy Jambalaya and drank more beer to stay warm.  My heartfelt thanks goes out to Darlene and Gerardo Lopez for all the hard work they put into making sure that we could count on in this festival to continue for years to come.

If nothing else, this event brought to my attenition two new spots to watch for great entertainment which I had not visited in the past.   As I am sure Don Cohen would have wanted, I have discovered both new music and new places to enjoy the music.  So, join me each weekend as I support the local music scene and help keep the dream alive!