A Booking at These Legendary Venues is Within Your Reach

Call it a bucket list or call it a target (hmm, maybe it’s the New Year’s resolution you make in less than two months), but there are some intimate rooms out there for indie music performers to aim to get booked in.  Whether you do it for an album release party or just for a high-profile performance spot, I’m here to encourage you to not be intimidated by the image that you’ve probably created due to their reputation.

I have personally been to each of these – in most cases, having a client perform there – so I speak from firsthand experience.

If you listen regularly to my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast, you’ve heard lots of guests over the years telling me about taking the stage at these various venues.

In no particular order…

Last week while I was in New York City I had the opportunity to check two of them off my list.  The first was The Bitter End, where recording artist client Frankie Raye was performing.  Billed as “New York City’s Oldest Rock Club,” Lady Gaga performed there seven years ago during her Dive Bar Tour and Richie Cannata (who’d played saxophone for Billy Joel back in the day) does a Monday night jam there.  I dig how close you feel to the performers, including seats (at tables) right up against the front of the stage.  (Ironically, the night after I was there, I went to see NHTE 437 guest Karen Bella perform elsewhere, and she told me about having just played at The Bitter End a few weeks earlier.)



As seen in the photo above, I also went to Rockwood Music Hall while I was in The Big Apple last week.  They have three stages there, and there’s no cover charge for Stage 1 or for Stage 2.  While I didn’t go in, Stage 3 is fully seated and is the biggest of the three.  The music was still ten or so minutes away from starting on Stage 1 (and no one was in there), so I went to Stage 2 instead because they’d already begun over there.  Again, it was a great environment for live music, in a listening room atmosphere.  Just like The Bitter End, if you’re an audience member, yes, you absolutely can and will get access to talk to the performers after they come off stage.  If you are the performer, you should utilize that opportunity to “shake hands and kiss babies.”  It could mean more streams, more followers, and more word of mouth as you continue to grow your audience.

One year ago this month I went to the Bluebird Café in Nashville to see NHTE 453 guest Anne Buckle and, after hearing about it for so, so many years, was surprised at how small it was – yet it’s bigger than the two New York venues.  (Ironically, I’m writing this week’s blog from Alabama where I’m attending the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival with new client Kaitlyn Croker, who just performed at the hallowed spot in Music City in July.)  The Bluebird, of course, is steeped in history, and some of the biggest names have performed there.  The lineup is diverse, meaning, everything from Open Mic night on Mondays to writers literally performing in the round, to other nights where there will also be a handful of performers, but with their own full set, solo on the stage.  Be forewarned, though, that it’s not like Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1 or 2 where you just show up expecting to walk in.  The Bluebird is kind of like Green Bay Packers season tickets that you only get because someone left them to you in their will.

Another fond memory is when I booked Natalie Duque to perform at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles.  That is a spot that lots and lots (and lots) of performers target and then, justifiably so, hype when they land a show there.  I remember how you could hear a pin drop when Natalie was on stage and that it felt upscale – dare I say elegant – in there.  Very small tables with, if memory serves me correctly, just two seats at each, make for a cozy experience for the audience.  Like Rockwood Music Hall in New York, the Hotel Café also has multiple stages.


And then there’s Kulak’s Woodshed, which is in North Hollywood.  I had Kristen Schalk performing there and was so impressed with the house band as well as the pro sound, not to mention the five or six cameras they shoot performances with.  Make no mistake, you will see a variety of talent and have a memorable experience.  I more or less chased someone out the door because I was so impressed and wanted to say hello and see about possibly working together.  They do a great job at Kulak’s of making sure that it’s a listening room environment, which makes a huge difference and adds to a pleasurable experience for both audience members and performers alike.

Honorable mention, by the way, would go to the Whisky-A-Go-Go, where I went to see a past podcast guest perform.  This West Hollywood spot has seen its share of household names over the years and the place just rocks.  Having played there can definitely be considered a proud entry on your résumé.

Do you have questions about booking yourself to perform at different venues?  I have been helping indie artists from across the U.S. for almost 20 years now.  Give me a call and let’s chat about the challenges you’re facing with your music career.  Take advantage of my experience so you can keep moving forward.  I’d welcome the opportunity to hear about all that you’re doing.