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Double Down: Brothers Lounge & Kristine Jackson

So right down the street from The Chamber is conveniently Brothers Lounge.  We have talked about Brothers in the past.  My reviews were honest but more always on the sketchy line of "Good but could be better".  I have not been in the concert hall for quite some time, and I wanted to go see Kristine Jackson for the first time (yeah embarassing huh?  and I call myself a Clevelander).  I can say without a doubt the sound in the hall was excellent.  The service at the packed bar was quick.  The patrons at the bar were very cool letting people scoot in to order a couple drinks.  The Bartender Craig was awesome and fast.  The crowd was respectful in listening to the band.  The cover charge was $5.  I think this helps weed out the folks that use it for a place to talk loud and not pay attention to the band in the front bar.  You can hear the band fine out there and talk all you want and not annoy people who actually came to enjoy the show.

The patio out back is very nice.  It's a nice secluded, albeit on the sterile side, area to enjoy the evening summer night, have a cocktail and a smoke.  Some greenery out there would be nice.  The concert hall is great with one thing I would change.  The ventilation of that hall blows and not in a good way.  Multimillion dollar rehab of the joint and there is not a single fan to be found.  The hall is huge, and it can get very packed.  The lack of airflow through the joint makes it a bit on the muggy side.  So invest a few more bucks in the place and get some fans in the hall and some plants on the patio and you got something I will never be able to be able to bitch about.  The Manager, John Golubic, was out there busting his ass in all three bars making sure everyone was enjoying their experience.  He is like watching a choreographed well oiled machine making sure everyone is being taken care of.  So, that being said Brothers, you obviously have a top notch staff, good food, nice sound system, nice decor and a great following just get some air flowing through the place.  

Kristine Jackson...ah Kristine Jackson.  Here's my problem in a nutshell; you hear the same name over and over again and you kind of blow it off.  Ahhhhh I'll see her some other time.  Well some other time finally came and I am pretty happy it did.  I am also glad I saw her with the full band as it was amazing.  Gs Harper on guitar, Mike Petrone on keys and (hey I never said I was a great reviewer) a really great bass player and drummer who you got me on their names.  Every single person in that band brought something to the table that blended perfectly with one another.  Kristine Jackson is an amazing singer and guitar player.  Is she one of the best in the Cleveland area?  Absolutely, and I am confident in saying that after only seeing her one time.  She has this sultry, smokey voice that just absolutely sucks you in and she plays the guitar with the skill and ease of Curtis Loew (yeah go look it up for your obscure music reference of the day).  Gs, is Gs.  He is amazing with a powerful soulful voice and man can he play guitar.  Petrone?  Holy shit can he play those keyboards.  I have never seen such keyboard mastery since seeing Medeski, Martin and Wood live.  Yeah he is that good.  At time subdued in the background other times letting loose like a madman slapping around both of his keyboards like the keys were an extension of his fingers.  

If you are an idiot like me that has yet to see Kristine Jackson do yourself a favor and check her out. For that matter go see any of these guys (and gal) solo and you will be pleased.  I took some kick ass pictures, and I feel like showcasing some of them so hope you enjoy the pictorial.

 

             Kristine Jackson live @ Brothers Lounge

Double Down: The Chamber

I had not been to the Chamber in years.  I just got out of that whole goth scene years ago.  It got to the point the music was never the same with the onslaught of crappy techno bands posing as industrial ala VNV Nation, and just plain shit music like She Wants Revenge.  This ain't no Skinny Puppy, or Ministry of the 80's and 90's it all just turned into garbage overnight in my ears at least.  The Phantasy used to be this incredible club when I was growing up.  I saw countless bands here; Peter Murphy, Love and Rockets, Erasure, Ministry, Jane's Addiction, Jesus and Mary Chain, Thrill Kill Kult, Revolting Cocks, Dead Kennedy's, Black Flag, Public Image, 7 Seconds...put it this way, If they were alternative in the 80's they either played the upstairs with the famous boat for a small show or if they were bigger the played the Theater.  And the Phantasy begat The Chamber some years later.  

I don't know why exactly the Phantasy died out in popularity.  It was "THE" place to be in the 80's.  If it was bigger than the Phantasy the show went to The Agora.  I'd like to hear that story one day honestly.  Do they still have shows?  Yep, they sure do.  However I have yet to see a bill I would want to go to in many many moons.  No offense to the club, no offense to the bands that play there, but I just think the eclectic dynamic of the club is gone.  It seems like the goth thing, for the longest time there, was the only thing going on at the club.  Here I go pissing off that whole industrial and goth circuit, which for the record is alive and kicking in the area though.  Honestly the thing I don't like about the whole Industrial and or goth music thing is that it has never grown much from what it was in the 80's.  It all sounds the same and the fact that it never went away is just another reason it will never have that retro comeback feeling for me.  In order to come back into style you need to actually go away.

That being said, did I like the Chamber?  God yes I did.  I had a blast.  The bartenders are great, the prices are reasonable, and they even have a nice patio now.  It was a bit hot in there, circulation kind of sucks and for me (non-vampire) it is too dark.  Those are my only bitches about the place.  You have to understand people LOVE this place and have such respect for it that when they had a huge fire not too long ago the regulars were there rebuilding and cleaning up for free for weeks.  I don't know any other bar in the area that would have that kind of outpouring of support.  So please stop mother fucking me already.  I grew up in this building through High School.  I used to hang out in that very spot when it was the rehearsal hall for a little known band called Nine Inch Nails.  It brings back so many great memories for me, and honestly for me it isn't so bad as a guilty pleasure here and there.  So, I am sorry I was such a stranger for such a long time.  I think it is a nice place for that whole entire scene to hold on to.  

Personally I could see it being so much more though.  Not just The Chamber though mind you.  The Chamber can stay the Chamber it is what it is.  It's a small dark, really dark mind you, haven for what once was me 20 years ago (I'm old shut up).  But that whole building that houses what used to be 3 of the best concert venues in the Cleveland area needs to somehow make a resurgence.  I don't know how they can do it, and I don't know if they can do it either.  Like I said I don't know the back story of why and when it started to cease to be what it once was.  All I know is there is potential still there.  Parking sucks yeah, but parking sucked 20 years ago too.  Get over it.  I wish them all the success in the world because that complex is a piece of Cleveland history and deserves to be a viable option to see a show in the area.                     

Friday's alright for Polka

There is no good reason to continue on about my praises for the Happy Dog.  But, I will, yet again.  Had some friends out for the DJ Kishka Polka Happy Hour last Friday and turned on a few new converts.  The Hot Dog of choice this go around was Cheese Whiz...hold the phone because I am going to debate the Whiz.  I don't want to call Bullshit here on my friends at the Happy Dog but I don't think it really is Cheese Whiz.  I suspect they use Easy Cheese because of the telltale ornate ruffle pattern of the orange goo.  That is cheese in a can!  Imposter, reveal yourself.  That all being said does it really fucking matter?  Neither one is actual Cheese and they pretty much taste the same.  Either way I am cool with it, your secret is safe with me .  So I did "Whiz", house made ketchup, yellow mustard and Spanish Onions.  

I went pretty traditional honestly plus a side of tots with the the Saffron Aioli and Oaxacan Red Chile and Chocolate Mole dipping sauces which went well with my Okocim Polish Pilsner.  I have mentioned the fine beer selection they have here but they change them up here and there too which keeps things fresh.  Kishka was Kishka.  What more do you want from your local tavern Polka DJ?  Ice Cubes and Beer, 7 versions of the Liechtensteiner, and other popular sing-a-long favorites.  He keeps the crowd engaged the entire night, and even was doing a little polka himself with the ladies.  I still want to get my dad out here on a Friday night to check it out.  It's the timeless old world charm that is endearing to all ages here.  

The reason for the review though this time was due to the exceptional service.  Now mind you the service is pretty damn good all the time and that is one of the reasons I keep coming back.  The bartender-server we had taking care of our crazy table, which for the record had at minimum 10 separate tabs going is the reason I wanted to add on to my Happy Dog dairy.  Yeah, yeah I'm a dick I know, way too many checks going for one table.  However if you knew the way my friends drink there is no way I am going on a split tab with those fucking alcoholics.  Our server Nikki, never had her before as a server, treated me like I was the best and only customer in the place.  She was fast, she was friendly, she was chatty and had some great ink and a smile that would knock your socks off.  So just another reason I love this place so much you can add Nikki to that list and pretty much the entire staff from the Sean's on down.          

Memorial Day Weekend

So the long weekend was ok, more relaxing for me than a crazy booze and rib fest sort of thing.  I spent some time with family because my pop is arguably one of the best cooks in Cleveland.  We had brats and ribs and pasta salad.  Saturday night I just headed out to Paninis in Westlake again for a couple cocktails and the UFC fight.  I am not some huge UFC fan but a friend of mine is and I felt like hanging out on a patio and my friends already got a table early on in the night.  The service was excellent, friendly, tall and attractive.  Buckets of domestics, or 5 beers for $12 basically.  To me however there is something truly wrong about the bucket.  It's like a feed troff for livestock, with us being the little piggys sucking down our very own swill.  To cap off the night I had an egg and cheese Panini which was as usual pretty damn good.  A friend of mine had the bacon cheese fries, or "heart attack platter".  It was ok, not much flavor but what do you expect.  Don't ask me who won the fight, I was never really paying much attention.

Sunday night we heading over to Tremont.  I wanted to check out that Revolution Brass Band at Edison's then head over to the Treehouse to see GS Harper and Michael Bay.  Ok first off, Edison's, turn on the air or turn it up.  When you have a band of like 8 people and a pretty packed front bar it is going to get kind of fucking hot in there.  The Brass Band was good, however they started off with the same couple songs I heard last time.  You might want to mix up the set list.  Don't get me wrong, you guys are great at what you do, but all the talent on that floor and we get the same song to kick this off as last time?  Switch it up.  They seriously sound great but I wasn't about to stay in that bar with it being so damn hot.  So we headed over to the Treehouse a lot sooner than we expected to. 

GS Harper is a great guitar player.  I never saw Michael Bay before but the guy had some sills himself.  GS if a funny dude too.  He is a great storyteller.  His between song banter only adds to the overall package deal.  He went through a good hour set of originals and covers and for the crowd he had there everyone was receptive to his choice of cuts.  I highly recommend seeing GS if you get the chance he has a certain Texas twang to him that likens him to a modern day cowboy, minus the hat.  There is a grittiness to his voice that brings the blues and country out in perfect harmony.  He can do Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and the Stones all justice on guitar and on that mic.  

The Treehouse though...oh boy you have changed a bit.  Maybe when I was younger I was more tolerable of drunks, assholes and trashy people or something.  I used to love coming here for excellent service, friendly bartenders, and a decent respectable crowd.  There was one bartender that night who was worth a shit and covered all the above.  I wasn't drinking Sunday and he was quick on my soda refills which was cool.  Bars are pretty much the biggest peer pressure to drink.  I feel bad for the bartenders and feel like a dick not spending money but I sometimes would rather not drink.  Try it sometime kids, it's hard to say no.  Something was missing that I remember back in the day when it was "the place to go".  It lost that feeling of being a cool hang out.  

Shortly after the first set or during the first set at the end the crowd started popping in.  A very talkative crowd so much to the point you really couldn't hear GS all too good.  Some 40 something year old woman and her husband-boyfriend sat next to me and freaked me out a majority of the night and that was early on.  She was crawling in her own skin, you could tell she was coked out or on meth or something other than the beer she was drinking.  She was always touching at herself and had the biggest case of the cocaine jitters I had seen in a bit.  She was freaking me the fuck out.  So I sat in my uncomfortable stool and watched the freak show so she didn't spill her beer on or knock over my camera. 

An hour or so later my wife went outside while a friend smoked and I was stuck holding the two stools.  In their absence in walked 6 or so of the most derelict hillbilly drunks that ever left the trailer.  They looked like Cleveland circa 1990 with sleeveless tees on the guys and acid-washed short shorts on the overly tanned permed hair girls.  Now they were in their late 40's so they long passed being girls.  They looked like the kind of white trash you would get tailgating at a Jimmy Buffett show.  They smelled like the beach and not in a good way.  It was more like a combo of sweat, dead fish and dog shit.  So the drinks of the wife were sitting on the bar and said hillbilly folks decided to come stand behind where we were sitting.  Mind you there really wasn't any room for them.  They kept edging towards the bar until they were next to the stools but not sitting in them, pushing our drinks away like no one was there.  After I told them someone was sitting there they kind of backed off, but stayed within nostril range of all of us.  After bumping into my wife accidentally for the 20th time I knew it was pretty much time to get going.  Yet they added the last nail in the freak show coffin when one of the couples started making out a foot away from me.  His hand in her jean shorts pocket, locking lips, smooching and for a lack of better description fucking with their clothes on.  Just when I thought I saw everything one of the other guys in the group starts watching and rubbing up on them, touching her hair, touching on the guy a little.  It was just fucking weird.  It wasn't just weird, it was disgusting.  

So that is my new memory of The Treehouse, and it is pretty doubtful I'll go back.  I think they have some great bands and solo artists that play there but honestly there is something missing from the bar that used to make it a fun place to hang out.  The cool crowd is long gone from this place and now it seems to attract the dregs of society or something.  The guy bartender was awesome and gave really great service.  The bar hasn't changed much in 10+ years.  It still seems like it could have something to offer but from the coked out chick next to me and the fucking carny sideshow behind me I would rather hang out somewhere else.  Was it a fluke?  No clue, but a lot of folks told me of the demise of The Treehouse and I never believed it until now.  I still see it having this great potential again but if that is the regular crowd now, fuck that.  I'll go elsewhere.  That is hard for me to say knowing how much I push for people to love this city.  I almost didn't want to write this I feel that bad saying it, but I have to call a spade a spade here.  It just wasn't a very good experience for me or anyone involved and that was mostly due to the clientele.