I know it has been a while since I wrote one of these, and I sincerely apologize to my avid readers (if I have any), but with Thanksgiving and finals at college, I haven't had a whole lot of free time on my hands.
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One thing I managed to do before Thanksgiving was to take a trip over to Club 57. My husband and I went over there Wednesday, November 25th to check out the AC/DC cover band, TNT.
The thing that always strikes me as odd about Club 57 is their total lack of flow. I don't know if this comes from remodeling an already set building, but anyhow, it just doesn't work. Two steps behind the bar is a wall, presumably to separate the "bar" crowd from the "sit-down" crowd. This wall causes amazing problems, however, should there be more than five people in the area. The people standing at the bar to order end up blocking the path to the bathrooms, forcing patrons to go around the wall and past the jukebox. Therein lies another problem, when regulars fill up the area on the other side of the wall. Now there is absolutely no way to reach the bathrooms, unless you feel like pushing your way through an established group, which is never comfortable.
The service is also incredibly lacking. You may get attention shortly after you walk in, but the people at the bar get absolute precedence. If you are at a table, forget getting served any time soon. You're better off stalking up to the bar, getting your drink, and bringing it back to your seat, to try to remember where the conversation left off with your friend(s).
In their favor I will say, I love the vintage poster decor. This gives it a classy feel that some of our other Waseca venues are lacking. This does not, however, make up for the lack of decent flow or service.
As for the stage, it is an okay size, but there is not much room for people who want to watch the show. Again you have an oddly shaped room, where if you get pushed into the wrong spot, you have no chance of seeing the performance.
And here I must say: What performance?
My husband and I got to Club 57 at 7:30, and waited (and drank rum and Coke) until 9:00, when TNT would presumably take the stage. They did, shortly after, and played a song. After being informed that the first song was a sound check, the band promptly disappeared.
We waited.
And waited.
Then we looked at each other and asked "Time to go home?" With a mutual nod, we left.
From the little bit I heard of TNT, they are a decent tribute band, and I would have liked to have heard more. But generally if a band says they are playing at 9:00, they should play within 15 minutes of that time. Unless they were having serious gear/sound issues, I felt like we were getting the brush-off. People visiting venues in the cities wouldn't have put up with that, and neither should we.
So needless to say, the night was a bit of a disappointment. I hope to get out again in the near future, however, and check out some bands. Maybe I can corner Marcus Penny for an interview.
Anyhow, onto the weekend, and into the week a bit.
Since I checked out Club 57, I'll start there. On Saturday, December 12th the band 69 Cents will be playing. Then at 10:00p.m. on Thursday, December 17th they'll have the a'capella band Heatbox. I browsed their myspace page and was at first repulsed by their droning, repetitive song about needing a Jack and Coke, but I was pulled back in by Pizza Funk. If you've been looking for something new and original, this would be a good act to see. They're like Rockapella, but more funky.
Next up is PJ's Tavern, the easiest to report since they are having a DJ on both Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th.
Finally there will be DJ Matt the Ratt at Katie O'Leary's on Friday night, and the band Urban Myth will be playing Katie's on Saturday. Urban Myth is a fun band, but the lead singer didn't thrill me, and their keyboard setting bordered on irksome. This is just the impression I got from one song, however, so there is potential that this band has more to offer. Their pictures led me to believe that they have an easy-going stage presence, and they look like they enjoy what they do.
That's it for this week. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and enjoy the snow!
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