Not So Silent Night for Bad Pop/Rock

You may have scoffed at — or attended, if you’re a girl with bad tastes in music or a dude who likes Texas high school football – Mix 96.1′s Not So Silent Night, a concert event it’s been hyping for the last two weeks plus.  What you may not have scoffed at — or attended — was Phoenix‘s performance at the Hard Rock Cafe Riverwalk; that’s because you probably didn’t know about it.

Yes, Mix’s best kept indie secret was Phoenix‘s 3pm performance yesterday, December 16, at the Hard Rock, a small concert sponsored by one of San Antonio’s most annoying radio stations in support of its Not So Silent Night event at Hemisfair Park scheduled to take place later that evening.

Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much (other than S.A.’s display of not knowing alternative from Big Red).  The French quartet played alongside Blue October, 3OH!3, and lyaz.  We’re actually fairly sure it was a fluke on Mix’s part to have Phoenix there, the most accurately labeled indie group of the event.  This belief is further supported by the idea that Mix’s Kidd Kraddick and Co. were ill-prepared to encounter French culture, asking Phoenix post-performance if Jean-Claude (yes, van Damme) was one of the more prominent French actors.  That’s just Kraddick-ulous!

What Mix 96.1 knows better is how to promote miserable excuses for mainstream pop disguised as indie music (see The Fray, Boys Like Girls, etc.) for its concert Wednesday night at Hemisfair.  What’s worse is that attendees had to fork over $30 for it all.  You should’ve gone to see Phoenix at an intimate setting for free instead…

…if you’d known about it.

Fear not.  Attend Phoenix‘s well-publicized concert tonight at La Zona Rosa in Austin, a city who knows a real thing or two about indie music.

Music Down

One of San Antonio’s locally-owned, independent music stores, Music Town, will be closing its doors this Friday, November 6, after more than two years of service to local music lovers.

The S.A. branch (there’s another family-owned location in the Spring-Klein area), will bow out gracefully Friday afternoon with an all-day rummage sale followed by a little musical entertainment in the evening.  The event, dubbed “Brentapalooza” (after the S.A. branch manager), will begin at 12pm, capping off the evening with live music from 8pm until midnight. 

Friends, fans, and former customers of Music Town are encouraged to attend this final event as everything in the store is liquidized (DVDs, CDs, vinyl, stereo equipment, posters, store fixtures, etc.).

Attendees should feel comfortable naming their price on any item in the store as all offers will be entertained.

No, not ‘petty’… ‘PEDI’!

When it comes to live music venues, San Antonio certainly struggles to stay competitive.  In a city where Legs Diamond and Judas Priest shows still tally stupefying numbers, the pressures of drawing a crowd without worrying whether or not Michael Prince has died increasingly vex many small club owners.  And if you’re anything like me and had to do some googling to figure out who Michael Prince was, then you should definitely keep reading this article.

It’s true that the epicenter of San Antonio’s alternative music scene is central S.A., largely concentrated around the famed-though-long-dead St. Mary’s strip, but more and more local bars are opening their doors to musicians hungry for a much needed departure from the waning trend.  Some of these bars are way off the mark despite their very honest attempts to diversify their clientele and offer their existing patrons something new.  Take, for example, Martini Ranch inside the loop on West Ave.  A nice local dive with a great built-in regular crowd, full bar, and abundant drink specials.  Its biggest problem, however, is that it doesn’t properly serve the expanding St. Mary’s genre either through its clientele or accommodations.  Unless, of course, you’re a musician keen on assembling the “stage” yourself which requires stacking enough tables and chairs to allow your band to set up in a cozy, semi-partitioned corner of the bar.  Or perhaps you like listening to a nice medley of Nickelback and booty music between sets?

Such is my skepticism when approaching these new venues eager to embrace alternative music.  Such was my skepticism when I approached The Pedicab.

Located in Southtown, the heart of San Antonio’s artisanship, The Pedicab serves as storage  for the cycle rickshaws fairly new to downtown; it also stores over 100 different brands of domestic and imported beers.  This cash-only, beer-only, no-cover venue is not only new to the city, but new to musicians interested in breaking the St. Mary’s cycle.

I initially had mixed feelings about The Pedicab when I first explored its trendy interior.  The decor was nice, although typical: corrugated tin, exposed ceiling and lots of painted, lacquered hardwood.  The furniture arrangement was disorganized and the chair to table ratio was about 3:1.  The “stage” was another story, dominated by a metal staircase that led upwards to who-knows-what and was surrounded by boxes and miscellaneous junk.  It had a lot of potential, it was just… cluttered.

But if Martini Ranch refuses to sweeten its invitation to local musicians, The Pedicab is not going to follow suit.  Within 2 months of my initial visit to Southtown’s newest venue, it not only organized the furniture in a more inviting fashion and reduced the chair to table ratio, but removed the unecessary staircase and even built an actual raised stage on which bands can perform.  Innovation is something to which S.A. has only all too recently been privy, and its trickle-down effect is overtly present in grand and minute details, from green-inspired pedicabs to venues that actually give a damn about its musicians.

The Pedicab isn’t just attractive to musicians, either.  With an eclectic collection of beers, and all reasonably priced (averaging $2 for domestic beers and $3 for imported), it’s sure to draw a good crowd year-round.  Whether you’re a patron looking for a new bar, or a musician looking for a new venue, The Pedicab opens it arms and its doors to you. 

The Pedicab, located at 415 E. Cevallos St. behind La Tuna, offers over 100 brands of domestic and imported bottled beers at an average price of $3 per bottle.  It is within walking distance of the Blue Star Complex.