There are plenty of great places to play - and hear - music. But distinct from readers' annual "Best Of" votes on their favorite venues are the opinions of the artists who play in town. Where do they like playing the most? And what places should be booking music, but aren't?
Luckily, most band members like to talk about themselves, so we didn’t have to do much begging or bribing to get our information. However, the results of our survey don’t cover all local opinions, as some chose not to participate.
Although our readers chose Bubba’s Sulky Lounge as the best bar in our last Best Of issue, the bands overwhelmingly love to play Geno’s. Most bands booked at Geno’s are straight-up rock-and-roll (Sinferno, Loverless, the Supersoul Challenger), metal (Eldemur Krimm, Pigboat) punk/punkabilly (Sasquatch & the Sickabillys, Big Meat Hammer, the Outsiders), miscellaneous rock (Eggbot, Confusatron, Lost Cause Desperados), and the occasional hip hop show (Moshe, jdwalker, Brzowski). Geno’s also brings in Boston bands and national acts like the Queers. Joe Queer declares, “I love everyone there. Geno, Barbara, and JR — all great people.” Ricky Boy Floyd of the Horror agrees, “The staff is great.” Geno’s is Portland’s heart of rock and roll. Will of Ogre sums it up: “It is our homebase, and it is the CBGB’s of Portland.”
Ranking a close second is Big Easy, which books (now with new booking agent Jim Begley) anything from local bands, tribute shows, and battles, to national acts. Big Easy is also known for booking regular weekly gigs, which draw some of their biggest crowds. Tuesday’s band, Sly Chi, seem to bring in the most eclectic crowd, according to bartender Tim O’Brien, who affirms they go through large quantities of Newcastle and Jack Daniels then. When asked why bands like to play Big Easy, most commented on the venue’s superior sound rather than the built-in crowd. “They have a great sounding place, and the sound guy adds reverb to my voice, and I like that,” says Dominic of Dominic and the Lucid. Others just love the character of the place: “It’s home, even if you do have to step over a few semi-conscious people in the course of the night,” proclaims Ryan McCalmon. Nigel Hall concurs, “it’s a very cool place to play.” Brzowski nails it on the head with this statement: “Big Easy has good sound, stage, lighting, and an air of legitimacy.”
Third place belongs to the Alehouse, the self-proclaimed “best dive bar of Portland.” Really, you can’t claim that unless you have a peeping window between bathrooms, creepy monster sculptures, bar swings, and a sketchy back entrance. Manager Jeff Ellis says most bands bring in a punk-rock crowd that apparently drink up the Jagermeister, whiskey, PBR, and Miller High Life. The Pubcrawlers like to play the Alehouse because “there’s always an awesome crowd, and we get fed gallons of beer.” Boombazi’s Benbazi thinks the set-up of the bar makes it a great spot: “It’s a really intimate setting. No stage or barrier to separate you from the crowd’s energy.” However, there is a barrier between music equipment and the stage: the front stairs. The Alehouse was voted the most difficult to load into — many a musician has taken a spill down those steep, narrow stairs, which is quite a testament to how much bands love playing there.
