10BThe Daily Tar Heel Thursday, September 6, 1984
Area nightclubs making comeback
By DAVID SOTOLONGO
SUIT Writer
Nightclubs in the Chapel Hill-Durham area
are making a modest comeback, but it will take
exposure and promote their albums.
But these bands, no matter how good, are
redundant after five or six shows during a
semester, and experimental bands like Rain
a consumer-minded student population desire Parade and Violent Femmes may no longer
to spend money on new and often unfamiliar be invited to play.
Varietv is the nightclub's formula for
Rhythm Alley is primarily a rock n roll club,
but it occasionally presents bluegrass and
offbeat folk bands. It is a favorite stop for Root
Boy Slim and his obese obscenities, and has
featured Mitch Easter's Let's Active and
Tommy Keene from Washington D.C. Various
local talent fills in vacant schedule spots and
The recession hit the nightclub industry as survival, especially in this age of increasing provides warm-up sets for other bands.
hard as it hit Detroit's car factories. The most
notable victim was The Pier in Raleigh, a club
that was spacious enough to afford popular
bands such as NRBQ and the Nighthawks but
cozy enough to maintain an intimate audience
performer atmosphere.
Cat's Cradle and Rhvthm Alley, local
specialization of audience taste. Clubs in Chapel Both Cat's Cradle and Rhythm Alley serve
Hill and Durham offer a wide enough assort-
imported and domestic beer at reasonable
prices and have live music Wednesday night
through the weekend. Both clubs also have
color television for those of you who still watch
MTV.
If rock 'n roll is not your mug of beer,
bluegrass can be heard at several area locations.
ment of live music to lower "Fantasy Island s
ratings in dormitories and off-campus student
housing and get crowds into the bars.
Whether you want to slam dance to new
wave, contemplate your eighth viewing of The
Th PWs throne also were forced Bis Chill to "60s folk, or discuss Reagan and
tr rirw tpmnnrsirilv dnrinff their hard times. Aristotle to soft iazz, area clubs provide more Rhythm Alley and the ArtSchool in Carrboro
Unlike The Pier these clubs arre not big enough than enough talent to warrant your wallet's occasionally offer bluegrass music, and Luther's
to seat 600 people. The problem area nightclubs attention. at South Square Mall presents bluegrass every
w jc KLrina n intimate setting with a Cat's Cradle, located on West Franklin Wednesday night along with their northern
reasonable cover charge. Under N.C. law liquor Street, installed a new sound system to offset style barbecue. The Bluegrass Experience, an
can only be sold if the business claims more
than half its profits from food sales, thus
nightclub owners must rely on the door, not
alcohol sales, to pay for the band.
A $10 cover charge in New York or Chicago
does not raise many eyebrows, but even for
a good band in Chapel Hill, such a policy would
be disastrous, as Cat's Cradle found out this
summer when NRBQ played to a poor turnout
at $10 a head.
Some clubs have tried having bands play two
for $5 rather than one for $10. The
the acoustic deficiency caused by its narrow excellent alternative to electnc white
confines. Despite the architectural deformity, frequents Luther's and Rhythm Alley.
Cat's Cradle has corralled some quality bands. The ArtSchool will continue its alternative
Last year, the Cradle hosted NRBQ, Violent nightclub image this year with an array of talent
Femmes, and Roomful of Blues, and that ranging from reggae to Irish folk. The
quality will continue this year. Area talent such ArtSchool has better acoustics than the other
as Durham's X-Teens and Flvine Pits are aiding clubs and tends to attract bands that accent
the nightclub renaissance with sizzling sets of
straight-up rock 'n' roll at the Cradle and
elsewhere.
Although narrow, the Cradle has plenty of
dancefloor and booths for the arthritic. There
performance is obviously shorter, but the wallet is also an adjacent room for relaxation between
is spared being naked for the rest of the sets.
weekend. Rhythm Alley, located on West Rosemary
Another less desirable solution is forsaking Street (in the home of the old Cat's Cradle),
the bigger bands and banking on the local talent is another rock 'n'roll club that boasts big talent
to play for an affordable price at the door, at a reasonable price. The dance floor and
Bands such as the X-Teens and the Pressure partitioned bar allow you to sweat with the
Boys will play for a cheap cover charge to get band and cool off in a separate viewing room.
O coto I late
OPEN DAILY 9AM-MIDNITE
Breakfast, Vegetarian Sandwiches, Burgers
Salad Bar, Homemade Soups, Daily Specials
Beer and Wine
Conveniently Located Across From
Granville Towers
929-0296 Eat In Or Take Out
March
of
Dimes
Help Prevent
Birth Defects
acoustics rather than the newest rock
technology.
The ArtSchool's Sunday Jazz Series has
always been popular and is a great way to wind
down a torrid weekend on the dance floor. The
ArtSchool also presents fast music, - notably
Roily Gray and Sunfire and the Pressure Boys.
Imported and domestic beer are available and
memberships are welcomed.
In Durham, the pickings are slimmer and
the emphasis is more on jazz and traditional
blues than on hard rock.
The Salaam Cultural Center, located on the
corner of Buchanan and Chapel Hill streets,
features an annual appearance from bluesman
John Hammond. Local jazz talent such as
Brother, Yusuf Salim, Eve Cornelious, and Bus
Brown jam together at the Salaam or at the
Chameleon Club on Parrish Street.
The shadows cast by tobacco warehouses and
oversized banks over downtown Durham create
an excellent blue- and white-collar blues
atmosphere, and The Grinderswitch on Main
Street rocks on weekends with local bands such
as the Mobile City Blues Band and The
Pattersons. -
The Haufbrau, located on Broad Street
across from Duke University's East Campus,
also hosts local talent. Both bars have a mixture
of students and residents, and beer prices are
very reasonable.
If you are a granola-and-politics person, the
Ninth Street Bakery and Somethyme Restau
rant in Durham offer thought-provoking music
from concerned artists, as does Pyewacket
Restaurant in Chapel Hill.
if Jit s ii r- r i
MOW
LUNCHEON SPEOAL
BBQ RIBS, MARINATED SIRLOIN STRIPS,
CHICKEN KABOBS, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE
SoSdD
served with garden salad, homemade rolls and
a choice of french fries or baked potato
LUNCH Mon.-Fri.
11:30 - 2:30
VISA MC
AMEX
ALL ABC
PERMITS
157 E. ROSEMARY, TWO FLOORS ABOVE TROLL'S 942-5757
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GIVE TO THE
AMERICAN
CANCER SOCIETY.
A steak
lover's
delight
By KATHY NORCROSS
SUfT Writer
I gess you could say it all
started when this cowpoke
thet wandered from
Cheyenne over to the
Chapel Hill Triple-K started .
to a-tellin' the city-slickers
there thet they wusn't true
steak lovers.
He said there was a steak
man, and then there was the
rest of 'cm. And the rest of
'em didn't come to nuthin'.
Only a free-spirited steak
lover could make a real man.
Waaall, we at the ranch
upped and said, we could
turn you out a steak thet'd
make your bottom sore.
And, heck, a few years
passed, 'n the cowpoke
came back. He tried one of
our steaks, and said, boys,
you doune good. So now it's
a tradition.
People who enjoy good
steaks, but have a limited
budget, can satisfy their
hunger at Western Sizzlin'.
The menu offers everything
from a chicken sandwich,
country steak or four-ounce
steak, to 12'i-ounce steaks
and filet mignon. Prices
range from 99 cents to. $6.39.
Jordan Le Charolais
Steak House's clientele
ranges from students to
professionals a little bit
of everybody, according to
manager Craig Reed.
Jordan's menu . includes
steaks, for which the resa
taurant is known, and sea
food, with prices ranging
from $7.50 to $30. Some
people come dressed in
shorts and order the salad
bar, while others order $16
steaks.
Slug's at the Pines has a
warm, cozy atmosphere,
according to assistant man
ager Tim Newton.
"It's kind of like a living
room atmosphere since we
remodeled,'' he said.
Slug's also recently got a
new menu, which includes
its specialty, prime rib, as
well as dishes like stuffed
flounder, veal marsala,
chicken florentine and
chicken tarragon. Prices
range from $8.95 to $18.50.
Dinners come with a fresh
tossed salad and homemade
bread, and the restaurant
has nightly specials that
could be almostanything.
Reservations are strongly
recommended.
THE BEST SELECTION
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