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Ekoostik Hookah
Jam band returns to Dayton to christen new venue
Friday, January 25, 2008
A shared love of music was enough to get Mike "Crazylegs" Hemann and Glen Pyle talking about joining forces to open a new music venue in Dayton. The fact that Hemann owns his own companies specializing in live sound reinforcement and stage lighting and Pyle had the space to mount concerts at his Deli Market made it conducive for the two to turn this dream into a reality.
Seven Timbers Live, a new venue inside Webster Street Market, opens its doors tonight with a 9 p.m. performance by The Werks and Ekoostik Hookah.
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"Glen and I thought Dayton was lacking a decent size club that holds over 1,000 people," Hemann said. "The Ekoostik Hookah show is the first one we'll be doing. It's our test run to see how everything goes."
No other dates have been officially booked, but the new venue's wish list includes Pat Benatar, Keller Williams, Jethro Tull, The Menus and Dark Star Orchestra.
"Everything is a work in progress," Pyle said. "We're basically generating revenue on one show so we can afford to do the next one without getting in over our heads."
Hemann, who runs Burton, Ohio-based companies Crazylegs Productions and Accurate Sound and Lighting, provides services for venues such as Nelson Ledges Quarry Park.
"We do about 20 to 30 shows a year," Hemann said. "Because we have such a great working relationship with some higher-end bands, we're very confident we're going to be able to bring some really top notch entertainment to the Dayton area."
Hemann promises Seven Timbers Live will also offer great acoustics. "Because the room is all wood, it's going to eat up a lot of the sound in the ceiling and all," he said. "It has black curtains all around the building so we feel it's going to have great acoustics. We're also bringing in a Hughes and Kettner sound system, which is state of the art. You're not going to get better sound from anybody than you will from this system."
"Now we just have to make it fun so people will want to come out," Pyle said. "I hate having a building that's just sitting here empty. I'm trying to find ways to utilize the space that will also bring people downtown. I'm all about working with people and trying to drive the economy downtown because it helps not just us, but everybody. It's a team effort: United we stand, divided we fall."
More info: www.crazylegsproductions.net.
CONTACT contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
