How to go
What: Blues & BBQ series with Kelly Richey
Where: Riff Raff Tavern on the Canal, 130 N. Patterson Blvd., Dayton
When: 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $10 advance, $12 at the door, which includes all the barbecue you can eat
More info: 937-558-0808 or www.riffraffonthecanaltavern.com
Blues & BBQ series lineup
May 24: Kelly Richey
June 7: Ira Stanley & Blues Power
June 14: Deuce n’ a Quarter Band
June 28: Pett-Crow
July 12: Michael Locke
July 26: Blue Lou & the Mafia
Aug. 9: Ellie Lee & Blues Fury
Aug. 16: The Beaumonts
In August, it will be two years since Mike and Bev Schmidt opened their blues club Riff Raff Tavern on the Canal in Dayton. While opening a new entertainment and eating establishment is never an easy venture, growing awareness has allowed the couple to expand its Friday and Saturday night programming to include a new Blues & BBQ matinee series on select Sundays.
“It was a struggle at first, I’ll be honest about it, but it turned around once my name got out and some of the bands started talking about the club,” Mike Schmidt said. “They like it because we have a backline so all the equipment is there. All they have to do is walk in, strap on and play.
“The bands that have repeatedly played here have helped me out tremendously,” he said. “They do whatever they can to get people in here. We’re at the break-even point now, which is a good thing in your second year.”
Cincinnati blues guitarist Kelly Richey headlines the first afternoon showcase at Riff Raff Tavern at 2 p.m. Sunday.
“This will be first time we’ve done anything like this, but I’m hoping it’ll be an annual summer thing,” Schmidt said. “It’s hard to get people around Dayton on the weekend for the blues so I thought a Sunday afternoon would be nice. It’s hot and people can come in, eat and relax in the air conditioning and listen to blues for three hours. We’ll see how that goes. We’re really trying to step up the blues in Dayton, Ohio.”
Other performers in the series include Ira Stanley, Michael Locke, Ellie Lee and Pett-Crow.
“I’ve got a pretty strong lineup of people,” Schmidt said. “I’ve got a variety of blues and it covers everything from the Delta and Texas blues to Chicago blues and Pett-Crow, which is a group of young kids. They’re something else. We’ve got a lot of Dayton groups but we also pulled from Cincinnati, Columbus and Middletown and I got lucky and Ellie Lee is coming all the way up from Florida.”
Admission is $10 in advance and $12 at the door, which includes all-you-can-eat barbecue.
“When I first got into it I was worried about what it was going to cost me with the food and everything,” Schmidt said. “The best thing about this is the musicians actually helped me out tremendously with prices. I was grateful for that. It was really a win-win situation because they were all for this too. Hopefully it works out.”
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