UPDATE: June 1, 4:43 p.m.: Today author Nate Jackson forwarded me an email from Dan Bradley. In it, Bradley told Jackson, “You clearly mention Chris Fahey responsible for booking
Stereo Lab (sic). Also, LA Times' Randy Lewis was one of the first reporters
to do a piece on Detroit Bar- I believe days before it even opened-
So definitely not 10 years too late. Just thought if you knew him, you could let him know that the facts are on your side.”
I believe Mr. Bradley may have missed the point–a story on a bar before it opens does not get to talk about how it changes the OC market. And a trend piece on a bar 10 years after it's drawn national acts and changed the local music scene is still, well, late. He does, however answer my question about Chris Fahey, but not in the way I posed it. (Also, I am a girl, sir! With a weird name, for sure, but a girl!)
What I meant to ask was this: Wasn't the reason Detroit Bar was able to book bands of Stereolab's caliber because Chris Fahey was their U.S. tour manager, and not because of anything special Detroit Bar was doing?
Original post: May 27, 10:08 a.m.: Remember when the LA Times discovered Echo Park? That was funny. Well, now its hipster radar has reached Orange County–all the way to Costa Mesa's Detroit Bar, in fact.
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Now don't get us wrong–we love Detroit Bar, and we agree with many of the points in the article, especially this integral paragraph:
Still, Detroit Bar functions as part of a constellation of relevant
local venues, which includes enduring standbys La Cave, Tikki Bar and
Avalon Bar. These watering holes, each with its respective scene, tend
to become feeder venues for Detroit Bar as buzz-worthy acts move up the
food chain. Unlike the extravagant ultra lounge vibe of Sutra — which
books plenty of its own national and world-traveling headliners — a
packed local gig at Detroit Bar carries the proud imprint of paid dues.
Short of playing the House of Blues in Anaheim or the Grove, it's a declaration
that an artist is making serious noise in the local scene.
It just seems that, well, the LA Times is a decade too late in reporting it.
And we love the author Nate Jackson as well (who spent some time with us as an intern and Clubs Editor)–I just can't imagine that he pitched it as the “let's purport that Detroit Bar is doing something new when in fact it's been an Orange County institution for 10 years” story that it turned out to be. (Especially love the “Detroit Bar revs up Orange County's music scene?”)
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't former booking agent Chris Fahey (who was also Stereolab's tour manager) the reason national acts always stopped at Detroit initially?
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