V24|NO14
Loud and Clear
AMYCHRISTIAN
The Broadcast comes back to Augusta for Masters Week
Caitlin Krisko is one of the founding members of The Broadcast and even after almost three years, she still has trouble defining the band’s sound. “That was probably the biggest critique we got the first couple of years of the band was that we had a lot of this great music but, in terms of genre and style, we were sort of all over the place,” she said. “I think that with the solidified lineup of the band over the last couple of years we’ve been able to find a sound that’s unique to The Broadcast, which is great for us because it really doesn’t sound like anybody else but it’s also a little bit difficult in terms of explaining and describing what it’s like.” Still, Krisko goes ahead and gives it a shot. “We have a lot of classic rock elements and people say that it reminds them of sort of a Led Zeppelin vibe,” she said. “But at the same time it’s female-fronted, so there’s that soul, Grace Potter element to it. But we’re really eclectic in our songwriting style, so there’s also a Fleetwood Mac quality where, you know, it’s not necessarily just a rock album or a soul album or a pop album. It’s got a lot of genres infused into the music.” The Broadcast’s original six members first got together in New York in 2010 but quickly relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, where they are currently based. “We wanted to stay on the east coast because we had a really good fan following up in the northeast, but we wanted to be someplace more central where we could get to different markets and we heard a lot of great things about Asheville and that there were a lot of touring bands living here,” Krisko explained. “So we took a leap of faith and moved down here without having visited and luckily it worked out.” Shortly after the move, they replaced their guitarist and bassist and have been a cohesive unit ever since. That might surprise some, given how much touring the band does. “You definitely start to realize that a lot of bands’ success is based in their ability to get along interpersonally,” she said. “That’s probably one of the biggest challenges on the road is getting along and it’s been great. I mean, we’ve definitely been through challenges and trials, but I think we’re definitely through the storm and we all get along really well and have an understanding for our quirks and how we function on the road and giving people space when they need it. I definitely think we’ve gotten to a really good space with that stuff.” The Broadcast is scheduled to release an album, “Dodge the Arrow,” this September. They have their fans, who helped fund the release through Kickstarter, to thank for that and they hope to make some new fans when they come to Surrey Tavern tonight, their second Masters Week appearance in Augusta in as many years. “We actually played Augusta a lot last year,” Krisko said. “I hate to admit this but we haven’t been back in almost a year. We’ve been so busy on the road and, unfortunately, our routing hasn’t brought us back through Georgia, but we love Surrey Tavern, we love our fanbase in Augusta and we’re really ready to get back in there and start playing more regularly in 2013.” They even love the rush of Masters Week. “Last year was our first Masters Week,” she laughed. “I’ve never seen so many men in pastel-colored clothes. It’s crazy.” The Broadcast Surrey Tavern Thursday, April 11 | 10 p.m. 706-736-1221 | augustasurreytavern.com. 48 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
Year-Round Party
Chevy’s may love Masters Week, but everyone gets great service here
Like most clubs, Chevy’s on Washington Road benefits greatly from Masters Week. The party started last Monday and will continue through the weekend with special guest DJs Dougie and Rusty coming in from Houston, Texas, to join in the fun. “We know a lot of the hospitality guys so we get out and give them passes and just do whatever we have to do to get the out-of-town people in,” says consultant Jody Dickson, who helps manage Chevy’s for owner Eric Yu. “We’ll get started good on Monday and then that will carry us through the week.” Dickson has been in the Augusta bar business since he worked at the Electric Cowboy while going to Augusta College, now Georgia Regents University, in 1980. He’s been affiliated with the Washington Road club throughout its various incarnations. Chevy’s, Coconuts, Cadillac’s, Midtown Lounge and now Chevy’s again, he’s seen it all, especially during Masters Week. “At the other Chevy’s we had tons of celebrities come in: Bill Murray, Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner. Chris Miller the quarterback,” he said. “There were a lot of celebrities.” One in particular, Dickson said, came in every night one Masters Week. “Kelsey Grammer came in and his manager said, ‘Kelsey wants that table all week.’ And I said, ‘Tell him he can have that table all week for a thousand dollars’ and he said okay,” Dickson remember. “He was nice.” Celebrity sightings these days are rare, something Dickson attributes to camera phones and social media. “I see some of them on the course so I know they’re in town, but I guess with all the social media and people taking pictures they have to be careful because they used to cut up,” he said. “I mean, Mel Gibson? He was funny. Bill Murray was hilarious and he came every place I had for a while. Fuzzy [Zoeller], he still comes and he’s just a very nice guy, but I guess they’re just scared people are going to take pictures of them doing stuff they’re not supposed to be doing.” You don’t have to be a celebrity, however, to enjoy Chevy’s now or any other week of the year. The club hosts trivia on Mondays, Shag Night on Tuesdays with free lessons, karaoke on Wednesday and live music on Fridays. They have the city’s longest happy hour, which features drink specials and food and runs from Monday at 4 p.m. to Friday at 8 p.m. Not only that, they specialize in something people these days aren’t used to: great service. “It’s clean, they’ll get good service, good, fair drink prices and a lot more one on one contact,” Dickson said. “People who work here are going to know them. I think people still want to be waited on like they were in 1990.” That service is more and more important today, because of the way Dickson has seen the business evolve. There may be more and more bars and restaurants around, but nightclubs like Chevy’s are rare. “It’s just divided the pie up and you have to give customers more of a reason to come,” he said. They do that by making Chevy’s a place that welcomes people no matter their age. They’re also a safe and comfortable place for women and making sure that, no matter how full or empty the room, every one has a good time. “The bar business is easy when you’re busy,” he said. “When it’s slow, when you don’t have as many people, that’s when you have to work harder. If you only have 50 people, you have to make sure those 50 people have a good time because they’re going to go out and say, ‘I went there on Tuesday night and there weren’t a lot of people in there, but we had a great time. The DJ was good, I could breathe, the staff was waiting on us and talking to us and the owner came by and bought us a drink.’” The staff at Chevy’s probably won’t have to worry about being slow this week, but, for locals, that attitude makes it a great place to visit the other 51 weeks of the year. Chevy’s Nite Club | 706-250-3261 Le Pavilion Shopping Center | Open Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.; Saturday, 7 p.m. 04APRIL2013