Oh boy, my first full weekend of gigs!
Friday we were off to The Old Louisville Coffeehouse on the Cross of Fourth and Maple, and Saturday we made our Bardstown Road debut at Ray’s Monkey House. Although both of these fine establishments (I mean that) served Coffee and Pastries, they were bred from two very different wings of The Eagle.
Old Louisville Coffeehouse
The Old Louisville Coffeehouse is an excellent home base for Christians and the leaning right wingers. Jeff Woods of Fishnet Ministries tends to the musical bookings. At an open mic night a few weeks back, he said the place is for Christian musicians only, but he accepts secular musicians at open mics.
The term "old" definitely describes the historical part of town, not the coffeehouse itself. Everyone and everything there is relatively new and intact. The owner, Pam Campbell, is extremely courteous, but definitely not tolerant of mischievous antics from customers or employees (I saw it first-hand). They have great sandwiches, and my Carmel Mocha kept me alert for the entire gig.
Unlike most coffeehouses, the “Old Lou” has an actual stage and sound system, which creates more of a concert setting. The customers tend to focus more of their attention toward the stage rather than their conversations like most coffeehouses. The only issue there is lack of customers. There are a lot of residents in the immediate area, but not a lot of parking space on the street.
Ray's Monkey House
Saturday we hit the Monkey House. I was initially under the impression that Ray’s Monkey House was a liberal-based complex located along Bardstown Road where the university crowd tends to hang out. On “B-Road” you can bar hop, coffee hop, shop hop, or just hop along (nobody will mind there, just be yourself). Much to my surprise, Nimbus (the owner) was correct. He said that most of his customers are liberal, but they are definitely not picky about the entertainment.
The House’s Blog has some Code Pink references that could make some RNC attendees a bit nervous. Fortunately, I was not trampled in a protest. Actually, it was just the opposite. I discovered some great people there and had some great conversations from the slightly raised floor area that functions as a “stage." I had a delicious Carmel Mocha there, and I also noticed that they were selling beer. I would return to Ray's Monkey House as a customer and bring my kids with me, depending upon the performer.
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