John
Mooney in the BamBoo Room.
Bamboo Room
25 South J Street
Lake Worth, FL
561-585-BLUE
OPEN?
www.bamboorm.com
Russell Hibbard
Free-thinking individualist and humanist, age 52.
Middle child of edjikated (!) Appalachian folks done good and moved to
the Flatlands, been in South Florida since age 5.
Child musician encouraged by my mother, a Florida Southern MFA grad who
played percussion and organ. Grew up listening to everything from Hank
Williams to Tchikofski. Played fiddle, cello, French horn, fleugelhorn
from age 6 through college but grew up to become an industrial/graphic
designer. No money in orchestral work if’n you ain’t some
Famous Soloist.
Married 27 years to my babushka. No kids, but have had a childlike Amazon
Parrot with us for 25 of those years. Same thing, but no orthodonty or
school supplies.
Own and operate a small and respected roots musical emporium.
Try to stay true to our original vision, but sometimes it gets blurry.
Believe and act by the Golden Rule.
Play electrified jug & tub bass pretty good and sing from time to
time, some may call it howlin’ I call it singin’ mhm mm. Play
trumps (jaw-harps) of all sorts.
Have a weakness for free jazz, sacred steel, punk, gospel, country, mad
manouche, old-timey and hill-country blues. Listen to Erik Satie, Shostakovic
and Harry Parch too.
Enjoy Holtz’s “Planets” or Mingus/Monk/Miles on long
drives.
Believe that Rosetta Tharp and Stuart Daniel Baker are among the greatest
electric guitarists ever.
Likewise that for Grandpa Jones and Tony Trischka on banjo.
Harbor a fetish for monochordal instruments and Gamalan.
How did you get into this business?
We believed there was a void in our market for a venue that placed a high
value on original artists, and created an environment for audiences to
experience a direct, visceral connection to those personalities. Not as
celebrities, but as creative people with a voice that should be heard
and celebrated. As music fans with the ability to find a good space and
execute that plan, we foolishly thought we could make a difference. Most
vernacular music is a form of blues, but many don’t share that view.
How do you book your club? How do you promote it?
It may sound naive, but I simply began by calling the artists I liked
and agencies with interesting, relevent rosters. After a very short while
everyone understood that we were serious about who we wanted to bring
to SoFla. Simple as that. Originally we used traditional media for promotion:
print, radio, etc. It’s so costly and after some analysis it became
clear it was ineffective. We developed a large mailing list for our monthly
newsletter, and a solid web presence with a well designed and navigatable
site with music samples and links to all the artists performing. Book
the things that make music and entertainment editors and writers pay attention.
Traditional advertising is largely worthless... honest editorial coverage
can’t be bought. No fluff, no hyperbole... great acts get great
coverage.
Best part of owning a blues club?
Witnessing those extraordinary moments of brilliance from a performer
for an audience going to that special place with them. There have been
far too many to easily list. Lightning in a bottle.
Worst part of owning a blues club?
Everyone wants something from you, even when it’s easy to see that
you’re always, always giving 150%. “No” is difficult
for some folks to understand. Everyone goes through this life with only
one agenda: their own. Sometimes, people see someone working for a broader,
more inclusive agenda and want in whether they’re worthy or not...
that’s true in any business. But in the entertainment industry it’s
a sickness. People delude themselves every day.
Best bartender?Soundman? Doorman?
We’ve been fortunate to have employees from the beginning that understand
and embrace our singular mission. All of our staff is the best there are,
period.
Best artist you have had?
I was moved to tears by Van Ronk’s last performance here... Ray
Wylie Hubbard playing “Dallas After Midnight”... Tracey Nelson’s
spellbinding opener “Down So Low”... Hammond solo, or with
the Wicked Grin Trio, and later the quintet... Blind Boy’s closing
with “This May be the Last Time”... Otis Taylor every time
he visited... Ray Bonneville or Holmes Brothers to a ridiculously thin
room, Tab Benoit, Iguanas, Dave Alvin or Subdudes to packed ones... Eric
Bibb... Chuck Prophet... there are far too many others to list. The Best?
Please see question #3.
Artist you would like to have?
Too many to list... unfortunately, Florida’s geography, regional
buyers restrictions and agency business politics have prevented many from
performing here. An unpleasant fact most music fans are completely unaware
of.
What club or clubowner influenced you to start your club?
I’ve admired some promoters, particularly Bill Graham, but aside
from Clifford Antone don’t know of any contemporary venue owners
worth emulating. I’ve operated Bamboo Room the way it is because
I don’t know any other way. Excellence is it’s own reward,
but often the rest of the community takes a while to catch on.
Back
to Top
|
Big City Blues Clubs
Ann Arbor, MI
The Ark - 734-761-1800
Angola, IN
Skip’s Place - 260-665-3922
Atlanta, GA
Blind Willie’s - 404-873-2583
Austin, TX
Antone’s-512-320-8424
Baton Rouge, LA
Phil Brady’s - 225-927-3786
Chicago, IL
B.L.U.E.S. –
773-528-1013
Buddy Guy’s
Legends –
312-427-1190
Harlem Ave. Lounge –
708-484-3610
Kingston Mines
–
773-477-4646
Lee’s Unleaded Blues –
773-493-3477
Rosa’s Lounge –
773-342-0452
Clarksdale, MS
Ground Zero – 662-621-9009
Red’s Lounge
Sarah’s Kitchen –
662-627-3239
Cleveland, OH
Fat Fish Blue-216-875-6000
Coco Beach, CA
Beach Shack –
321-783-2250
Des Moines, IA
Blues On Grand –
515-244-3092
Detroit, MI
Berts Market Place –
313-567-2030
Butcher's Inn-Eastern Market
313-566-0966
Lager House-Corktown
313-961-4668
Your Place Lounge –
313-881-4850
Hermosa Beach, CA
Cafe Boogaloo –
602-265-4842
Indianapolis, IN
Slippery Noodle
–
317-631-6974
Kansas City, MO
BB’s Lawnside BBQ –
816-8BB-RIBS
Knuckleheads
–
816-483-1456
Lafayette, LA
El Sid O’s – 318-239-1959
Lake Worth, FL
The Bamboo Room –
561-585-2583
Lincoln, NE
Zoo Bar – 402-435-8754
Los Angeles, CA
Babe’s & Ricky’s –
323-295-9112
Memphis, TN
B.B. King’s – 901-527-5464
Rum Boogie – 901-528-0150
Mishawaka, IN
Midway Tavern –
574-255-0458
Nashville, TN
B.B. King’s –615-256-2727
The Place –
615-244-1122
Bourbon Street
Boogie & Blues Bar
1-615-24-BLUES
New Orleans, LA
Handa Wanda –
504-813-3496
Mother-In-Law Lounge –
504-947-1078
Maple Leaf – 504-866-9359
The Point Bar –
504-364-0950
Tipitina’s – 504-891-8477
New York, NY
B.B. King’s – 212-997-4511
Dinosaur BBQ –
212-694-1777
Joe’s Pub – 212-539-8770
Phoenix, AZ
The Rhythm Room –
602-265-4842
Prairie Point, MS
Betty’s Place
Rochester, NY
Dinosaur BBQ –
585-325-9127
Sacramento, CA
Torch Club – 916-443-2797
San Diego, CA
Humphrey’s – 619-224-3577
San Francisco, CA
Biscuits & Blues –
415-292-BLUES
The Saloon -415-989-7666
San Jose, CA
JJ’s Blues Club –
408-243-6441
Santa Monica, CA
Harvelle’s – 310-395-1676
Sherman Oaks, CA
Cozy’s – 818-986-6000
St. Louis, MO
BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups – 314-436-5222
Syracuse, NY
Dinosaur BBQ –
315-476-4937
Tampa, FL
Skippers Smokehouse –
813-971-0666
Teaneck, NJ
Mexicali Blues –
201-833-0011
Windsor, ON
Alibi’s – 519-969-3135
|