Art Chowder November | December 2016, Issue 6 | Page 51

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THE ROADHOUSE

So the big question arises, “where
can we go to enjoy their performances, and most importantly, do we
have the appropriate and attractive
venues to accommodate them”?
In this issue I’m spotlighting three
contrasting venues which encourage
and promote live local and regional
acts and display their respective talents in purposefully different settings. I have personally enjoyed
many live concerts and creative
events at each of these terrific venues and I’m most encouraged to
see them grow and develop. I want
to emphasize from the start that I’m
fully aware and appreciate that there are dozens of excellent live music
scenes in our area, so I’m planning to
feature many more of them in a series of future Art Chowder articles.

sound technician Joey Shalloe whose pedigree as tour manager and
sound director for international touring artists including Eddie Money,
Paul Rogers, Bad Company, Collective Soul and Kenny Chesney puts him
in great standing to consolidate his
experience into this live music and
entertainment center.

I’ll begin at THE ROADHOUSE, located in the Spokane Valley on Sprague between North Raymond and
University. Opened just over 4 years
ago, The Roadhouse is a very spacious, multi-faceted bar restaurant
and concert environment. It’s ideally
set up to focus on live performances
both indoors and outdoors. Internally this beautifully appointed venue
offers an impressive elevated stage
equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and an in-house sound array
with professional audio technicians
that can rival any full scale audio
installation. And that’s just half the
story because outdoors you find a
patio sound stage with dancing area,
a fully appointed ‘tiki’ cocktail bar,
and a fullsize sand volleyball court.
I met with owner, manager and chief

decades touring the globe

“I partnered with Joe
O’Connor one year ago
last June with a view of
showcasing and boosting
our local and regional
artists in one
multi-purpose setting.
Having spent over three
I felt it was time to take
a break and concentrate
my efforts into ensuring
that a very wide range
of live entertainment is
readily available to our
local community”

...

Joey explains. And variety is very
much the keyword for The Roadhouse’s mission. What was originally
branded as a live country music venue, it now boasts a roster of diverse performing artists which include
pop, rock, blues and folk groups and

soloists whilst still maintaining live
country evenings on Saturdays. “We
recently even put on an authentic
Burlesque revue with all the dazzling
costume changes, and then we promoted a special World War 2 era
evening of nostalgic music and memories called ‘Pin Ups On Tour’ dedicated to our armed service personnel which we presented free to our
veterans”.
If you’re into dance and karaoke,
Tuesdays and Thursdays combine
both into The Roadhouse’s swing
and line dancing lesson evenings after which you can show off your vocal prowess singing karaoke. Fridays
are generally, but not exclusively dedicated to live blues and rock music
acts, again with an emphasis on local
and regional talent.
And for budding musicians and artists who want to perform live on
stage with fellow enthusiasts possibly for the first time then Wednesday evenings at The Roadhouse are a
must. “Our ‘Big Jam Night’ with Vern
Vogel brings to our stage everything
from stand-up comedy to poetry to
acoustic music plus an opportunity
to come together in a group setting
and create an ensemble of musicians
who may never have played together
and who can learn much from one
another”.
And since Spokane Valley is conveniently located between larger surrounding cities which attract national touring acts, Joey is very active in
bringing many of these big names to
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