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The Independent: Live Music for Live Music Fans
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Photo from Independentsf.com
The number of venues I have been to that just don’t care about doing anything but turning a profit is staggering. I hope these venues all take a long, hard look at The Independent (located at 628 Divisadero in San Francisco) and learn how to present high quality acts, extremely friendly staff, crystal clear sound, poignant lighting, great prices, and an overall great experience to the audience the way The Independent and Another Planet Entertainment do live music. If The Independent and Another Planet Entertainment keep this high quality of event production going, they will be a live music hot spot for decades to come.
When you enter The Independent, you immediately notice how accessible every aspect of the venue is. The bar (located at the back of the dance floor) was extremely well stocked, and the price of drinks seemed to average $6, which is a downright steal when compared to the prices at many other venues in SF. The bartenders were extremely friendly, quick to help, and didn’t serve diluted offerings of the drinks you ordered. There’s not much more I can ask for in a bartender.
The dance floor is set up in to provide everyone with room to move around and dance, and provides a great view of the stage whether you are in the back corner or in the front row. If you’re standing in the front row, you won’t be left craning your neck to see the band either, which indicates to me the stage’s height is just right, and built with the audience in mind. If you’re standing at the middle, or the side, you can still see every part of the stage, and hear every detail. The sight lines are fantastic.
The presentation of the bands is the highlight of The Independent. According to audio engineer Christopher Fortier, “Consideration is given to an individual tech’s affinity for a musical style. Given the variable needs of different artists, we endeavor to ask the right questions so we know what the band needs to hear onstage and how they would like to be represented to their audience.” This tells me that The Independent knows how important it is to have the right people working with the right artist to best present the music to the listener, and that ultimately they understand that the audience’s enjoyment is dependent on how well the audio and lighting engineers are presenting that package. The audio is crystal clear, and never too loud, highlighting every nuance of each band’s sound. On that night, I was lucky enough to see The Mother Hips, The Stone Foxes, and The Blank Tapes. Each band was in top form, and their respective sounds were beautifully articulated through the Electro-Voice PA system that was designed and installed by John Karr (audio chief at the venue).
Lighting engineer Mark Jones proudly boasts of versatility of their lighting system,”…with the help of a controllable color scroller on everything there are a large number of possible color combinations. Plus, 2/3rd's of the system are moving lights so there are also a varied amount of possible stage looks that can be designed for each individual show.” This attention to detail paid off, as the lighting morphed to match the energy and emotion of each band and each song, creating a surreal experience for the audience.
This attention to detail is what makes The Independent such a great place to see a show. Many venues seem to think that if they have you there, they might as well charge you high prices for drinks and present a crappy show just because they’ve already charged you for your ticket. The Independent works hard to present a professional and friendly environment to the audience, and it pays off. If attendees realize their return business is being worked towards, they appreciate the effort and are likely to speak well of the venue. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and I only heard positive words coming from the mouths of extremely pleased fans of The Mother Hips at the end of the night. Do yourself a favor, and head out to The Independent for a show. You won’t be disappointed. Support the bay area music scene. Peace.
Special Thanks to:
Sarah Fink - Another Planet Entertainment
Jason Thompson- Manager for The Independent
Mark Jones- Lighting Engineer for The Independent
Christopher Fortier- Audio Engineer for The Independent
Amanda Howell-Event Staff for The Independent
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