Music makes the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony high, makes Olivia Newton-John's world go round and, according to Madonna, makes the people come together, but does it make food taste better?
While Madison-area restaurant owners and patrons have differing opinions, music certainly makes the people come out to listen—and stay to eat.
Just this past year, we've been experimenting with having live bands come in,\ said Christina Bishop, manager at the Crave Restaurant & Lounge, 201 W. Gorham St. ""There definitely seems to be more of an interest in the live music scene than there has been in the past.""
As Madison's already dizzying music scene is expanding, more and more food service establishments around Madison are starting to serve up live music, as well. Pubs, clubs and restaurants have begun to bring in acts ranging from singer/songwriters and solo DJs to bluegrass and Talking Heads cover bands.
Many performers, such as Christiaan Smith-Kotlarek, a UW-Madison sophomore, are simultaneously solo artists and band members: Smith-Kotlarek has played both as a single singer/songwriter and the manager of area band Simply Put.
Smith-Kotlarek said he has played at a variety of locations.
""The mix seems to be a bit of sandwich shop/martini bar/coffeeshop/all-out bar,"" he said.
With live music becoming more pervasive, restaurant-goers are changing their tunes accordingly.
""If we have, like, a quiet show like a singer/songwriter ... one person up there with a guitar, people are more likely to sit down, relax, and eat a lot of food,"" said Brian Trottier, a manager at Café Montmartre, 127 E. Mifflin St. ""If we have a loud rock band, people are generally dancing and not so much in the mood to eat.""
To catch musical acts at their establishments of choice, Madisonians are keeping time by changing when they go out to eat. At more intimate venues such as Café Montmartre, many end up coming in early enough to get dinner, get a table near the stage and stick around for the show. For bands whose start times are later, such as in restaurants and lounges like the Crave, patrons often hang around after dinner until the end of a band's set—often ordering accordingly.
""We usually have more of low key, jazz type of live music during the dinner hours up until, say, 10 or 11,"" Bishop said. ""People definitely seem to kind of stick around a bit longer; they drink after dinner or stick around for dessert.""
Most area restaurants seem to have acts in at around the same time of night, so that patrons can, according to Dario Tesmer, manager at the Great Dane, 123 E. Doty St., ""come in, eat and then go watch the music."" At the Dane, bands usually come in and start playing at around 10 p.m., and while there is generally an earlier crowd for Café Montmartre's Monday jazz nights from 8 to 10 p.m., their weekend shows generally start at approximately 9:30 p.m. and go to midnight.
There is a reason for these late start times, however.
""A lot of places don't want to deal with having to get permits for live music before a certain time of day, so it's usually only places that have late-night crowds—i.e. bars and clubs—that will have live music,"" said Nick Woods, a UW-Madison junior and guitarist for the Box Social.
While most Madison establishments may have analogous start times, their acts are anything but similar. While Café Montmartre features reggae or more upbeat hip-hop shows on Friday nights, it also plays host to blues, rock, jazz and singer/songwriters.
""On St. Patty's Day, [the Great Dane] had bagpipers in. We have big hip-hop shows ... everything,"" Tesmer said. ""In Madison, I think we have a pretty diverse music scene. I think that it's definitely good for business.""
No matter the venue, the time or the act, Madison seems to be getting into the groove of live music. Many restaurants and cafes are seeing more students and patrons come out for live performances than ever before.
""As a first year student at Madison, I found the wealth of restaurants, bars and coffee shops overwhelming,"" UW-Madison freshman Elizabeth Toussaint said. ""As a result I have kept my eyes open for ‘excuses' to choose one eatery over another. A live band is definitely an excuse.""
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