The Savannah Lounge Open Stage

Going into the Savannah Room was a strange experience, because Savannah Room used to be Oasis, and I used to host an open stage there. I went with Signe, one of the other former hosts.

I approve of the changes the new owner, Gloria, is making. Gloria herself is a performer, she seems to be giving a lot more attention to the back room, where music happens, than the former management. She has plans to improve the stage, for example.

The host, Kate, was funny and self-deprecating. Her own musical style is folk & country.

They certainly have the right equipment, including DIs and a keyboard. I thought I heard they also had an amp, but I didn't see one. The room is nice and big, suitable for full-band performances.

I'm not sure what sound is usually like. The sound board is in the back, so it's easy to adjust the sound [1] . They had a guy who set up sound there, but he left as the music got underway, and Kate wasn't very comfortable with the board. So I did a bit of sound, especially while Kate was on stage.

So they've got the right framework for an open stage, but they're missing one key thing: people. There were 4 performers, not counting the host and owner. At one point, 10 or so people who were celebrating something came in, it was pretty clear they weren't regulars.

On the plus side, I did 7 songs. The downside was that not a lot of people heard them. It's a catch-22, because popularity breeds popularity. I wish them luck with that, because I like their approach, and I'd like to see them succeed.

Reasons to go:

• Decent venue and atmosphere
• You don't want to play for a big crowd
• You want to play a lot of songs
• You like cheap pints

Reasons to stay away:

• Not enough people there

Would I go again? No. Not until there are more people.

Location	College and Spadina
Start time	9:00 p.m.
Number of songs	Varies
Pint cost	about $4.25
Hosting	Sardonic
Crowd	about 15 people, mostly walk-in
Atmosphere	relaxed, friendly
Sound	?
Noise level	Decent volumes allowed
Extras	Keyboard

[1]	When the sound board is right next to the stage, you can't adjust it and instantly know how it has changed, because the sound behind and next to the speakers won't match what everyone else hears.