Soundbar- Histroy in the Making

[lasvegas]

Five years later and here we stand. A small crew of dj’s which bonded together at a point when deep house music was lacking in the forefront of Las Vegas nightlife culture. The House Society crew, including Keith Evan, Carlos Sanchez, and B.Minogue, decided to take that step which no individual or group had successfully done before. This step was creating the first event solely dedicated to the sounds of deep house. The road had been paved from the old days of Utopia where dj’s like Mike Fuller and Frank Richards played those deep sounds of house music till early morning on the infamous patio. It was those days which enabled this Las Vegas pioneering crew to have success with their interpretation titled “Soundbar”.

The history behind this local favorite and now nationally recognized event has been a long and trying story but equally rewarding. Their success has not come easy. The first chapter begins with a brief meeting with House of Blues former musical director, Sean Christie {Now with the Light Group}. A meeting which gave the crew the opportunity they would need to begin their journey. After coming to an agreement with Christie, the date was set and it was in April of 2001 in the Crossroads section of the world renowned venue where Soundbar would be introduced to Las Vegas.

Soundbar began as a weekly event on Thursdays and continued to be so during its one year vacancy at the House of Blues. During that year, the crew involved established as well as up and coming deep house artists that resided in Las Vegas. In addition, point man Keith Evan used his past experience and relationships to bridge the gap for deep house dj’s from other cities to Las Vegas. He began to call upon old friends and acquaintances that were already established in their own cities as renowned dj’s.

The crew began reaching out by hosting record label parties within their genre. Labels and artist such as Seasons Recordings {Jamie Thinnes}, Viva Records {Jon Lemmon}, Wax Records {Lil’ Chris and Juan Nunez}, and Panhandle {Jonene} proved to be just the beginning of what Soundbar would have to offer. Then a blessing came their way and House of Blues decided to host the OM tour, packaged as a Soundbar event. The Line-Up included world famous dj Mark Farina along side Afro-Mystic, Soulstice, and House Society. The event was to be held in the main concert area of the venue and it too was a success. Eventually Sean Christie had left House of Blues and new management came in. Their attempt to fit in with the format already established resulted in failure and the House Society crew and House of Blues went separate ways.

The second chapter begins with two of the most influential promoters in Las Vegas. At the time the most popular after-hours was Glo at The Hop. This event was spearheaded by Gino Lopinto and Pauly Freedman. The tandem decided to take a chance on the crew by making a deal allowing House Society to throw Soundbar once a month, still on Thursday. The partnership agreed to step it up by providing a budget to book well known deep house artists. The events at Glo included Miguel Migs {Naked Music}, Garth {Wicked Crew, Greyhound Recordings}, Johnny Fiasco {Om Records}, Cade {Dynagroove}, and Jeno {Wicked Crew}. The events were a success but from a monetary standpoint it didn’t make sense for the partnership to last at this venue. This wouldn’t be the last time this partnership would work together .

The next chapter begins with the infamous Foster brothers, Jimmy and Brian. The two had just made a deal with Curve in the Aladdin and they offered the crew to do a one-off event with the dj of our choice. We decided to bring Los Angeles’ own godfather of house, Marques Wyatt {Deep-La}. The event proved once again to be a success. After nearly two years, the crew had finally seen the potential of Soundbar. From the success of the one-off, a group of individuals whom called themselves the three wise men offered to partner with the crew by funding the events in a weekly format once again. The crew agreed and made a deal that should have taken this event to the next level. The event was set at the Velvet Lounge inside the Venetian. After six weeks of packed house parties, the wise men and the crew came to differences in musical formatting and the relationship ended. This was a huge blow to the crew. The crew kept Soundbar out from under the nightlife stage for over a year after this episode.

After remaining silent for some time, the crew decided it was time to spread its wings once again. The opportunity came from a relationship built by Sanchez with the Plush lounge at the Marriot in Summerlin. The crew made a deal that would allow them to bring in their choice of talent once a month. The only challenge was to convince their following to drive to Summerlin to support them. They kicked off their first event with returning artist Marques Wyatt {Deep-La}. The show was a huge success and seemed to guarantee them a home for the time being. After the first event they followed with Garth {Wicked Crew}, Halo {Large Recordings}, and Dizzy {DoubleDown Recordings}. But once again after a sub-par turn out for Dizzy, the venue got cold feet and Soundbar again was homeless.

Still, the crew remained confident in the direction they were going and took great pride with the accomplishments they had achieved. It was their passion and will to not give up that had gotten them this far and there was no time to let down. Within days the crew had received a phone call from former partner Gino Lopinto and Pauly Freedman {Vegas Alliance tandem}. They arranged a meeting to discuss the future of Soundbar and how the two parties could help take the event to the next level by holding it at their current nightclub spot, the Voodoo Lounge inside the Rio Hotel. At this time the summer of 2005 was just coming to a close and the crew along with Vegas Alliance decided to parlay the next Soundbar as a birthday celebration event for House Society resident Keith Evan and package it with a program that would include Marques Wyatt and Miguel Migs. Needless to say, the event topped all expectations and the Voodoo Lounge witnessed its most successful night.

Now here we stand, ready to continue our mission of stacking cultural bricks through house music in the Las Vegas nightlife arena. The time has come for all to share with us the house we are building here in Las Vegas. We offer community for those who search for it and soul music for those who find it. This is the culture we know and love and extend the invitation for anyone who is willing to take a chance and be a part of it. On Thursday February 16th we will be hosting the next Soundbar at the Voodoo Lounge inside the Rio Hotel along side partners Vegas Alliance to bring you World famous DJ Sneak, Wally Callerio, and the House Society crew. This is an event not to be missed. This night will be historic in a way that will keep you talking about it for a long time to come. Stay tuned for our five year anniversary in April!!!!!

[mrvip]

Of all the nightclub events that have come about in Las Vegas, Soundbar has always been one of my favorites. When I was brought into the club scene by Lucid Entertainment (Brian and Jimmy Foster), I was lucky enough to get introduced to a number of venues and events. Some of those events and venues have become relics of the past, such as S.I.N. night at House of Blues, Baby's at the Hard Rock, and the late Club Utopia. Some, like Studio 54 have lived on, and others, such as Soundbar, have been reincarnated. When I was new to the club scene as a promoter, every night was exciting because we would club-hop every night to promote for Utopia. The best night of the week for me was Thursday. We would normally start at Baby's, and end our night at Soundbar. Another part that made the Soundbar experience so much better for me was that it brought out all of the dancers and the true clubgoers in the scene. It was truly a place to relax listen to the music.