Hey this is Scottie (former vocalist of 4Fifteen),
I have scaled back to doing acoustic stuff with Mark and we go by the name (S & M), check us out around town!!! (SHAMELESS PLUG)
Anywho, I was invited out last night to check out the new bar we are all anxiously waiting to open, called RETOX. They have had some delays in opening which have gotten some bands bumped, but Dave @ RETOX is handling this all like the professional he is, and re-booking all of us and taking very good care of us. Why can't there be more Dave's out there? So I dropped in to check it out on the eve of it's opening, and immediately upon entering, I'm thinking HOLY SH!T this is NOT the old Iguana Bay... Seriously folks, they gutted this place and started from scratch and man does it show. RETOX is nothing short of amazing. Let me paint a picture for you... Upon entering, look to your right and see three large Vegas-Style air cushioned high backed booths. Dave actually got these in Vegas, nice.... They are going to be elevated bigtime, with steps up to them. You can sit there and see everything that's going on. Smaller tables up front, taller tables in back, and the booths even higher in the back. All so we the people can see the stage, which can support all your gear and the whole band more than comfortably, and for those nights when the Spurs are playing, the drop down projection TV (Freakin' HUGE by the way) takes up the whole stage, and they've got it all in HD, complete with the NFL Package and HD Plasma's all over the place. This just might be the best place in town to catch a game, no joke. I felt like I was actually part of the Cleveland/Utah game last night, and the sound was perfect. As far as gigs go, you can plug and play which I know many of us love to take a break from the heavy load in. The stage is fully carpeted and raised about 2 feet up, 3 feet on each side over the subs. They raised the ceiling, and this place really just looks TONS bigger than it used to. Lighting is LCD, under the bar and pulses with the music, changing colors. I got a good look at the band schedule up on the back wall of the club, and Dave's gone out of his way to make sure we are all well entertained at RETOX. The schedule was for the full month, and I saw names like Burndown, Drive, Chris Lopez (full band and Acoustic), Johnny Drama, Brent and Dave, Radio Junkies, and many, many more. While I was there Nathan from PapaWood showed up to talk turkey as well. There's a patio area out back, that they've cleaned up and are going to be BBQ'ing on the weekends for the games. I saw the drink specials on the Band schedule as well, and let's just say for those of us on a budget, this is gonna be a great place to hang out.
AND NOTE: They are finally OPEN tonight, and MINUS ZERO is gonna be poppin' the cherry!!!!
Bottom line, I was blown away, and am just grateful for the opportunity to jam there. Thanks for the invite Dave, and good luck to RETOX!!!
We'll see you out there tonight.
~Scottie from S & M