Mokah Music Summit aka M2S2 – A Wrap
Posted by Cindy on April 23rd, 2008
If you haven’t experienced a show at Mokah Live or Life in Deep Ellum, then you are truly missing out. Mokah is a coffee-bar in one room and a splendid, comfortable, inviting listening room in the adjoining room. Big comfy sofas, vintage tables & booths…it’s wonderful.
Just down the hallway, through the art gallery, there’s a monster of a room, fit with an excellent sound system, a light show extraordinare, a fog machine, and enough space to fit a gajillion fans.
The good folks at LiDE/M2S2 brought us an idea to host a regular music summit/showcase, in hopes of bringing together our music community (club owners, label reps, bands, artists, fans, media, etc.) to discuss and do something about boosting interest in the music and art community. Sunday, April 20th was a nice start.
The crowds weren’t nearly what we had hoped for, but that’s okay. The fans who did venture out were surprised and supportive and all walked away impressed with the venue…and of course….the performances.
The evening kicked-off with Dave Little introducing Flat People. ‘Twas my first time to hear the band live and I loved them just as much as I do on disc. From there on out, the LiDE stage saw a steady stream of our most talented talent, each and every band superb. *Flat People / Airline / Jayson Bales Band / Miles from Nowhere / Salim Nourallah & the Noise / The Slack / Smile Smile / Bridges & Blinking Lights* Dave Little, for the most part, did my job that day and had me in full guffaw throughout.
Mokah was home to acoustic acts and open mic’ers, including a fantastic newish band, Something in the Wheel, who you’ll be hearing more about here a li’l later.
Of course I was knee-deep in technical glitches. Stupid Ustream. I can’t find my good mic, so the sound kinda sucks. I lost the tape of the entire first part of the performances. You know. The usual.
However, all in all, it was a great event, and hopefully, there will be more to come. Check for Pete Freedman’s take in tomorrow’s Dallas Observer.
A few more performance videos coming soon….
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Flat People and Smile Smile, in particular, were brilliant. In my humble opinion.
As for Mokah / Life in Deep Ellum…best venue in Dallas. Sez me. It’s perfect for anything and everything (short of, like, arena shows). One of the first things Jeff Liles said to me when we walked in was something to the effect of it being a bitch to get decent sound in the big room, what with the concrete floors and solid brick walls all around. But that was honestly the best sounding show I’ve heard at ANY Dallas venue. No exaggeration.
Fun, fun day.
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I agree, Danny. Even though I’ve heard most of those bands live a million times, I still get blown away at the talent.
It was a great great day.
PS – Thanks for doing picture duty, without you, I got nuthin’.
April 24th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Thanks for being there and doing all this to publicize, publish, and support. I don’t think that can ever be said often enough!!!!