Plush Thursdays with Big A & COR | Plush Lounge | 1104 W Madison, Chicago

So it’s been a week since the debocle at Plush Lounge on Madison, and my interaction with the management there, and the promoter Andrew Zeidan and Chicago’s Own Royalty.  I’ve had a week to think about it, and personally, I still think it was a complete fuck up.

I came to know Andrew through a Craiglist ad he posted looking for promoters for a Thursday night he was promoting at Filthy Libertine on Clybourn.  I answered the ad in person and was greeted by an entire room of people trying to break into the nightclub promotions gig.  Apparently MTV has glamorized this particular professsion.  I have dealt with plenty of sketchy club owners and promoters over the years, and trust me, this is not a job that is glamourous.

Eventually the time came for me to sit down with Andrew and talk business, apparently he liked what I had to say because he called me back the next week and wanted to get me in for a Thursday night at Filthy.  Usually with new club & bar clients I give the first night away as an “audition” to see if the promoter and club owner like my style, and to see if I mesh well with the crowd, and also for me to see if it’s going to be a workable relationship.

So everything was set for Thursday July 30, 2009 at Filthy Libertine.  I had done some flyer work for Andrew to help with the promotions, and had also promoted the event myself on my website, facebook, twitter & among my friends socially.  I get a call the night before the event from Andrew telling me it’s been cancelled and that he was no longer doing any events at Filthy.  He would be looking for a new Thursday night venue, but in the meantime I could switch my audition to his Saturday Night at SkyBar Chicago on Lincoln.  I agreed and we set the date for August 1, 2009.

When Friday rolled around and I was getting ready for the gig at SkyBar Chicago.  I had drawn up new flyers and had done the same social promoting for the event as I had did with Filthy, and again I got the same phone call from Andrew telling me the event was cancelled because the owner at SkyBar didn’t want to do business with him anymore.

Along came a place called “Plush”.  Andrew called me about a week after the SkyBar incident and offered me up a Thursday night at Plush.  Eager to play near downtown I took the offer, but this time I was a bit more skeptical.  I didn’t do any flyer work, and didn’t promote as hard because, well frankly, I’m doing this gig as an “audition” too.  I went to Plush on Thursday August 6th to check everything out and to look at the space inside the DJ Booth.  The place was small, a 4 speaker soundsystem with LCD TV’s littering the walls, when I walked in there were music videos playing from a Laptop in the DJ Booth.

I waited for about 45 minutes until Andrew showed up at about 10:45.  I also met with the owner, which I can’t remember his name.  Maybe it was Brian, or Bret, or Bart, or something, fuck it, who cares.  The important factors was that this guy comes off as cocky.  Just because you own a bar doesn’t put you on top of the world.  This guy just exuded “douchiness” that completely personified the pretentous atmosphere of the club.  I’m sorry, I’m not trendy, or fashionable, or hip.  I take my job seriously and I know my music and know how to move a crowd, but even I felt out of place.  You could cut the awkwardness with a knife.  By the way, if anybody knows, does Plush pay the bartender extra to wear that push-up bra, they were almost touching her chin. I know sex sells, but get a grip.

I told Andrew and the club owner that I use 2 turntables and 2 laptops with my setup, for FinalScratch and Abelton Live.  Thankfully the CDJ’s had a long enough cord on them so I could move them down to another shelf to make room for my turntables.  I left, and I thought everybody was on the same page.

When I showed up on the 13th the club owner was sitting on the patio chowing down on a bowl of chicken wings.  I unloaded my turntables and record bag from the car and brought them inside.  Not a peep from Mr. Chicken Wing, no Hi, Hello, How are you, Thanks for showing up early…nothing.  So I start to hook up my gear, and like a bonehead I realize I left the power cords to my turntables at home, so I race home to get them, then get back just in time to have everything ready to go for 10:15.  Then Mr. Chicken Wing approaches me and says, “Dont unhook anything!”.  This baffles me.  Really?  I told him that I would have to unhook the CDJ’s because the other inputs on his mixer are taken by a laptop and the hurcules DJ Controller that was in the booth.  Would you really tell a DJ thats performing at your club for FREE, that he can’t use his own equipment?  Let alone tell him minutes before the performance when you met with him a week before?

DJ Danny V was the other DJ booked for the night.  We I told him I was leaving he commented by saying, “You have to stay with the times, spin CD’s”.  So because i dont use CDJ’s, my finalscratch (or Serato for that matter) & Abelton Live setup is behind the times?  Thats like telling a chef to work without his knives.  By the way Danny, I’ve been DJ’ing almost as long as you’ve been alive.

So for the third time, I’ve been bilked by Big Andrew Zeidan and Chicago’s Own Royalty. Apparently the professionalism exuded by his team and the club owner at Plush has been over the top {/end sarcasm}. So for the owner of Plush I offer a big FUCK YOU.  When a DJ plays at your club for free, accomodate him or her.  Andrew, next time you string a DJ along for 3 failed attempts because you can’t hold down a club, dont expect him or her to be happy.  Next time you call me you should have a check with my name on it.