When we do pay/have paid bands in the past, we absorb the cost and offer the show for free to those who show up. Sometimes a band will draw a crowd and we'll make the money back in drink sales, but more often than not, people will come in, get drinks and take them outside without offering much attention to the band. We've considered charging a small cover to make people feel like they have a vested interest in the music, but we're not in the business of coercion, so we dropped that notion.

With that said, we don't regularly pay bands unless they are a band we've asked to play. 

We are not opposed to a pass-the-hat scenario, but with the jazz every wednesday and squeeze*bot starting up again this sunday through the summer, we aren't left with that much to prudently put into booking bands. 

Also, because we do remain pretty busy, we feel bands may get exposure that they might not at other places. If a band sounds good to the ears of the people who happen to be at the bar that night, cds and tshirts will likely get sold. 

Please process this information and let us know if you'd like to set up a show. Sorry to be so rigid, but ultimately, the Nachbar is a bar and not a venue. Thanks. jamesandheather

ps: If you've never been to the Nachbar, it's in the middle of a neighborhood. It's really no place for really loud bands to play. If it's hard for your band to get your sound right without being on the verge of blowing up some speakers/eardrums, please ask us for alternate places to play; there are plenty of venues around town, a few within walking distance...