Hey Folks!
My name was dropped and my image captured in today's 55 Hours News Journal article by Ryan Cormier. It's a nice piece about revived original music venues in our little hamlet. My favorite line - he likened my Cromwell's gig to a "World Cafe Live Jr.". Not bad for little old Wilmington, Delaware. Here's the link...
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080516/ENTERTAINMENT/805160315
AND the Cromwell's part of the article...
Greenville's acoustic jams
In Greenville, Cromwell's Tavern has emerged as a World Cafe Live Jr. on Thursday nights, hosting the best singer/songwriters Delaware has to offer, bringing new blood into the cozy bar, mixing with the blue bloods.
The November day more than five years ago when the state's indoor smoking ban went into effect is pretty much the day the music died at Cromwell's Tavern.
The November day more than five years ago when the state's indoor smoking ban went into effect is pretty much the day the music died at Cromwell's Tavern.
The owner, Pat Nilon, watched as his nicotine-addicted regulars left and drove over the Pennsylvania border for barstools where they could smoke and drink at the same time.
"Our clientele isn't a bunch of 21-year-old kids who will stand outside in a hurricane to smoke and not have a second thought about it," Nilon says.
The 16-year-old Greenville bar stopped hosting live music after watching "the bottom fall out" of the tavern after the smoking ban became law.
A few months ago, Nilon approached nearby Greenville brewery Twin Lakes Brewing Co. to sponsor a music night at the Powder Mill Square bar.
"We wanted to create something in our geography so people didn't have to go into Wilmington for music," Nilon says. "We've been getting some traction since we started."
The music night focuses on acoustic singer/songwriters, including the likes of Sam Smick, Kurt Houff, Kalai King, Chris Bruni and Nik Everett, all of whom have performed a mix of original and cover sets since the music came back.
As the event has grown in popularity, more people from Wilmington and Newark have appeared at the bar, some of whom are musicians.
Just last week, King's set included unplanned guest turns by Phil Young of The Cocks and James Dukenfield of The Autumn Affair, both of whom just happened to be in the crowd that night.
"That's what we're trying to create," Nilon says. "It's a loose, friendly atmosphere."
Since the Wilmington area can seem like a ghost town most summer weekends, Nilon, 57, knows better than to compete with Delaware's beach resorts. A Thursday show with Project C.J. will be the final performance at Cromwell's for the season.
However, he says, the music will return on Labor Day.
As an added enticement, all food and drinks are now 25 percent off after 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It's Nilon's way to lure a bigger bar crowd, including people who might have some preconceived notions about the cost of drinking in Greenville.
"We are trying to break down that stereotype," he says. "Actually, that's something we've been battling ever since we opened."