imusi On The Road

WELCOME to imusi

Hello!

Welcome to imusi, serving Artists, Venues and Audiences to connect quality live music with communities that want them and the venues that pay. For over six years imusi staff has traveled the country, meeting with venues and talking with locals to discover what people want most.

We hope imusi will make your life easier and more enjoyable when you are on the road! We are traveling the country exploring live music venues, compiling a master database, and then sharing some of our thoughts with you! For each post we try to provide a feel for the city or town from a performer's perspective. We also try to share some local knowledge, such as where to eat after a performance when most places have closed....

Scroll down to see the play-by-play in reverse chronological order. Or choose a category on the left to see posts about a particular state.

Amazing, Amusing... imusi.

imusi Staff

Not Louisiana, Paris France, New York or Rome...

Wipe away any visions you may have of Gary, Indiana when you think of Indianapolis! This Capitol City has a large, lively and historic downtown.


In addition to the 500 and the annual race bike convention, Indianapolis is also home to one of the most sophisticated cabaret rooms in the Midwest. The Connoisseur Room is an elegant 100 seat venue with table service and fine wine.





Vogue is also an LGBT oriented club featuring live entertainment seven days per week.

Young at Heart

Ann Arbor is a hip college town with a pulse and the live music venues in the area reflect that vibe. The Ark is perhaps one of the most popular places for the 20's and 30's set programming emerging songwriters, cutting edge acts and Headliners.


Michigan Theater is not far away and also offers live music.


Visitors and locals rub elbows on a busy Main Street which is also home to locally owned shops, and almost every type of cuisine you desire. Check back soon for Indianapolis!

Hot Time - Summer in Motor City!

Detroit has an energy that has neither small town nosiness or big city attitude. Live and let live vibes made us feel as if we were among friends. Venues here skew toward rock and punk, however, jazz still thrives at more intimate venues such as Dirty Dog Cafe.





A favorite music venue and showplace for locals is the fabulous Fox Theater located on Woodward Avenue which is where most of the concert venues can be found in Motor City. Another venue of note is City Theater, a smaller and respected destination for live music, theater and more!


Finally, The Majestic Theater is undergoing renovation and will likely reopen with concert events in 2010.


For those late night post-show dinner types check out Finn and Porter on Lafayette Ave. Next up... Ann Arbor will be our last stop in Michigan before we head to Indiana.

Mustang Sally

When playing the Midwest, one should note The Whiting in Flint, Michigan as an ideal venue between cities like Detroit, Chicago or even Toledo. This venue has both a 400 seat space and a state of the art theater seating approximately 2,000 patrons.


The outside of the theatre will remind you of the original Lincoln Center in New York and inside is an oasis of red and gold.


The lobby of the main theater has both indoor and outdoor reception areas which are most inviting.

How Green Is My Valley

Palos Hills is a Southwest suburb of Chicago boasting a 580 seat theater on the campus of Moraine Valley College named The Dorothy Menker Theater.


The backstage space is generous with a large green room, chorus dressing rooms and the venue is complete with a plush star dressing room and private bath.


The lobby area just outside the theater where the box office is located, features high beam ceilings and lots of windows to allow sunlight to fill the foyer by day and starlight after dark.


Check back every day this week for updates on our tour of Michigan and Indiana. See previous blog posts for prior tour destinatons.

You Can Always Go Downtown

Saugatuck and Douglas, MI serve as a resort destination for almost every walk of life. These adorable neighboring towns are filled with live entertainment and culture.


Saugatuck and Douglas are separated by Lake Kalamazoo. These two towns are chuck full of live entertainment venues like Mason Street Wharehouse, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, Red Barn Playhouse and so much more!


The Dunes Cabaret Room seating roughly 90 patrons, is infamous for cabaret and comedy in peak season. These two towns also offer many unique dining experiences many of which serve those like showbiz folks who enjoy late night fare.


Phil's is one of many classic haunts with friendly service an extensive menu (try their broasted wings!). If you are ambitious enough they may even put you on the marquee!


Downtown areas in Saugatuck and Douglas are sure to charm the most cultured travelers. Pumpernickel's made me think of The Garrett's. (Wonder who the Garrett's are? Post a comment and let us know.)

Bright Light City

Live music and nightlife is alive and well off the Las Vegas strip!


Next time you visit Sin City be sure to pay a visit to The Liberace Museum and it's new show room seating roughly 100 patrons primarily comprised of local social elite, celebrities along with some serious movers and shakers.


In addition to the exciting late night programming, those who visit the pristine museum on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday at 1:30pm will also enjoy a show LIBERACE & ME performed by a supremely talented musician and deeply passionate performer, Philip Fortenberry. Philip is sure to inspire even the most discriminating visitors.


The show room boasts one of the original mirrored and rhinestone decorated 9 foot grands played by Liberace himself.

Don't Stop Believin'

Yesterday we visited the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, MI. An amazing space with just under 300 seat capacity.

The Acorn Theater features the piano from the famed Judy's nightclub in NYC, a gigantic working pipe organ, and offers patrons a full bar, and a gourmet beer and wine shop. If you are lucky enough to play this venue, we dare say that they spoil their performers with three chic guest rooms attached to the theater, making this an affordable place to tour when playing the Midwest region.

Check out these photos:

Coming soon: Southern Nevada and Michigan

Twitter: @imusi

Slight Modification

You may have noticed that many of the venues from Wisconsin had many more than 500 seats. This is because we have discovered something pretty amazing. Artists who think they can fill only a few hundred seats are being asked to perform in spaces with well over 1,000. The talent buyers at these venues obviously know their local markets well enough to trust a good hook when they see one. They know what sells.

As a result we have changed our mission! We are now visiting venues that hold any number of seats under 2,500.

Also, stay tuned for "The Venues that Pamper Artists Most."