And the beat goes on

The Manhattan Music Coalition keeps the tunes live in Aggieville

Written by Jacob Fisher
Photography by Laura Hansen

If you stand in the heart of Aggieville on a Friday night and close your eyes, you’ll likely hear an interesting mix of sounds.

The rolling murmur of voices and car exhaust is pierced by the outcry of the occasional car horn. The steady thump, thump of the latest hip-hop song emanates from the Tubby’s dance floor. Steve Perry from Journey wails from the back porch of Rusty’s.

But if you listen closer, you can hear chorus lines you don’t recognize. Overdriven guitars and double bass drum petals pound the walls of PJ’s. The twang of banjos and mandolins crawls up from the basement of Auntie Mae’s. The acoustic singer-songwriter of the evening weaves a melody through the front windows of Pat’s. If all of these sounds were the different sections of an orchestra, some might claim the Manhattan Music Coalition is its conductor.

The Manhattan Music Coalition, or MMC, began back in 2004 with a few musicians, venue owners and supporters wanting to make it easier and profitable for those involved in live local music. The unofficial officers of the MMC-the Little Apple Core, as they call themselves-are a collection of musicians, store and venue owners, and others. Core members are Dave Spiker, Shawn Leeth, Dot Tucker, sisters Leah and Sarah Sue Cunnick, Evan Tuttle, Jamie Tucker and Clint McAllister, the most recent addition.

Sarah Sue and Leah Cunnick own Sisters of Sound, a small store selling a variety of CDs and vinyl, including music by local bands.

“I remember in 1989 when there were five local bands in Manhattan,” says Sarah Sue Cunnick. “Now there are more than 40.” In addition to an increase in the number of musical acts, there are more venues that frequently feature local music. The Kathouse Lounge, Auntie Mae’s Parlor, O’Malley’s Alley, PJ’s Pub, The Dusty Bookshelf, Pat’s Blue Rib’n Barbeque and Longhorn’s Saloon all feature local or regional music on a regular basis.

“We want to show people how profitable and important a live scene can be, and people are looking for it now,” says Cunnick of the MMC and its partners.

Eventful

For two years Aggiefest has delighted students and local band connoisseurs with two days of music featuring more than 100 bands in more than 10 Aggieville venues. The Konza Music Festival, also hosted by the MMC, was a success in 2007 with even more participants. A portion of the festival proceeds went to further research for the Friends of Konza Prairie.

“A festival provides a way for all different types of bands to come together under one big promotion. It also opens up doors to many venue owners who may not be as interested in having live music or a certain type of music genre, or may not be interested in doing all the promotion that goes with having live music,” says Cunnick. “With a festival like this [businesses] see that their patrons are really getting into the music and then are more likely to have that music again in the future.”

Working for others

The MMC has set goals for its success beyond festivals. “We want to make live music the thing to do in Manhattan,” says Spiker, a local musician. “But we also want to be a go-to organizational resource center for bands.” The Little Apple Core wants the MMC to be able to help out-of-town bands book a show in Aggieville or help Manhattan bands set up shows on the road. In addition, it wants to reach out and be a resource beyond the realm of just musicians.

“Say you wanted to book a band for a wedding. It’s not like you can just flip open a phone book and look one up. We want to be that resource for people,” says Tucker, owner of PJ’s Pub.

Manhattan Music Coalition
www.myspace.com/mmclive

Venues for live music:
The Kathouse Lounge, 1111 Moro St.
Auntie Mae’s Parlor, 616 N. 12th St.
O’Malley’s Alley, 1210 Moro St.
PJ’s Pub, 1129 Laramie St.
The Dusty Bookshelf, 700 N Manhattan Ave
Pat’s Blue Rib’n Barbeque, 1200 Moro St.
Longhorns Saloon, 1115 Moro St.