Interview with

Bobby Soul, Talent Buyer at The Continental Room

The Continental Room, est. 1925, is the oldest drinking establishment in downtown Fullerton. Originally a speakeasy, its martinis and cocktails still have a hot reputation. Now with live music as its main focus, the 160-capacity Continental Room has become a favorite venue for locals and independent musicians passing through, carving out its own distinct place in the Orange County music scene and catering to artists that the average rock club does not

Q: How did you get involved booking at The Continental Room?

A: I started DJing as a resident at Continental Room in 2003, promoting a night showcasing variations of soul, funk, Latin and world music, which we called ‘Behind the Red Curtain’ (a play on words referring to OC’s nickname ‘The Orange Curtain’ and the Continental Room’s red velvet curtain that hides our stage). We had many special guests, bands and A-list DJs, including Cut Chemist, Peanut Butter Wolf, DJ Nu-Mark, Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed, B-Side Players, Aloe Blacc and many other great SoCal artists. In September of 2006, Sean Francis, owner of The Continental Room, Slide Bar Cafe and Sky Lounge, was looking to change things up and offered to bring me on as the full-time talent buyer to handle the music side of things and market the Continental Room to a different demographic. Best decision of my life!

Q: What do you look for in the bands you book?

A: Southern California is rich with many genre-based scenes. I try to tap into unique, vintage-sounding raw funk/soul bands, full horn sections, rocksteady ska combos, post-punk/indie bands, rockabilly/jump blues groups, Latin jazz and Brazilian world music. I’m interested in something I’ve never heard before or anything bridging gaps from one genre to the next.

Q: What is the best way for a band to contact you for gigs?

A: They can hit us up on MySpace, email or send a CD to The Continental at 115 Santa Fe Avenue, Fullerton, CA 92832 at least one and a half months in advance.

Q: What do you think makes the venue unique?

A: Music is a top priority in this establishment. Not the case with most bars that usually leave the last of their budgets for music. Most venues don’t realize that the music you book can influence, set a standard and bring people together who would normally not be in the same place. Our bar manager Brian Brotherstrom said it best, ‘The U.N. could learn a few things from our crowd here at the Continental.’

Q: Fun fact about the venue?

A: The Continental Room is haunted by Mexican ghosts!

www.myspace.com/thecontinentalroom

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Steve Juliano and guitarists Gabriel Irahete and Timoteo Rosales enlisting the help of bassist Ron Ficarro and drummer Justin McCarthy earlier this year.

www.iamghostmusic.com

The Bolts recently released their debut full-length album, Like a Fantasy. Started less than a year ago by brothers Addam (bass, vocals), Heath (guitar, vocals) and Austin Farmer (keys, vocals), and rounded out by Ryan Kitpatrick (guitar, keys, vocals) and Matt Champagne (drums), the Orange County quintet has been gaining a lot of ground. In addition to landing a spot at the Bamboozle Left festival earlier this year, several singles from The Bolts’ debut, such as “Our Love Can Change the World,” have already won the band radio play on numerous stations throughout both the U.S. and U.K.

www.myspace.com/

theboltsmusic

New Huntington Beach indie label Follow Your Plan recently released the debut album from The Victors. Titled Days to Come, the disc features 12 tracks recorded at Hughes Drive Productions in Huntington Beach and mastered at Lurssen Mastering in L.A.

www.followyourplan.com