The 321 Local’s 1 Year Anniversary
Central Florida’s Home for Original Music sets the Stage for a Revolution
In the year it’s been open, The 321 Local has hosted acts ranging from the recently formed to tried and true globe trotting indie road dog type bands. The music has ranged from one man bands, Joe Buck and Ben Prestage, to vicious punk and rockabilly acts like the Koffin Kats; over the top nu-metal, the jazz explorations of Lighthouse Music to the unstoppableLos Angelesdance machine better known as Eyes Lips Eyes. There have been lots of bands in between that defy easy categorization, but this didn’t mean they were left high and dry.
Kevin Owens and his Girlfriend Heather Clark have helped cultivate an environment where original music is the order of the day. There’s the once a month FAML art shows, (more on this later), open to any artist who can sign up soon enough. A lot of people aspire to be this generous with their venues space and time, but precious few have done it. As a result of this sort of open armed fostering of music and arts, there is a regular crowd present at The 321 regardless of who might be on stage.
Kevin Owens sits down and shares his thoughts on the past year.
M. Alberto Rivera: Coming up on the 1 year anniversary of The 321 Local, what have been your 3 favorite memories from the past year?
Kevin Owens: Opening night, Jake’s birthday, and the August 1st Art show
MAR: You’ve had bands & artists of every type of music from across theUSand as far away asAustraliaperform at the club. What‘s the difference between a good live act and a great live act?
KO: Passion, you can feel it when the person or people on stage really love their music and love sharing their magic with the crowd. There is no mathematical equation for it but you can feel it.
MAR: 1 year ago you discussed the importance of having a place for new artists to develop and hone their sound. Which local artists have you seen really develop and flourish over the course of the last year?
KO: there are just Too many to single out a few. I have seen so many musicians develop into amazing artists in the past year. The primary mission of the venue is working! I have seen several bands play their first shows at 321, then grow and develop to where they are respected musicians inCentral Florida. The plan is working. Our Original Music Revolution is picking up steam and we are making a difference!
MAR: The club has developed a reputation as an important venue to play when on tour. What would you attribute that to?
KO: We have been blessed to have so many great touring bands play The 321 LOCAL. We give touring bands a great place to play to crowds of people who actively support music. We also make sure our hospitality is second to none. Many a band from Koffin Kats to Bright Light Social Hour have crashed back at the house with us. We like to party and make sure our touring bands are having a great night!
MAR: What were some of your favorite shows from the last year?
KO: Several of the Rex Goliath nights come to mind, Eye Empire especially because our LOCALs killed it that night, All the art shows, The Abra Cadabra/ 321 LOCAL Battleof the Bands qualifying rounds have been great. The finalBattlefor the House of Blues gig will be October 21st. It’s gonna be one of our best All LOCAL shows yet. So many great shows it’s hard to mention them all without writing a book
MAR: If you could go back to opening night what would you tell yourself?
KO: Stick to your guns, Follow your own plan. Obviously, over the last year there have been plenty of people with opinions and self serving agendas on how to run 321. I was leaned on pretty hard to do some things that I disagreed with and in hind sight, my instincts were right. I feel like I let others shape The 321 LOCAL’s image too much. Fact is, everybody thinks they know all the answers. I have been told a million ridiculous things on how I should run my venue. Funny, I’ve never been given any advice from someone who actually runs a successful venue. All the venue owners I talk to say 321 is doing great. I agree with them.
MAR: What are you looking forward with the coming year?
KO: I am excited about doing more renovations to the room to make better shows, continuously upgrading the PA so we can deliver the best sound possible, TOURING BANDS, and most importantly I look forward to helping our local bands grow and make names for themselves. Mark my words, in 3 years The 321 LOCAL will be the center of an Original Music Revolution in centralFlorida… We are working persistently to build a music scene second to none. Nothing short of that will do.