The Raging River Club & Cafe in Fall City, Issaquah - Weekend Musician
A great club, in a small package Article written by Arny Bailey Back to Cover
What defines a “cool venue?” ___
Size? Sound system? Pay? Location? Well, all these would certainly be factors in the determination, but The Raging River Club & Café in little old Fall City, Washington would buck this rating system.
If size matters, this place is not for you. It’s small and the layout is an awkward “L” shape. No, come to think of it, it’s more of a “U”. If having a house sound system is important, keep moving. This is a purely a BYO-PA location. If you’re looking for money, the double R charges a $5 cover and crowd can generate from $350 to $850 per night depending on your fan base and how full the moon is. As for location, it’s in Fall City, WA which is on the way to the sprawling metropolises of Carnation, Snoqualmie and Duvall. Need I say more? Other than those things, the stage is small and supported by milk crates (can you say, bouncy?) and the power is dirty and lacking!
When I first visited The “Rage” (as ____
some of the more frequent acts refer to it), it was hoppin. I thought I was there on some special night or the band just had a great following. Now that I’ve been playing there regularly for several years, I can see a lot more to this little club than all its short-comings. They have a great regular crowd who hit the dance floor from the first song and don’t stop until 1:00 AM when the band bows out. The owner and staff are extremely friendly and accommodating, treat the talent incredible and they understand their role in marketing the club and the acts. The fare, well, more on that later.
Owner and proprietors Lyle and Kia and can be seen there pretty much each night. Former partners, Bo and Nina Cambern, who were previously responsible for booking, recently moved to another venue but much of the clubs entertainment success can be attributed to their endeavors to get the best bands AND treat them well. _can be found behind the bar most evenings and is now responsible for booking acts. Because of the great and supportive ____ __
staff and the fun atmosphere that seems to be there each weekend, the Rage is considered a musician favorite in spite of all the little idiosyncrasies that must be worked around.
They have live music every Friday and Saturday night for which they bring in some of the best and most dependable acts around. The regular performers are on an 8 to 12 week rotation with a few other bands and new acts filling in here and there. Some of the regulars include ABOUT FACE, Becki Sue and Her Big Rockin Daddies, The Machine, Hi-Watt, The Rockafellers, No Rules, the Tommy Wall Band, Bad Alibi, DysFUNKsion, Miles from Chicago, The Velcrows, GrooveHouse, Panama, The Randy Oxford Band, Free Rain, Ricky Venture Revue, Shelly and the Curves, In the House, Shadrack, Wired, Knee Deep, Big Dog Revue, and others. Sunday evenings, Tommy Wall hosts an open Jam so bring your axe, keyboard, harp, sticks or even spoons, sign in, sit down and enjoy some of the best food/drinks around.
The fare is to die for. It’s definitely a __
lost leader item at about half of what you’d pay elsewhere. The pizza is great and I suggest the Garlic Chicken. My favorite menu item is the Prime Rib which comes with a baked potato, trimmings, a veggie and a salad. They keep the kitchen open most of the night unlike most clubs that close before the music even starts so if you’re not a big drinker, there’s always some munchies available.
Outdoor fun at The Rage.
The stage is small but open front and one side (toward the bar). There’re only two outlets (4 plugs) on stage and the overall venue is famous for hum so bring some ground isolators and power strips. You can run a snake to the bar side of the stage by going up over the cabinets but it’s a lot
easier to run it along the exterior wall and mix there. In truth, the club is small enough to mix on stage and get away with it but it’s already pretty crowded up there. I’m packed with 5 musicians and I don’t know how The Rockafellers do it with 6.
There are stage lights for the band so don’t worry about bringing your own (there’s no room anyway). That said, the ceiling is low and this puts the lights RIGHT in your eyes when on stage. If you’re sensitive to this, sunglasses are a must especially if you’re up front. The dance floor is small and typically packed. Setting your monitors off stage further restricts this but it’s necessary due to the size of the stage. You can ask the house if they have any milk crates (in addition to those supporting the stage that is) and set your monitors on those.
If you play there, you are expected to print and drop off color posters (6-12) and black and white flyers (200 or so) 2-3 weeks before the performance. The staff will hang them for you and ___
Playing pool at the Raging River tape the smaller black and white flyers to take-out orders. Cost to do this is paid for by 2-3 more people coming as a result of the promotion so it’s definitely worth it.
Parking is right in front, across the street (river side) or down one of the adjacent side streets. It’s a small street front club and most of the adjacent businesses are closed by ___
the time things get poppin so even when it’s packed, parking is available just further down the street. Pay attention to the speed limits though as 30 MPH means 30 MPH and “the” Fall City cop means it. Just ask Tommy Wall who got a ticket for going 35 MPH!!.
If you get the opportunity to play there, in addition to the $5 cover, RR cooks up two large pizza’s of your choice for the band and crew and all the soft drinks needed to wash them down following your performance. Again, I recommend the Garlic Chicken….did I say that already?
In spite of all the little annoyances of size, power, stage and so on, the Raging River Club & Café is a musician favorite due to their excellent treatment of the talent, marketing and the best crowd around! Check the web site for the schedule and go see one of your favorite bands…or heck, go see a new one!
Raging River Cafe and Club
33723 Redmond-Fall City Rd. (Hwy 202)
Fall City, Washington
425.222.6669
www.ragingrivercafeclub.com
Arny Bailey
MEET THE WRITER - ARNY BAILEY
President of In Form, Inc. Media Design and Chief Editor of Weekend Musician is a licensed architect practicing in the Pacific Northwest and weekend musician currently fronting ABOUT FACE, a classic rock cover band and The Grand Delusion a Tribute to the music of Styx and Journey..
