Steve is a Pismo Beach resident, a singer-songwriter whose music is posted at Steve Key.com. He is also host of Songwriters At Play, held at several Central Coast venues.
Bob & Wendy
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SLO Music Venue Takes Out Chinese Cafe
by Steve Key
August 8 is the scheduled opening for the newest Free Live Music venue in downtown SLO. The former Golden China Buffet at 685 Higuera Street will be the location of "Kreuzberg, CA." The venue (properly pronounced KROITS-burg, although most patrons persist in saying "CROOZ-burg") takes its name from a neighborhood in Berlin, Germany — "the creative and cultural heart of the city," according to Kreuzberg CA owner James Whitaker.
Last November, Kreuzberg opened in the former Muzio's Grocery space on Monterey Street, becoming the new hip coffeehouse for the college crowd. Weekend music bookings were often the younger indie-acoustic acts usually seen at Linnaea's Cafe and SLO Brew. In May, I moved my weekly showcase, Songwriters At Play, into Kreuzberg, and will continue our Tuesday shows in the new location.
It will be more than a change of address for the venue, currently known as "Kreuzberg CA: Book Bar and Coffee Lounge." There will be books in the new locale, but now beer and wine will be added to the menu. Will Kreuzberg become the new Frog & Peach? Whitaker says no — he wants the venue to maintain its mellow vibe. After all, the Frog doesn't serve vegan soups.
My showcases have been presented in a busy Mexican restaurant, a roadhouse bar, a microbrew beer hall, an art gallery, and a beach-side sun porch filled with barflies and mosquitoes. For more than two years, our Thursday home has been the Porch Café in Santa Margarita — a cozy small-town storefront, two adjoining rooms with music presented in a former real estate office. Since January, we've also done weekly Sunday afternoons in the barrel room of Sculpterra Winery in Paso Robles, where the barrels are kept cool, and so are the audiences, which can be nice on those 100-plus degrees dog days.
Our showcase regulars are happy to find comfy couches at Kreuzberg. Large furniture means fewer seats, so we've had some folks standing in the aisles to hear the music. No mosquitoes, though.
Philip Gibbs
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The first Songwriters At Play in the new Kreuzberg is set for Tuesday, August 9, featuring a young Texas native named Philip Gibbs. He dropped in for a few songs last year for our showcase at The Steynberg Gallery. I liked him so much I invited him back to play a full 45-minute feature. He'll also be featured at Sculpterra August 7 and the Porch August 11. Yes, I liked him that much. There's no cover charge, but I pass the tip bucket during our featured set. For more details, visit Song Writers at Play.
Kreuzberg's weekend music bookings include:
—Friday, August 12, 9pm: Colorado native Laurelin Kruse, who says she began writing songs "because it was the second most appealing activity she could think of. (Napping was the first.)"
—Saturday, August 27, 9pm: SLO's own Bob & Wendy, longtime coffee shop favorites, known for Wendy's poetic balladry and Bob's haunting cello bowing.
More info at Kreuzberg California.
Elephant Seal on Banner by Mike Baird |
