Have you ever been to a listening room? I'm not talking about a theatre where folks may come to listen but first they have to contend with uptight ushers, mediocre seats and expensive drinks. I'm not even talking about a coffeehouse where folks may come to listen but are hard pressed to do so over the gurgle of the cappuccino machine, the murmur of the pretensious yuppies who didn't come to listen and the hiss of the cheap ass PA. I'm talking about a true listening room with immaculate acoustics, an intimate environment and an attentive audience. You're probably thinking, "Where the hell do you think you are? Boston? This is Tampa Bay, sweet cakes. We ain't got none of them high fallutin' listenin' rooms around here." Ummmm, yes we do…
Pro Star Sound Stage is a recording studio by day but by night it is by far one of the finest listening rooms in which I have ever had the privilege of performing. It's cozy (it seats about 100 people), it's quality (did I mention it was a fully functioning, professional recording studio?) and it's owned and operated by two avid music lovers with a knack for spotting and supporting emerging singer/songwriters.
This article appears in Nov 19-25, 2008.