The cover was a bit pricey for a new venue and a show with only two bands on the bill ($7 for 21+ & $9 for under 21), but they make up for it in the price of draft beer--at least a dollar lower than most venues in the area, and comes in a much larger cup. The bar itself is adorned with a real wood countertop and some inset rope lighting--a nice touch--kind of reminiscent of HOOTERS. The moderately high cover was no deterrent, apparently, as there were about 80 people milling around The Hot Box.
Once the music started, the crowd meandered through the medium-sized building to the elevated stage. From a viewer's standpoint, the stage height is about the same as a larger room like Amos's Southend, but with about half the sound equipment and lighting. Standing close to the stage, it's tough to hear the trebles (especially vocals), but from the center of the room, the sound is great. Really no complaints from that standpoint.
The first band had to put their drummer on the stage level, as the headliner had backlined their drum set on the riser. Honestly, the stage is a bit too small to do a whole lot of back-lining equipment--it leaves opening bands too small a space and limits their movement. I didn't have the opportunity to explore the load-in situation, but I did notice plenty of room for merchandise displays for the bands. There was not a lot of lighting in that area, though, so make sure you bring your own lighting if you have it.
All in all, it's a smaller, cleaner Amos' Southend, in my opinion.
What was good:
--Drink Prices
--Overall Sound & Lighting
--Friendly Staff
What I'd like to see them improve:
--Cheaper cover or more bands per bill
--Speaker mix so the front half of the room can hear the vocals
