Published July 14, 2010
Sarasota-Bradenton’s three Mattison’s restaurants are not the first establishments people think of when seeking a good local original live set. A walk past downtown Sarasota’s City Grille usually reveals a piano man breaking out, well “Piano Man,†or some aging rockers taking “Mustang Sally†for a ride. But that notion could soon change with the adoption of the Muphin Chuckrs as a regular act at Mattison’s Riverside in Bradenton.
Although MC has been around the scene for a decade, their ages range from mid- to late-20s, and their music style is far from the usual “safe bet†that most local venues refuse to stray from. With a solid base in punk that has evolved over the years to include touches of reggae, blues and funk, their live shows are loud, raucous and in-your-face. Frontman and lyricist Dustin White has a set of pipes that can reach deafening levels and he’s usually not one to hold back, on the primal screams or the profanity.
As far as covers, you’re not going to get many. The Chuckrs included a version of the classic “Can’t Help Falling in Love†on their 2008 album House Party Heroes that sounded more on par with Incubus than Elvis. The band just dropped their latest effort,From Life to Paper, earlier this month. And as it is their ninth full-length release, they’ve amassed a myriad of original material to choose from. (more…)
Tag: Mattison’s City Grille
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Making its case: How Mattison’s City Grille convinced the Sarasota City Commission to change its tune on downtown outdoor live music
Published February 17, 2010 Since the Downtown Partnership asked Paul Mattison to open his outdoor dining venue on the corner of Lemon Avenue and Main Street seven years ago, Mattison’s City Grille let live bands play until 11 p.m. during the week and midnight on weekends. The restaurant had received a half-dozen or so sporadic noise complaints over the years, but the city never took action. Which it could have, since city code states that the cutoff time for live music at a non-enclosed structure is 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends. When an anonymous noise complaint targeted Mattison’s in early November 2009, though, the Sarasota Police Department intervened, delivering a blow to the business’ bottom line. “We’ve been there for seven years and we’ve always done those hours and we never had an issue,†says Mattison. “Then out of the blue we got this one complaint and they were on us like white on rice.†The move had such a negative effect on business that Mattison felt the need to go before the City Commission to make his case for a legal extension of the cutoff time. “The other thing that I tried to get them to do, but they didn’t, is that you can’t complain anonymously,†he says. “It could be a former competitor. It could be anybody. … That’s the most frustrating part. You want to be able to pick up the phone and say, ‘Let’s talk about it.’†(more…)