Published: Monday, August 25, 2008
Some people in Pensacola look to the beach or to the mall to spend their free time. Others take advantage of the local venues and live shows that Pensacola has to offer.
The local music scene has been steadily growing over the years with local venues that include The Red Door, Sluggos, The End of the Line Cafe, The Handlebar and the American Legion. Each venue caters to different styles of music, from hardcore to pop to indie.
“Pensacola offers three very good venues to the music scene,” said Robert Goodspeed, a dual-enrolled student at PJC. “Both Sluggos and The Red Door venue have close to three shows a week, in which local bands and sometimes very famous bands play. However, the American Legion has maybe one show a month but there are always a lot of people there.”
The Red Door, the newest addition to Pensacola that opened in January, 2008, is a local Christian outreach center that serves many purposes including a music venue. The Red Door was established “to provide a positive and alternative environment where the youth can feel safe to be themselves,” according to Director Darla Collins.
“It’s a unique venue that meets the needs of Pensacola’s music scene,” Collins said. “We hope that the kids will feel loved and accepted, where their music and artistic abilities will be appreciated and celebrated. We hope they will feel that the “Red Door” is theirs, a place they can hang out, have fun, express themselves, grow in their talent and be challenged and encouraged.”
Red Door’s upcoming shows include hardcore flair found in War of Ages and Oh Sleeper on Aug. 25 and a show on Oct. 8 that includes metal bands Winds of Plague and Veil of Maya.
Sluggos, a local music venue/restaurant that has been around for ages is another option for local shows. Primarily a vegetarian restaurant, residents of Pensacola can find shows at least once a week at this location. Upcoming shows include power pop/punk band The Powerchords on Aug. 25 and U.K. pop band Hotpants Romance on Aug. 26.
The Handlebar is a local bar located at 319 N. Tarragona St. where beer is served and live music is played. Shows here include local bands such as Creator Destroyer, Paper Scissors Rocketpack, and Deadly Fists of Kung Fu.
Be sure to check out any of these local venues myspaces for upcoming shows and times.