Going Local

By Victor Drabicky
Senior Sports Editor

Recipe for the Aardvark:

Mix one part of poor sound with two parts deplorable bathrooms.

Add a variety of local, sub-par bands with just a touch of talent.

Put them all together one block from TCU and voila!

For years, the Aardvark has been using its proximity to TCU to milk the campus for all it is worth. If the Aardvark was in any other city, it may well have been bankrupt years ago. Despite cutting corners on everything from the sound system to the bathrooms, the Aardvark still considers itself a music venue.

At first glance, the Aardvark’s problems are easy to see. The low ceiling and windowless walls help add to the already cramped atmosphere, which quickly fills with smoke if just a few cigarettes are lit. But short of moving the club, not much can be done to fix the structural problems.

However, there are plenty of things the Aardvark can fix to make the bands and the patrons happier, and to make the club better overall.

The easiest way to keep a band happy is with a good sound system.

Some of Dallas’ premier music clubs, including the Curtain Club and Trees in Deep Ellum, have long been known for their sound systems, which are rumored to have cost close to $250,000.

Whether the Aardvark’s sound system cost that much or not, it still sounds a little better than a top-of-the-line car stereo — from 1974.

On more than one occasion, bands have been forced to cut sets and even songs because of sound system problems. For example, during a recent show at the Aardvark, Flickerstick, one of the decent bands that still plays at the dilapidated club, was forced to play three straight songs without any help from the sound system. No amps. No microphones. Nothing.

Granted, there are occasional “technical difficulties” that cannot be avoided, but to have technical difficulties on a regular basis is ridiculous.

It is far easier and less expensive to keep patrons happy. Strong drinks, an occasional chair to sit in and clean bathrooms usually do the trick.

To the Aardvark’s credit, its drinks are reasonably priced and kept cold, and if you’re lucky, you will find an occasional chair to sit in and rest your feet. However, they missed the big one.

The Aardvark’s excuse for bathrooms is funny at best. The bathrooms are cramped and dirty and rarely are all the facilities working. The men’s bathroom doesn’t even have a door, let alone enough working stalls (if you can call them that) to keep everyone happy. I can only imagine what the women’s bathroom looks like.

About the only things the Aardvark does have going for it are the occasional regional bands that grace the smaller than average stage and the plethora of TCU bands trying to make it big. Bands like Bowling For Soup, Flickerstick and Vallejo still manage to squeeze the Aardvark into their busy touring schedule, while TCU based bands like John Price and the Wrongway Band and Taylor Williams appreciate the chance to play in front of their home-town crowd.

Fortunately, for both the club and the artists, TCU students gladly pay the cover charge to try and get a glimpse of tomorrow’s big stars.

Victor Drabicky
vmdtcu@swbell.net