If your Christmas wish list happens to include a big rock show featuring a collection of some of the finest live bands the Atlantic region has to offer, Santa is giving you one heck of an early gift next Thursday night.
In what the complex owners are optimistic will become an annual holiday ritual, 12 bands will be taking to the stages of Oxygen Complex’s trio of nightclubs (The Paramount Lounge, The Manhattan and Oxygen) for a what should be an unforgettable evening of live music. Cut Throat Pizza, one of the city’s newest and arguably finest pizza joints, which got its start inside The Manhattan a little more than four years ago, is hosting the show.
“It was a show around Christmas time of 2006 that we had first started selling pizza at a show in the Manhattan,” Cut Throat owner Dana Robertson says.
Business has grown over the past four years based on word-of-mouth advertising but it is some of the shop’s unique creations that keep people coming back for more. While the shop sells the “usual” pizza fare of pepperoni, the works, etc, it is original creations like their Poutine Pizza and Pulled Pork Pizza that is finding success catering to a growing specialty niche of pizza lovers in the city.
In the past six months, Cut Throat Pizza has outgrown their perch in the Manhattan and has expanded to a full-fledged storefront next door to the Paramount Lounge on Main Street.
“The shop is as busy as we wanted it to be. We have received a lot of good feedback from various sources,” Robertson continues.
Performing on the evening of the 23rd is a laundry list of bands covering many different genres of music. Are you a punk rock fan? You’re in luck. Care for a little heavy metal with your Christmas cheer? Good stuff. Chances are your musical tastes will be satisfied and/or curiosity piqued by the time this holiday party is through.
Among the bands scheduled to play are Cape Breton’s Slowcoaster, progressive jazz band Les Paiens, Barley and the Durt, Iron Giant, The Bricklins, The Nuclear, Sunspeed, Billy Ray Cyborg, Something Delicious, The Motorleague, The Fat Stupids and Red Rum.
Assembling a diverse musical lineup was a must as far as Robertson was concerned. He says that the club assembled a wish list of bands they would like to see perform whom they suspected would also be available and low and behold, everyone jumped on board to perform.
“It is such a great time of year and a great time to get out and see some faces that you haven’t maybe seen since last Christmas.”
Article published in December 17, 2010 edition of the Times & Transcript