Brothers Lounge
From jazz on Mondays to blues on Thursdays and singer-songwriters in the wine bar to reggae dance parties in the music hall, it’s easy to get a taste of every genre within a week’s timeframe at this nine-year-old, live music hotspot. Brothers Lounge — with origins dating back to 1959 — has become a staple in promoting a breadth of local acts. New booking assistant Nadia Ajlouni tells us how she has been helping change the tune. 11609 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, 216-226-2767, brotherslounge.com
Perfect Harmony: Fiance to co-owner Chris Riemenschneider, Ajlouni works alongside him to balance out the booking workload. “He knows all the bands that work — he has relationships with them. They call him and he calls them for whenever we need a show or for when they want to play. The rest of it we get emails every day, about 30 to 40 emails of people who are personally requesting to play ... [and] I help him go through and refine that list.”
Heyday Refrain: The customer base at Brothers Lounge is diverse but Ajlouni notices time and again genres like rock and classic rock fit the bill. “We have anything from people in their early-to-mid-20s all the way to their 60s and 70s, so it covers a lot of ground. I think that everyone can relate to the memories and songs that they’ve known and that they like to sing along to. Then, younger kids in their 20s, they’re familiar with it because of their parents. Whenever we have the ’80s bands, like The Spazmatics, everyone dresses up and they bring the dance floor to life.”
Locally Sourced: While Brothers Lounge has brought national touring acts to the stage since opening in 2008, Ajlouni and Riemenschneider recognize the power of local performers. “We found that a lot of people bring in their friends, and the customers that we have really look forward to people who they can talk to and also go watch at different venues around town. They kind of build a love for them, and we know that, if we have an artist who is successful and who people like to see, they will come time and time again when they see their name on the card.”
