Geo’s record store settles in at Downtown Draught House
Geo’s has always been a cool spot in downtown Youngstown, albeit a little out of the way.
But as of this weekend, the record store will be closer to the action.
The store will open Friday in a new location: the second floor of the Downtown Draught House on West Federal Street. It’s only about 200 feet from the old location on West Boardman Street, but foot traffic is much heavier on Federal Street.
The move should also benefit the Draught House by bringing new faces to the bar-restaurant.
George Case, who owns Geo’s, said he hopes the Draught House will become a mecca for downtown. Folks who stop in to eat, drink or play pool can come upstairs and browse the record racks. It’s a spacious room with exposed brick walls and a window array at one end that lets sunlight stream in.
Geo’s will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, and until midnight on weekends. The store, which sells new and used CDs and vinyl records, plus vintage comic books, DVDs, baseball cards and other collectibles, is accessible from a staircase at the rear of the large front room of the Draught House, where the pool tables reside.
The addition of Geo’s is just one change coming to the Draught House, which is owned by Jordan Klucinec. The bar will start featuring live music and DJs in the front room on weekends, starting next month. Plans call for tearing out the booths, adding tables and chairs, and moving the pool tables over.
The first band to play the room will (of course) be Geo C and Tha Storm on Thanksgiving eve. Case fronts the popular funk band.
An experienced restaurateur who ran an eatery on the North Side in the ’90s, Case also will take over the kitchen at the Draught House, beginning next month. He has the recipe for authentic Strouss’ malts – the signature item from the defunct department store that once dominated the downtown ∫ and will sell them there.
DJ CHIP BANKS IS TAKING HIS TALENT TO LAS VEGAS
DJ Chip Banks, aka Charles Colvin, of Star 94.7-FM will be back in Las Vegas on Oct. 30 for the “Twisted Fantasies” Halloween costume party at Fizz Champagne Lounge inside Caesars Palace. It will be his second time DJing at the prestigious venue. He played an industry mixer there Sept. 28 and was asked to return.
The Valley resident calls it a pivotal moment in his career. He regularly DJs at places such as The Federal, Warehouse 50 and Liquid Blu, but is experiencing an increase in demand. He recently did shows in Cleveland, Washington and Indianapolis.
Banks prides himself on being a versatile disc jockey who can instantly adjust to the room.
“My primary goal is to please the crowd, no matter the demographic or genre of music,” he said. “I think my greatest skill is reading the crowd and sensing their favorites, and then keeping the energy and party vibe going.”
THIS AND THAT
Angelo Babbaro just finished up a 16-show run at the Bucks County Playhouse, near Philadelphia. The singer from Canfield plays Frank Sinatra in Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show, which he joined a few months ago. The show will resume Dec. 3 with 14 performances in six states.
Babbaro got his feet wet with the Bucks County run. “It was a huge hit, and I received some really awesome reviews,” he said. Interest in Old Blue Eyes is a little higher than usual because he would have turned 100 on Dec. 12.
“Sweeney Todd” opens Oct. 30 at Salem Community Theater, and it promises to be a highlight of the season.
The dark yet humorous Stephen Sondheim musical about a bloodthirsty barber in Victorian England always attracts top actors, and Salem’s production is no different.
Director Michael Dempsey and his production team also have assembled a remarkable two-story set. For ticket information, call 330-332-9688.