New events curing nightlife blues

DURHAM, Jul 26, 2008 (The Herald-Sun - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- IBM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Steve Falzarano was tapping his foot in time with the music and not so conscientiously doing a little wiggle thing with his hips as a lively salsa band blared notes of zesty mirth on a recent Friday night at Brightleaf Square.

Spending a weekend evening -- more likely wasting one -- in downtown Durham would have been unthinkably painful for the live entertainment-loving IBM project manager when he moved here 14 years ago, leaving behind the vibrant night life of previous stops in Los Angeles, Boston and the suburbs of New York City.

"There was nothing here," said Falzarano, a Trinity Park resident. "I was like, 'Did I make a mistake?'"

So where did he find relief from the social scene deprivation?

"Went to Raleigh," he said.

No more.

As more and more families are sticking around this summer because of high gas prices, Falzarano and many others in Durham have found a way to enjoy themselves by deliberately staying put.

Music venues at American Tobacco Campus, Brightleaf Square, West Village and the CCB Plaza have become the places to go for great food and atmosphere, but mainly for music -- everything from jazz to indie rock to bluegrass.

"We love it. We haven't missed one since how long?" Falzarano asked a friend accompanying him to the Brightleaf Square show.

"It's close by, and you don't have to drive far, and it's always different. And all your neighbors are here," Falzarano said. Best of all, he said, he avoids "all of the freaking hassles of trying to get out of the Raleigh traffic."

Rosana Silva, co-owner of Chamas Churrascaria in Brightleaf Square, said the addition of the concert series in recent years has not only been great for business at Brightleaf, but for downtown Durham's image. Silva, who lives in Cary, said her neighbors were downtown Durham's image kept people away.

"Durham has a stigma of being a bad city because of crime," she said. "People are afraid to come here, especially when you say downtown Durham. I started bringing my neighbors for the Friday concerts and they saw a whole new city."

Silva said her neighbors now come to downtown Durham every Friday for music and dinner, and not just at Chamas.

"What I have seen is that more and more families are coming," she said, echoing the sentiments of Sink and JoEllen Collier, assistant to the manager of Brightleaf Square.

"We get a lot of families with small children, and it's good to see that," Collier said. "The band last weekend was excited to be playing there because they could bring their own children, and they usually don't get to."

Former Raleigh resident Charmayne Rozenek said her two years of living in Durham have markedly changed her perception of the Bull City.

"We heard things like 'Don't move to Durham,'" said Rozenek, who owns a commercial contract painting company with her husband. "They just don't know any better."

No-cost Friday music events at Brightleaf Square are part of the reason Rozenek is confident she and her husband made the right move.

"I just love being outdoors, and it's good entertainment. They have good bands," she said, never breaking rhythm during her salsa dancing.

"You think something like this is only found in bigger cities," said Durham lawyer Kelly Williams. "Everyone comes out here and has a great time. It's very safe and it's a great atmosphere."

Williams said she doesn't like making the drive to Raleigh, and she doesn't know of a comparable events there anyway.

"This is giving Durham some kind of identity outside of seemingly high crime and Duke University," she said.

Not far from Brightleaf Square, American Tobacco Campus holds its Music on the Lawn series every other weekend in conjunction with WUNC Radio. The series features artists that sometimes fit into the station's Back Porch Music category (e.g. acoustic, bluegrass) but can vary greatly from concert to concert. Many artists are local or have some connection to North Carolina.

Cindy Sink, representative of American Tobacco Campus, said the concerts attract mostly families with small children because of the safe and attractive facility and family-friendly music.

"The music scene has definitely exploded over the past five or six years," she said.

When it comes to choosing the music, Sink pays attention to trends in the area and the campus tries to book "high caliber" artists that people would usually have to pay to see.

Rusty Privett, manager of Tyler's Taproom at American Tobacco Campus, said that his customer base expands on concert nights, but since most of the bands are local, the crowds stay relatively local as well. He puts an extra bar and grill outside during concerts to accommodate the rush of people who want to eat and listen to music at the same time.

"Something that's important to American Tobacco is to bring live events for people to enjoy in downtown Durham," Sink said, "Our tag line is 'Durham's entertainment district.' We want to be an area with lots of activities and a family atmosphere for people to feel safe and have fun."

Representatives of each of the four music venues agreed: The more people they can bring to downtown, the better, regardless if those people are coming to see their concerts or someone else's, eating at a restaurant or simply standing and listening to the music.

Durham Parks and Recreation hosts Thursday night alternative concerts at 5:30 p.m., various concerts every third Friday at 6 p.m. and Jazz and Latin Saturday series at 5:30 p.m. at CCB Plaza. It also hosts Warehouse Blues at West Village at 6 p.m. on Fridays.

"Our goal is to provide our community with opportunities to play more, and we've increased our level of concerts because we recognize that people enjoy it," said Cynthia Booth, public affairs specialist for Durham Parks and Recreation.

"It's one of the best kept secrets. It really is," Ken Garner, a Durham resident who works for a communications company, said of city's blooming band scene. "I tell people at work all the time about this."

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