On a mission from God
As one of the most successful clubs in Los Angeles, the House of
Blues attracts famous names both on stage and in the crowd. But
with questions about authenticity and cultural exploitation, is the
club really all it’s cracked up to be?
By Gaby Mora
Daily Bruin Staff
The big tin house that sits on Sunset Boulevard gets infinitely
more interesting once you step into its history.
Until the Los Angeles House of Blues opened in May 1994, the
building could have passed as a storage warehouse, rather than a
club that sold out 63 of its first 100 concerts.
Though the exterior looks merely like a casing of rusted tin,
it’s actually the material from an old Mississippi cotton gin that
House of Blues CEO and founder, Isaac Tigrett, would pass by while
driving home to Tennessee. Located near the gin was the Highway 61
and 49 junction, the legendary crossroads where blues pioneer
Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil in
exchange for talent and fame.
Since then, the only thing that’s been sold is the gin’s siding,
along with two truckloads’ worth of "crossroads" dirt that now lies
underneath the House of Blues stage  all in an effort to add
authenticity and mysticism to the $9 million, 1,000 person capacity
musical and dining venue.
But collecting and displaying items of historical value is
nothing new to Tigrett, who founded the Hard Rock Cafe in 1971 in
London, and sold the global chain in 1988 for $30 million. Tigrett
then opened the original House of Blues in Cambridge, Mass. in
1993, followed by the one in New Orleans in January 1994, and in
New York later that year. Future openings include Chicago and
London.
And like the rest of the Houses across the nation, the L.A.
House of Blues is filled with more than just good music Â
though the studio-crisp $500,000 sound system has made performances
by James Brown, Lenny Kravitz, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen and
Eric Clapton some of the best shows the strip has featured.
The architecture of the three story, 30,000-square-foot estate
(formerly owned by actor John Barrymore) is in itself stunning.
Scenic artist Brent Spears covered every surface of the
interior, including the ceilings, with a colorful sprinkle of
squiggles and other vivid shapes. A 55-foot-long bar decorated by
artist Jon Bok rotates 90 degrees every night as it parts to reveal
the stage below, with cherubim images surrounding the huge House of
Blues logo and the words "UNITY IN DIVERSITY" and "ALL IS ONE"
above.
Much of the stunning decoration has more meaning than just
aesthetic beauty. What really makes the House of Blues look like
the mecca for the music genre it claims is the African-American
folk art and recycled objects, along with the sculptured faces of
blues greats that also adorn the interior. The television screens
throughout the venue constantly run images of blues bands, along
with trivia questions about the music. And the Take It Easy Baby
Blues Accessories retail store in the front of the building
features a vintage guitar boutique.
And though Tigrett says his main goal is to teach people about
the role blues music has in American history, unlike any museum or
classroom, all of the material at the House of Blues is for sale.
Whether it is one of the vintage guitars, a John Lee Hooker CD, a
Southern dish cooked up by former La Toque chef Ken Franks, or a
live musical performance, everything comes with a price.
And it is precisely this reason that has led some to question
whether Tigrett is really enhancing African-American culture, or
exploiting it for profit. But Tigrett, a student of the Indian guru
Sathya Sai Baba, maintains that he is devoted to raising
consciousness about blues culture, and told USA Today in May of
1994, "A younger generation needs to get hip to the importance of
blues culture. Kids, black or white, don’t know who these gods on
the ceiling are."
He has followed through on this thought with the International
House of Blues Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has
brought together the Dubois Institute of Harvard University and the
Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of
Mississippi to create a curriculum for kindergarten through high
school students.
During the week, L.A. students are bussed to the House of Blues
to learn about the history of the music that adults come to hear at
night. Tigrett also offers scholarships through the House of Blues,
and plans to release a CD-ROM project for use in the schools.
He is not alone in this mission. Among the contributors that
helped build House of Blues are investors like Blues Brother Dan
Aykroyd, Aerosmith and Jim Belushi. Actor River Phoenix, also
invested before he died, and the club is now dedicated in his
honor.
Like its list of investors, the House of Blues has been
attracting major stars, both on stage and in the audience.
But although fans always appreciate a star studded guest list at
the House, some of the performers would rather they had the full
attention of their listeners.
"With so many famous people walking around, the focus is no
longer on the stage or on the music," says Domingo Ortiz,
percussionist of the band Widespread Panic who performed at the
House of Blues in November of last year. But with the quality sound
and ideal setting, it is understandable why people like Robert
DeNiro, Clint Eastwood and Jack Nicholson have come to check the
place out.
With plans for Tigrett’s TV production company to feature a
22-part series of House concerts, and for his nascent record label
with BMG to issue 24 albums, people will soon be able to check out
what the House has to offer in their own homes.
But regardless of the many dimensions the House of Blues has,
people will remember it primarily as a venue featuring memorable
concerts. And though he continues to expand his empire into other
mediums, Tigrett seems to realize that the true source of his
business is the music created on the stage.