Michael's Porthole
based on 1 Review
Genres:
Paid via…
- Donations?: No (1 vote)
- Free food?: No (1 vote)
- Free drinks?: No (1 vote)
Business practices
- Non-profit?: No (1 vote)
- Musician-run?: No (1 vote)
- Books local acts?: Yes (1 vote)
- Promotes the acts it hires?: No (1 vote)
Backline
- Piano?: No (1 vote)
- Piano in tune?: No (1 vote)
- Keyboard?: No (1 vote)
- Drumset?: No (1 vote)
- Keyboard amp?: No (1 vote)
- Guitar amp?: No (1 vote)
- Bass amp?: No (1 vote)
- Direct box?: No (1 vote)
- PA system?: No (1 vote)
- Sound person?: No (1 vote)
The room
- Stage?: Yes (1 vote)
- Backstage/Green Room?: No (1 vote)
- Space for dancing?: Yes (1 vote)
- Primarily background music?: Yes (1 vote)
- Serves Food?: Yes (1 vote)
- Liquor License?: Yes (1 vote)
- Capacity: 50-300 (1 vote)
Reviews from musicians
01-20-2016
SCAM ALERT! BANDS DO NOT PLAY HERE! The owner is a huge liar and will not pay his bands a penny! Had a verbal agreement that we would be paid at the end of the night, and also promoted the show as 3 sets. After 2 sets he tells us to take a little longer of a break, which he had no problem with. We go on 15 minutes later than we would and the blob comes running over to us to tell us not to go on yet. Meanwhile there wasn't much time left before curfew and we wanted everyone there to be able to see our 3rd set. He says the reasoning is because "people in his restaurant didn't like the music and they were complaining and leaving." Right away we knew it was a lie, we brought about 50 people that night, he had maybe 10-15 eating there. One he said was a H.S. Reunion group, so we went over and asked them politely if the music was a disturbance. Exact OPPOSITE was the answer, they loved it, and were bummed that they weren't hearing more. Right then the owner was caught in a lie and we immediately confronted him about it, he responded with "F*CK YOU IT'S MY F*CKING RESTAURANT, YOU HAVE TO LIE TO BE GOOD IN THIS BUSINESS!" Really? That's what you have to say to your bands? My guess is that he tries to have as many blow up fights with his bands as possible just so he doesn't have to pay them in the end. I've heard very similar stories from other bands who have played here. His 2nd excuse was that it wasn't a busy night, which was also a horrible lie. This place is in the ghetto of Oceanside. You probably ask yourself "is there even a ghetto of Oceanside?" Well, this is it. No one can hear you scream, that's how buried this place is. We probably brought over a bigger crowd than this place can draw in a month. In the end, I think we scared the bastard pretty good by telling him we'll make sure he is run out of business and he ended up paying us about 1/5th of what we probably should've made. BANDS BEWARE!! UNLESS IF YOU WANT AN EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS, DO NOT PLAY HERE! There is no P.A. or backline either.