Those in the Orlando area, or visiting, check this out

[The Dean]

Last week I had the pleasure of being in the audience at Greg Rike's Studios in Altamonte Springs, FL (just outside of Orlando). I took my nephew to the taping of a Les Dudek DVD at the studio. Les had a real power trio, and played some of the best guitar I have ever seen played live. But that's not really the point of this post.

 

The venue was Greg Rike Productions. This is a small recording studio on Douglass Avenue. It's been there for years, I think, and is the studio where Deep Purple recorded an recent album (or more) and a music video, and where Les Dudek recorded his last studio album, Freestyle. It's not legendary, or anything, but it is a nice, professional studio.

 

Well, they have just started doing something very cool, IMO. They are bringing in bands, local and national to tape live performances for DVD releases. The bands perform in the studio, and they have about 60 seats, or so between the stage and the control room. They sell the seats to the public, so they have an audience for the DVD. For Les, the price was $15, or $20. For $20 you get to sit in the first three rows (not that it matters, the room is so small) and a pass to stick around after the event, chat with the band, hang out in the control room, etc.

 

I sat in the second row, about 15 feet from Les. You may never have a more intimate musical experience than at this studio. The sound is outstanding, and it's like sitting in someone's living room (with a stage and a big control room). They have a small bar. Beer and wine are available. Heineken was $4, drinkable wine was $4 and bottled water was $1. No charge to park, and you can go outside before, after, during a break, and smoke, or whatever.

 

My nephew is a fine guitarist, and isn't impressed by anything. He was blown away by the entire experience (and by Les' playing). Check it out, it's a great experience and a great bargain.

 

You can check who's playing here:

 

http://gregrikeproductions.com/News/CAFESTREAM.html

 

Right now, it looks like local bands, for the most part. They also do karaoke on Monday nights, but that's pretty lame, IMO.

 

They stream the shows here:

 

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/1596634

 

There is a small clip of one of Les' songs there (maybe the worst song of the night), but you can see what the stage is like.

 

The GM of the place is Nick Miller. He's a great guy, and treated me and my nephew like VIPs even though we never met.