WEST SEATTLE, Washington, June 4, 2010 (WSFB) – This weekend marks the 4th Anniversary celebration of The Skylark, one of West Seattle’s icons of funmanship.
The Skylark has played a huge role in Funblog shenanigans during our first year. They have hosted countless functions, including the very first Funblog Food Drive and multiple performances by our West Seattle friends’ bands. They feed and us and, for a nominal fee, give us delicious alcoholic libations.
We spoke with owner Jessie Russo about the last 4 years.
West Seattle Funblog: Congratulations on the 4th anniversary of the Skylark. It surely has become an integral part of West Seattle’s live music scene. So take us back just over 4 years ago and tell us how you became involved in the Skylark.
Jessie Russo: Thanks! I’d have to take you back further than 4 years to answer that… my dad was a performing musician when I was young so I grew up in live music venues… mostly about this size. I always fantasized about owning a nightclub and booking the bands myself. I was a silent partner in another club once, but I was always looking out for my own project. This location came up for sale as “Madison’s Cafe” and it had a lot going for it… a stage, a kitchen, an intimate size, the location 2 miles from my house near the West Seattle Junction. So I bought it and we remodeled and re-opened as “Skylark” in less than one month.
WSFB: Wow, you don’t mess around do you? Can you tell us more about your work background prior to this venture?
JR: Well, back on the East Coast I worked in several restaurants. I started as a cook at The Harvest in Harvard Square, which led to cooking for some catering companies. Then I moved on to waitress and barista at Algiers and later was a cook, hostess, and waitress at Cafe Casablanca. I have a poor short term memory so I didn’t exactly distinguish myself as a waitress and transitioned into graphic design, which quickly turned into web design as this was the mid-90s. Before that I was designing for print, kiosks, and CD-ROMs, if you remember those. I moved to Seattle and got the first junior designer job at Amazon.com, helping out on all those early launches like Music, Video, etc. I was also playing around town in a band called Ripley that I’d put together with Musicians Wanted ads in The Stranger. We played The Capitol Hill Block Party, the Alki Summerfest, Chop Suey, the old Crocodile, the Central, and many clubs that are now extinct such as the OK Hotel, Sit ‘n’ Spin, Gibson’s, Colourbox, Rupert’s, Ballard Firehouse. So many extinct clubs! That’s why I am so intent on making this work.
WSFB: The Funblog is more than willing to subsidize your club via PBR and mixed drink purchases. It’s not common for a venue of your size that books the quality bands that you do to never charge a cover. What’s the history and reasoning behind that policy?
JR: I surveyed a group of musicians, music industry people, and showgoers before we opened and got a lot of great feedback. It guided a lot of decisions. Low or no cover charges came up as an answer to the question “what would make you go out to see live music more often?” Other survey results led to raising the stage so shorter people could see better, and the ridiculous amount of seating we have compared to other clubs. In lots of clubs there’s like one booth everyone has to fight over, because they want you to stand…but survey results showed clearly that people hated standing. It was fun for the first band, maybe, then it became annoying, then eventually it became a reason to leave without seeing the whole lineup. Back to the no cover thing, a lot of musicians said they liked playing for a cut of the bar instead of door money. No one expects the door person to be honest with how much cash they’ve taken in, but a cut of sales with a receipt is what it is.
WSFB: Well, you certainly did your homework. Those are all key reasons why we like hanging out here. What are the top 2 or 3 highlights of the last 4 years?
JR: The Halloween where We Wrote The Book On Connectors portrayed The Beastie Boys in full costume with a dancing robot was great. Duff McKagan’s band Loaded played a surprise acoustic show. Sera Cahoone played the KEXP Hood-to-Hood donor party just a few weeks ago. There’s always something on the calendar I am looking forward to!
WSFB: Is there a lowlight that you can look back on now and either laugh about or say you at least learned something from?
JR: We try to laugh about all the lowlights. Most of them involve this old building being temperamental at inopportune times.
WSFB: Your location on Delridge right off the West Seattle Bridge essentially makes the Skylark the welcome mat for West Seattle. What is the importance of your specific location as well as being in West Seattle rather than say, Capitol Hill or Fremont?
JR: We are passionate to a fault about being in West Seattle. We can’t imagine Skylark in any other neighborhood! I think we may have frightened some people at KEXP with our zeal for our neck of the woods.
WSFB: We get that too, but then again, we can be rather frightening. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Skylark also has excellent food. What inspired you to put your current menu together? Who is the brains behind your good eats?
JR: That’s Tony Russo, Skylark’s Kitchen Manager. He’s my brother-in-law and has been on board since months before we even opened. The inspiration sort of came from the 1965 Buick Skylark my parents owned when I was little. Our menu was supposed to be a classic 60s meal to go with the 1965 Skylark. Homemade comfort food from a simpler time. Although I don’t think the vegan Gardenburger really fits that…so it’s 60s with a pinch of 00s.
WSFB: Is there a particular reason The Skylark is closed on Monday? Do you really like your employees that much?
JR: Yes. We also like to have a day to fix anything that has broken during the week, and maybe add a sign to the decor or a new rug to the stage. We were open on Mondays in the first year and no one came in at all so that was an easy choice.
WSFB: Fair enough. Besides, Monday is Matlock and Murder, She Wrote night at the Funblog clubhouse. What changes or goals do you see for the Skylark moving forward? Any big plans?
JR: We might offer digital multi-track recordings during open mic like we do during our booked live shows. I’m also booking mellower acts on Tuesdays now to follow all ages Spin Your Wax. I just have so many bands who want to play…there’s 300 in my inbox right now that I haven’t even had time to listen to.
Come on down to The Skylark this Saturday for the Rock n’ Roll Prom and then come back on Sunday morning for the Harbor Island Hash and a Bloody Mary! Your stomach will thank you.
