CLEVELAND — When bands hit the road, there's a lot to pay for: travel, food, housing. A lot of time, what they make for the gig doesn't cover it all. Now, somebody has come up with a way to give those bands a place to stay — some for free.
From the outside, it looks like your ordinary three-story home, while on the inside, Jason Hamad can already hear the sound of music.
“There's going to be a piano over here, and we're going to hopefully have a couple of guitars and just like set up so people can jam,” said Jason Hamad, the board president and executive director of No Surf House.
Hamad is renovating what will be the brand-new No Surf House, a home that can house up to six musicians for free or subsidized rates while they play in town. The former music journalist came up with the idea when he learned about the financial burden’s artists face.
“I was interviewing all of these kids that were coming up in the music industry, independent musicians, and they were giving me stories like, I’m sleeping in the van tonight or I’m sleeping with my uncle's cousin's former roommate because that's the only person I know in Cleveland, or we're making $250 and $200 of it has to go to a hotel room,” said Hamad.
Those are burdens that Sean Watterson, who co-owns Happy Dog, knows all too well, so he loved the idea of No Surf House.
“It might save us in negotiation with the band's manager if you say we’ve got this option,” Watterson said.
At the Happy Dog, they book more than 170 live bands every year.
“It's been harder to get bands because fewer bands can afford to get out on the road,” said Watterson.
They usually work with local musicians or young touring ones who are on a tight budget, so lodging can also be an issue.
“Your options are either expensive or staying in a motel or an Airbnb, or you're kind of scrambling to find somebody who will let you stay on their couch,” said Watterson.
But with No Surf House trying to accept their first guest by March, it gives bands more reason to play in The Land, and owners like Watterson more talent to work with.
“I think it just builds the reputation, especially among those developing artists, that Cleveland is a town that cares,” said Watterson.
The goal is not only to help musicians, but also to make Cleveland a travel destination for artists.
“I hope that it flourishes. I hope that the community supports it here locally, and that that message about Cleveland being a musician-friendly place spreads throughout the country,” said Watterson.
Hamad an Watterson both hope it gets everyone on the Cleveland beat.
“Austin and Nashville are terrific. New York is terrific, but we can really do it here in Cleveland,” said Hamad.
To learn more about No Surf House or to donate, click here.
