Skylark Cafe and Club: West Seattle : Booking

Show Basics

We book everything from indie rock to power pop, electroacoustic to americana, hard rock to experimental, jazz to triphop. However, we are very unlikely to book death metal. It’s just not the room for it.

Location

3803 Delridge Way SW Seattle, WA 98106 206.935.2111

It’s easy to get here! Here’s directions

Hours

Tues - Fri 3:00pm - 2:00am
Sat 9:00am - 2:00am
Sun 9:00am - 11:00pm

Minors Allowed...Sometimes

We are all ages every day until 9pm, with the exception of Sundays when we are all ages until closing at 11pm.

Saturday and Sunday matinee shows are ALL AGES / FULL BAR WITH ID every week. If you have an underage crowd or underage members in the band, Sunday is probably the best choice.

Note: If you have a minor in the band, do NOT try to slyly hook them up with drinks or let them attempt to order drinks. Our bartenders are sharp and you will all be banned from Skylark forever faster than you can say “I’m an idiot!” We are fond of our liquor license and would like to keep it.

All other regularly scheduled shows are 21+.

Good Eats

We have a tasty menu so plan to come for dinner!

Set Times and Loading In

Shows start at 9pm (Saturday and Sunday matinees at 4pm) and each set is about 45 minutes with 15 minutes in between for set-up and break-down. Headlining sets can go an hour or more depending on crowd size and enthusiasm. There is no noise curfew.

Load-in: 7:30pm (3pm Saturday and Sunday matinees). Please check in with the sound person before loading in any gear.

Sound check: first band only, 8:30pm (3:30pm Saturday and Sunday mantinees). Line checks for other acts. Please do not make any amplified noise onstage before 8:30 (3:30pm for Saturday or Sunday matinees)

Sound System & Recording Options

16 channels of whatever you want. Yes, we have direct boxes. Yes, we can provide a basic backline. Email cha (at) skylarkcafe (dot) com to discuss our current sound system specs, since we upgrade often.

With our Presonus StudioLive 16.4.2 we can offer multi-track recordings of every show. At the end of the night, you just give us $20 (we pay the sales tax) and get to take home a high-quality recording of your show to remix and tweak to your heart’s content using whatever software you want (ProTools, GarageBand, etc.). You can also give the files to your favorite engineer for mixing.

Lodging

The nearest hotel is Seattle West Inn & Suites. If you’re looking for a couch, try couchsurfing.org

Booking a Show

Email the following to Jessie (booking at skylarkcafe dot com):

your website URL with streaming music clips (Bandcamp, Facebook, Soundcloud, etc)
your weeknight and weekend draw in the Seattle area
your plan to promote this show (some suggestions here)

Keep in mind that we do NOT have a built-in draw at our location. You need to bring the audience.

Due to the high volume of booking emails, we are only able to respond if there is a match on a bill. No phone calls please. You will only connect with a bartender or a cook who cannot help you get a show. Email only. That email again is booking at skylarkcafe dot com.

Bands are encouraged to drop by with their instruments on Wednesdays at 8pm to sign up for the weekly open mic at 9pm. Leave your email address if you want a full show.

If you don’t have a demo, we can record your open mic set. For $20, you will get a audio-only DVD of all the tracks from your performance to mix down later (you will need software like GarageBand or ProTools).

Band Pay

Wednesdays

Wednesdays are electric and/or acoustic open mic and are not booked in advance, come on down at 8pm to sign up.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Cover charge: negotiable, default is $5
Sound Engineer: $75
Pay: After taxes/fees (5%) and sound, the rest of the door goes to the bands. It is split evenly between the acts unless prior arrangements have been made. The door is settled in cash at the end of the night, so someone must stay to collect or it will be forfeited to the other performers.

Connect With Us On

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WHAT WE DO...

put you in our online calendar with a link to your music clips.
submit all shows to the calendar editors at Seattle Times, The Stranger, Seattle Weekly, KEXP, Three Imaginary Girls, West Seattle Herald, etc. (Press releases and/or photos are up to you!)
print a monthly calendar flyer that goes out with every guest check.
send out a biweekly email newsletter with all shows to 1200+ customers.
post shows daily on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. as often as humanly possible.
We can professionally design a poster for your show for $25. Just let us know 3 weeks or more in advance. We’ll print 5 for in-house use and send you a PDF to print off as many as you like.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO...

promote! email your mailing list, post on your website, poster, flyer, contact the press with your unique story, etc.
bring or mail four posters here for us to put up 3 weeks ahead of time.
Make a facebook event for your show and invite your friends.
Drop off flyers and posters at * Easy Street / Rubato Records in the West Seattle junction * Youngstown Community Arts Center for all-ages shows
be considerate of your fellow bands (set up and break down efficiently, don’t bail the second you get offstage).
don’t book another gig in Seattle within a week of your Skylark gig…it dilutes your draw for both shows and no one wins.
play a great show, have a good time
email us if you want to play again! don’t forget to include your URL.