Denver-based music label Greater Than Collective is breathing new life into a classic idea with their new Greater Than Social Club -- a modern-day, monthly cabaret style show at Lannie's Clocktower.
Mixing comedy with music on the first Wednesday of each month (the inaugural show is this Wednesday), Greater Than Collective's Virgil Dickerson chatted with The Huffington Post about this old school style of show with a modern Denver twist.
What was the inspiration behind Greater Than Social Club?
The Illegal Pete’s office is in the D&F Clocktower. Once we moved in (around may 2012), Pete Turner (owner of Illegal Pete’s) mentioned that it was a dream of his to put a show down at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret. It’s one of the best rooms to see a show in Denver. After meeting with Lannie Garrett (of Lannie’s), she was open to having us do a monthly show. And since we work with musical acts and stand up comics (with Greater Than Collective), we thought we would take a stab at combining the two on the same stage.
And Andrew Orvedahl is hosting?
Andrew is one-third of The Grawlix (along with Adam Cayton-Holland and Ben Roy), a monthly comedy show we sponsor at the Bug Theater. We are also very lucky to work with Andrew, Adam, and Ben with The Greater Than Collective. I emailed all three guys about hosting our monthly event and Andrew was the only one who responded so that made him the clear front-runner for the gig!
What about A. Tom Collins?
A. Tom Collins are the newest act on Greater Than. We hope to have their new album out in April/May. We are really big fans of their sound; it’s really hard to describe what they do, but imagine Tom Waits and Cab Calloway and Jerry Lee Lewis all conjoined at the hip with the energy of punk rock. It’s really a sight to see!
Lannie's Clocktower is probably the perfect location for a cabaret-style show, how did you guys work it out?
As I mentioned before, Pete was such a big fan of the room. For those of you who have never been there, it’s a beautiful room. It’s set up kind of like a 20s speakeasy or jazz bar. Pete just thought that it would be great to offer the cabaret experience to music and comedy fans that might not be used to this experience. Luckily, reaching out to Lannie was really easy and she is really great to work with. We all got along from the very first meeting.
How did you hook up with stand-up comic Sean Patton?
Andrew and the Grawlix continually bring in some of the best national comics with their monthly show at the Bug Theater (every final Friday of the month). We asked him to keep an eye out on anyone great who might be in town around that time and luckily for us, the very talented and very funny Sean Patton stretched out his stay in Denver to be our first comedic act. I saw him at the Grawlix this last time and he’s absolutely hilarious.
What can people expect from the show?
Besides some of the best comedy and music under one roof, we are excited that the show starts early (doors at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m.) and the entire thing will be done by 10 p.m. so if you need to get in bed by a decent hour, you can. I’ve been telling friends that they can expect a classy night out where they can sit down and enjoy a complete show with cocktail service at one of the best rooms in town.
This seems like a perfect venue for Bobby Valentino and the Mexican Fuck Machine -- Any hints at next month's lineup?
Man, we’d love to have Bobby Valentino the the Mexican Fuck Machine sometime! We weren’t planning on announcing March’s lineup until the night of the show, but since we love you, we will spill the beans -- Andrew Orvedahl will again be our host, Adam Cayton-Holland freshly coming off of his appearance on Conan O’Brien will be our comedic act and Bad Weather California will provide the soundtrack. It should be another incredible lineup.
Greater Than Social Club is the first Wednesday of every month, beginning this Wednesday Feb. 6 at Lannie's Clocktower (in the basement). Doors open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 online or at the door.
FLYER FOR THE FIRST GREATER THAN SOCIAL CLUB:
