Sunday, September 12, 1999
Skyline serves fine helping of local tunes
BY LARRY NAGER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Some of the acts on The Skyline Time Golden Sampler will be playing Firstar Center, as Skyline Chili celebrates its 50th anniversary on Oct. 28.
The Doobie Brothers headline, but the opening act will be a revue of local musicians. Details are being worked out, but it's more good news for the local music scene, as it finds itself enjoying some rare corporate promotion.
Tom Allen, Skyline's vice president of marketing, already knew how good Cincinnati music can be. Back in the '80s, M. Allen, 37, was a rabid Raisins fan. But it wasn't easy convincing some other Skyline execs.
The songs for the project were picked out, but the idea of using homegrown talent seemed risky.
“That was the one thing people had to get over,” Mr. Allen recalls. “People in our organization would say, "Geez, we recognize all these songs and we love 'em. But will the bands here really be able to do justice to them?' And my expectations were exceeded. To me many of the songs got better.”
Others agreed.
“I was playing some tracks in the office just a few days ago and people were coming up and saying, "That's our record? That's cool.' ”
The idea initially came from J Curve Records president Dale Rabiner, who wanted to expanded his label's jazz base, and his friend Jim Amatulli, president of Amatulli & Associates marketing group.
“It was perfect timing,” says Mr. Allen. “I told them, "It's funny you're talking about this. We have a 50th anniversary coming up and I was kind of toying with the idea of doing something nostalgic and musical for it.' It's a wonderful connection to make to Cincinnati and a wonderful, give-back-to-the-community kind of thing.”
It might turn into an annual project, but first they have to sell this one. It will be available in Skyline restaurants starting this week.
But whether there's a second one next year, CD producer/arranger Pat Kelly says the unusual meeting of the corporate world and Tristate club musicians is a bit of history.
“What they've done is they've chronicled our music scene right here at the turn of the millennium. And the fact that Skyline agreed to do it, I think it goes beyond just a gimmick or a promotion for them. I think they really have done something for the music scene here and for the people of Cincinnati.”
For Mr. Allen, there's been an unexpected side effect. He's says he's reverting to his former barfly status.
“You know, you get older, move to the 'burbs, get away from that scene. I live in Loveland, now. I probably hadn't heard of like, two-thirds of these people (on the CD). And now that I'm kind of turned on to them, I'm saying to myself, "Geez, I'd like to go out, go to some of these places and hear some of these people.'”
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Skyline serves fine helping of local tunes
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