THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996 TAG: 9603290078
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
``WE HAD ALWAYS wanted to do something for charity,'' said Bayou manager Rick Mersel earlier this week. ``You know, the whole `give-back' thing.''
On Sunday, the popular Beach nightspot at The Radisson Hotel gives back in a big way with Bayoupalooza, with proceeds from ticket sales to benefit Special Olympics of Southeastern Virginia. Modeled on the annual summer alternative-rock carnival tour Lollapalooza, the event will showcase nearly two dozen local and regional bands and provide a number of sideshows to boot.
Also scheduled: A Suffolk Skydiving outfit, Wave Riding Vehicles' skate team, and public-information booths for groups like Save the Bay and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. There will be body piercing by Factory Streetwear, an alternative clothing store in Virginia Beach formerly called The Factory. (``So it's reputable,'' Mersel said, ``It's not just a guy out there with a hole-puncher.'') Oh, and the Bayou's new Bikini Team.
Sounds massive. Indeed, Mersel plans a staff of about 80 for this event, which will sprawl throughout the club, into the hotel's ballroom and onto the outdoor tennis courts. (In case of rain, big tents will cover the courts.) The Bayou itself employs 40. It's done charity work before, but nothing like this.
The idea seemed to have a momentum of its own, Mersel said.
``We've done parties before for Mardi Gras and New Year's, where we open up the Radisson and have two bands. We were, at first, thinking of doing that. Then we started thinking, `Why do we have to stop at two bands? It's going to be warm, the end of March.' We decided to do four bands. Then 10 bands. Then as more and more bands got interested, we just decided to do as many bands as we could get.''
Included in the lineup are Sea of Souls, Blast Paris, Sick Dogs, Knuckle, Thrift Unit, Snake Charmers, Plastic Eddie, Pearl, King Baby Manchild and Kung-Fu Dykes. An 11-hour extravaganza was projected.
``I want to definitely, definitely stress the fact that it starts in the daytime,'' Mersel said. ``I don't want people to show up at 9:00 at night. Some of the best bands will be playing early in the day.''
As for attendance, he noted that the Bayou's ``smaller parties'' have drawn between 1,600 and 2,000.
Mersel's hope is that Bayoupalooza, ``above and beyond the charity,'' will help push the local original-music scene along.
``We want to do something in the area that can shed light on these bands a nd get the community excited.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo Jim Walker/The Virginian-Pilot
The rock band Sea of Souls, above, is among the performers for
Sunday's Bayoupalooza, which will benefit the Special Olympics
by CNB