Above: Hometown hero George Thorogood during a 2000 performance in Newark. O&A file photo/Tim Hawk.
By Ryan Neave
Music to a bar or nightclub is what, say, George Thorogood is to Delaware. The two just go together.
For decades, music has lured people into Delaware bars and clubs, where a few adult beverages loosen inhibitions, allowing patrons to dance the nights away and order more rounds of drinks.
In Newark, the music scene has changed drastically over the years, particularly on Main Street.
Located downtown, smack in the middle of the University of Delaware, Main Street in the ’70s had a reputation for live music and plenty of stories about iconic bands and unforgettable performances, one of them being the aforementioned Thorogood and his Delaware Destroyers.
Over the decades, the street played host to a roster of rockin’ A-list bands, such as Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, The Allman Brothers, Dave Matthews, and Metallica.
These days, it’s performers like DJ Amaze and DJ Joey G who are getting the buzz. Still, while live bands have taken a backseat to DJs in Newark’s nightlife, and, while they are artists in their own right, nothing quite equals the beat of a drum or the shriek of a singer jamming out on stage.
Here’s a look at the two major venues on the college town’s Main Street.
Deer Park
Deer Park Tavern has long been a weekend go-to for students, offering entertainment and budget-friendly drinks. In the ’70s, local bands would perform in what’s now the “Back Bar” area on the first floor. Nowadays, Thursday “Pitcher Nights” feature drink specials and DJ sets instead of live bands.
Deer Park Manager Tone Stark, who has been with the company since 2012, has witnessed firsthand the decline of live bands over time. “Students tend to go with what is hip and cool,” says Stark.
He personally favors the cover band Chorduroy and wishes they had more performance dates lined up. “They were hands down the best band we have had in a long time,” says Stark. “They played for 10 years, but then the demand for bands started to decline after the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Red Crush is another cover band that would play regularly on Sunday years ago. Stark says the “Sunday Fundays” would feature brunch and live entertainment during the day, followed by Red Crush performing at night.
Vanylla Godzylla at the Deer Park Tavern.
DJ Souza, who started mixing at Deer Park last year, chalks up this change to taste in music. “We keep up with the latest trends and keep it relevant, something that bands today fail to do,” he says, adding that “old school rock music” is not nearly as popular with this generation of college students as pop and hip-hop music.
Ally, who occasionally comes out for the acoustic duo bands on Tuesday nights, sees the appeal of bands yet understands why they seem out of style these days. “I love live music, but DJs know exactly who their audience is and what they like,” she says.
Nick “Musky” Muscara, another loyal pitcher consumer, gets right to the core of the DJ-live band issue: DJs are cheaper. “With live entertainment, there are more production values being taken into account,” she says. “With DJs, technology has helped music become more artificial and ethereal and, in turn, enhanced.”
Rebbeca, 22, a senior at UD, cites social media as a contributing factor. “People like to hear the exact song that is trending at the moment, because social media platforms, most notably TikTok, make them popular,” she says.
Friday Nights at Deer Park are usually your best bet for finding a decent band. On these nights, you see mostly townies, and those students who enjoy the energy of a live band.
Becca, who is at Deer Park most Friday nights, says she likes bands because they “give audiences extra interaction with the artist, as opposed to a DJ, who gives only a little bit.”
Alexis Baldwin, lead singer of punk rock cover band CRASHOUT, is shocked at the lack of attention bands receive now. She attributes it to “It is a part of college culture today. The nightlife is party-oriented.”
“You have to be involved in it,” she says. “People like to drink, have fun and don’t care about what’s going on in the background.”
Klondike Kate’s
This is another historic spot that is a restaurant by day, a bar at night. Jamie McCardell, one of Kate’s managers, says things were different 15 years ago. “In 2010,” McCardell says, “there would be bands playing at least once every weekend because they managed to garner a following.”
Gianna, who hits both Deer Park and Kate’s, is torn. “DJs hype up current songs, which get people to dance,” she says, “but live bands, which I personally prefer, feature more classic songs, which get everyone singing and dancing just as much.”
A Dual Perspective
CRASHOUT performs at Rainbow Records.
Over at Rainbow Records, a popular Newark vinyl spot, Austen Morgan helps run the place while also playing in the local band Wings a Mile Long, which means he brings both perspectives to the issue.
Of DJs, he says,“The cost is cheap, and the artist plays exclusively hip hop/pop, which is the type of music this demographic is into today.” He adds that DJs have better control over the vibe, too, volume and all.
Austin says that if bands want to cater to the pop/hip hop lovers, they need serious technology. He calls it “backtracking,” where live music is layered with digital recordings to mimic the polished pop sound people expect now. It’s neither cheap nor easy.
Where to Find the Bands
Fortunately, the Main Street live music legacy is being kept alive — barely. You just need to know where to look.
Deer Park has bands typically playing every other Friday. Local bands perform covers of popular punk rock and classic rock songs, featuring but not limited to head-banging acts such as Myopia, Vanylla Godzylla, and Them Apples. Tuesdays are more chill, with the acoustic cover band The High Five Swan Dive Duo usually performing on those nights.
DJs such as Knick-Knax are currently dominating the Newark music scene.
At Klondike Kate’s, they have a local band periodically, such as Lucky Stone, and, if you’re feeling in the mood, Elektra Ryan, a Taylor Swift-impersonating drag performer and entertainer, performs occasionally.
Rainbow Records remains a venue to catch live music. Full Carbon Get Up, Lowball and Madska will be performing at Rainbow on August 1.
Newark Bike Project, located in the Newark Shopping Center, has become an unlikely live music host and will present a five-band, all-ages show on Aug. 1 as well as a benefit concert on Aug. 16 to benefit Kind to Kids.
And Newark’s oldest record store, Wonderland Records (founded 1972), presents live shows once or twice a month. Those shows are announced on Wonderland’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
So, are DJs dominating Main Street because of money, convenience, or the popularity and the trending status of the songs they play? It’s likely all three. DJs are cheaper, louder, and way more plugged into the TikTok-driven music scene than bands are.
