Plenty of room for improvement
by Michael Bull
To deny the appeal of the Liberty Lounge is like denying the beauty of your slightly stupid first-born child. While yes, they are a little slow, with great tenderness and affection they can transcend a life of mediocrity and live
Photo by James Paton. The stage of the Liberty Lounge is more often empty than it is populated by bands.
a life among exploding stars. That might be a little overly dramatic, but the truth is still there. While people do show up, most nights are on the slow side. To compete with venues at both the University of Calgary and SAIT, the Liberty Lounge has its work cut out, but with an expansion in the works, who knows what will happen. As evidenced by the survey below, people do love the Liberty Lounge, but when you love something, you always try to make it just that much better.
Pauline Korbel, a student at Mount Royal, has some ideas to improve the bar. “They should have Bombay on tap and try to get rid of the stank,” she says. While the on-tap Bombay might be wishful thinking, a few comments around the water cooler have been that the bar does have a particular odour, one not unlike stale beer and sweat. To be fair, most bars have that very same odour, and it tends to be far worse at other places.
Alice Korbel, sister of Pauline, puts in her own two cents.
“The problem I have is with the music. I don’t really see shows here and maybe if they had some good bands or really good DJs I would come, but right now I don’t really have any interest. Also, the theme nights that they have here tend to be really generic, so maybe some more original themes would bring in a larger crowd. Plus, when I get drunk I like to eat food, and there isn’t any.”
Interestingly enough, the Liberty Lounge, once upon a time, did serve food complete with a menu and pseudo-waitresses who came to your table. A steak sandwich and a pint used to be called the “After School Special” and it could be purchased for $6, which is tabout the same price as a pint on its own. However, that was when you could smoke inside and drink on the patio, so the good came with the bad. Next year, as previously mentioned, they plan on expanding the bar and putting in a kitchen, so with any luck that will attract some attention.
Unfortunately, no one involved with the upper ranks of student government would comment to The Reflector, so we took the issue directly to the Liberty Lounge’s patrons.
How often do you visit the Liberty Lounge?
50% – All the time, I’m drunk right now
25% – Twice a week
13% – Once a week
12% – Rarely
Do you usually go during the night or during the day?
75% – Day
25% – Both
Do you remember the last band you saw at the Liberty Lounge? If you haven’t seen one, explain why.
1. I haven’t. A guy I used to be in a band with played here recently…other than that I don’t hear much about shows here.
2. Haven’t seen one, I’m assuming they’re here at night when I’m not.
3. I saw some jazz guys playing here once.
Do you go to shows at the Gateway (SAIT) or the University of Calgary?
75% – No
25% – Yes
Why do you think the Lib is less popular than its competition?
1. Open at 11! I personally would only drink here if I were already on campus. I like the staff and the atmosphere – HATE CHONGOS.
2. The past year, the music has raped my ears…loud and crappy music i.e. gangsta gangsta.
3. They don’t serve food? Beats me, the Lib is awesome.
If there were notable bands that came on a semi-frequent basis would you go?
50% – Yes
38% – Probably
12% – If my friend’s band played here I would be here all the time.
Is there anything the Liberty Lounge can do to attract a larger clientele?
1. More bands, advertise more, food/apps here, patio, bigger drink selection (girlie drinks to bring in girls, martinis).
2. Better specials, free pool times/foosball
3. Better drink specials
Isn’t beer amazing?
100% – Yes
