Reviews & Media

 "MUSICIAN'S BAR" - A HISTORIC HAUNT (from: the OSU "Lantern" newspaper (4/29/03)

With its museum atmosphere, the Dolphin Lounge scores with patrons ~ by John Ross

The drive out to the Dolphin Lounge can be lonely, at least at night anyway.  A relatively uneventful drive southeast from campus down Interstate 71, merging onto Interstate 670 toward the airport - one quick left and another quick right off of state Route 62 east and pull off at 345 Agler Road - the lounge is situated where many blues lounges have been built historically: close to travel, accessible from many ways, implying a sense of transience and passing and loss.  So the attitude of the Dolphin Lounge then is somewhat surprising: reeking of character and personality grounded in a collection of local history, legend and myth that has combined the traditional decor of the blues lounge with a homemade collection of kitschy memorabilia, like TGI-Friday's but without all the effort and the irony.  Which is not to say that the Dolphin Lounge is corny or out-dated, only that it has kept- desperately at times- many things which so many others have lost.  A place like the Dolphin is a kind of relic, a cultural museum, a time capsule of memorabilia.

"We don't change much," jokes owner Nancy Ebright from behind one of Columbus' last old-style sunken bars.  "We get people in here who come in after so many years and smile and say, 'Oh, you haven't changed a bit,'" she says, pouring a "Famous Dolphin Drink," which she says with another laugh is some pineapple juice and a lot of liquor.  Ebright, "Dolphin" to her friends, is the lounge's matriarch, a warm, quick-witted businesswoman who thirty years ago transformed the bankrupt Dante's into a bastion for local music in central Ohio.  For the nubile, aspiring musician this offers a crucial stepping stone on the tough and rigorous road that even the smallest success involves.

  "What's cool about this place is that there are always open stages," says Peter Conrad, a longtime Dolphin patron and the six year host of the Saturday night rock 'n' roll jam session.  The calendar is filled with these open stage opportunities.  In fact, the business cards advertise "Open Stages 5 Nights a Week w/Hosts & Rhythm Sections."  There are rock 'n' roll Saturday nights. Open stage Wednesdays. Acoustic open stage Thursday nights.  "The Dolphin rocks," claims Amy Comer, a bartender punctuating her claims with two devil-horned fists.  "There is a lot of great music that comes through here, and I like being a part of that."  "For the most part, it's a musician's bar," insists Conrad. "I've seen bands form here that are playing all over Columbus."  Indeed, members of Watershed have tried out new material to the eager Dolphin crowd before taking the songs elsewhere under their real name.  Members of the Decals, an eight piece band who played Friday night, came together over a series of Saturday night jam sessions hosted by Conrad.

  To a generation of students surrounded by fast-paced culture, the traditional blues lounge may be somewhat of an oddity - a strange relic from a period punctuated by an aesthetic of dim lighting and velour curtains, gold-plated lava lamps and bars trimmed with over-stuffed brown leather.  Even the carpet seems oddly out of place. It is a bar that begs questions about the precarious state of blues music itself, as blues bands of all types begin to play to smaller and smaller audiences, parts of a blues scene that has largely been eradicated from campus and replaced in many other previous strongholds held in the past.  It begs questions about the place of blues lounges and where the lounge scene went.  "Commercials are fast-paced. TV is fast-paced. Man, everything now is fast-paced; maybe kids are looking for that," pondered Conrad.  "It doesn't seem they want something this laid-back." 
  ~ The Dolphin Lounge, is located at 345 Agler Road, Gahanna, OH 43230

George Harrison Tribute Concert ~ Dec. 5, 2002

 A year has passed since we lost the Quiet Beatle, but George's legacy speaks louder in death than it did in life.  Riding a fresh wave of George-related media intrigue (along with the November release of his last solo album, "Brainwashed") , local singer-songwriter Peter Conrad will spearhead this Harrison tribute, featuring electric and acoustic covers of old tunes and spirited group song-alongs of "My Sweet Lord" and "All You Need Is Love".  Conrad will also unveil his own tribue tune, "Goodbye George".  All proceeds go to the Columbus Cancer Clinic & Wellness Community.  
   ~ R.H. / The Other Paper - Dec. 5 -11, 2002

George Harrison Tribute -
8pm in the Thirsty Ear Tavern, 1200 W. 3d Ave. (614) 299-4987
  This benefit for the Columbus Cancer Clinic will be split into acoustic and electric halves.  The acoustic portion will feature Collette Marie, Dan Orr, Tim Stridsberg, Colin John, Jerry Flaherty, Mike McGannon w/ Jack Wilce and Jim Volk.  The electric half: the Peter Conrad Band and Delyn Christian & the DCB.  Also expect an all-participant' singalong of "My Sweet Lord" & "All You Need is Love", a trivia contest and an auction.  Admission is $7:00 at the door.   
   ~ The Columbus Dispatch, Music Section - Dec. 5, 2002

"Dec. 31 Parties Will Rock In The Final Year Of The Century" 

The Peter Conrad Band  ~ The Thirsty Ear, 1200 W. 3rd Ave (614) 299-4987     
Dec. 31 is just another night as far as the Thirsty Ear Tavern is concerned.
No cheap champagne or confetti canon, just solid classic rock and blues covers,
peppered with originals by the Peter Conrad Band. 
Admission is $2.50 - doors open at 6:30pm.
  ~ Aaron Beck, The Columbus Dispatch - Dec. 17, 1998

 ~ Saturday May 7, 2005 (2nd gig at the Cavern)
Hi Peter,
Consider it booked.  Saturday 7th May 2pm Room 1.  Look forward to meeting you. 
Take care, Steve 
 ~  e-mail from the Cavern Clubs new booking manager - March 12, 2005

<> "Peter Conrad & Two Of Us were excellent" - RD Davis ~ McKinney, TX

<> "I thought the Peter Conrad Group & Bad Dates were great! Bring them both back next year" - Rick Daniels ~ Louisville, KY

<> "I had an absolutely wonderful time at this years AROTR. I especially liked The Backwards, Yellow Submorons, Mario DaSilva, Peter Conrad & Two Of Us. Hopefully they will all be back next year" - anonymous ~ Louisville, KY
 <> "This is the first time we caught Blue Meanies, Peter Conrad, Instant Karma and all were awesome" - Nancy, Mike & Mike ~ Cincinnati, OH
 <> "So many fond memories in such a short time. While for most the magic happens on stage, it was backstage that held special memories for me . . .having Peter & the Traveling Beatleburys show me that illusive chord in "Handle With Care" - Andy, All You Need Is Love ~ Belleville, ON
 <> "It was a hugh thrill to be a part of the "Concert For George". I am still on a high from being a Wilbury. Thank You Lisa! Thanks to Peter Conrad for joining us to honor George" - Sam Pellegrino ~ Greencastle, PA
 <> "To Peter Conrad my new brother and the rest of the Traveling Beatleburys, you guys are simply the best people on the planet" - Phil Berube ~ Sutton, MA

<> After hearing "Goodbye George" in Cleveland, OH, at AROTR `03, Liverpudlian & former Beatles promoter Sam Leach said that the song was "excellent and very poignant". (8/03)