'The Roar of L'Amour'

I AM IN OWNER MEETINGS - More than a DJ and I meet Mike Tramp  

When I was approached to come to L'Amour in Brooklyn, it was partially due my DJ skills, personality and knowledge of the scene, music and up-coming bands.

The owners were all great guys, but none were "metalheads" and the progression from disco to rock to hard rock to metal, began to take them out of their knowledge base.

I was 22 years old the day I started at L'Amour.

To the owners, I represented the crowd they were started to attract and looking to expand to.

The owners asked if I would sit in on their weekly meetings, so they could pick my brain.

They said I was "more than a DJ"

I asked, "how much extra, do I get?" and 4 decades later, I am still waiting for a response.

The meetings were weird, I should not have been there.

They spent 10 minutes discussing possible bands and ideas and the rest of the meeting I wasn't allowed to hear.

I understood that part, but why take 2 hours out of my life each week for 10 minutes of talking about bands/music?

I know it was the 80's, but we had fn phones!

One early meeting took place in George (owners)home in Staten Island.

When it got to the part of the meeting I was not allowed to hear, George goes "Chuck, go talk to Tramp".

"Tramp" was Mike Tramp, who (at the time) was staying with George while White Lion was in the early stages.

George, his brother Mike and a man by the name of Rich Sanders (he booked our nationals) were managing White Lion.

I go to see Tramp and we start talking music.

I knew Vito Bratta (guitarist) since 1980, but this was the first time talking in-depth to Mike.

We hit it off and later I found out that he told George and Mike to "give me the keys to the car" - no, not their Cadillacs, but he meant more say in the future of L'Amour ... and they did.

Once I stopped going to meetings, I would get calls with band suggestions and give George or Mike my estimate on how many people I thought they would draw.

They would take that guestimate and figure out if the night was worth it or not.

This wasn't every band, the owners knew Manowar, WASP, Slayer, etc., but the lesser-known bands that the non-metalhead owners weren't familiar with.

I was usually spot-on and that built a trust with the owners that I had a business sense as well as music knowledge.

Early on, I would recommend local bands as opening acts for national touring bands.

Once early example was WASP returned to the venue, and I suggested Overkill (who were not yet on vinyl).

I explained that both were hi-energy theatrical live experiences and that since Overkill was more "thrash". they would bring in some people that might have been on-the-fence about paying to see WASP.

The evening was a huge success and a few months later I brought guitarist Bobby Gustafson to hang out with WASP guitarist Randy Piper in Manhattan and ... err ... it was a blast!

The club asked me in summer of 85 to take over all "local bands" and listen to all demo tapes and review press kits.

I got a slight bump in pay, not enough to make it worth my time, but I saw it as a way to build a bigger power base since I was 'more than a DJ'.

I was the conduit and gatekeeper for the top metal club in the country.

You are a local metalhead and want to play the biggest metal club in the US, you have to know Chuck Kaye now.

I was omnipresent in the scene.

Bands had to go through me to play and when you went to the club, it was my voice you heard, my programming and me hosting and playing MC.

The success of my addition to the booking team and growing popularity as a DJ/VJ/Host/MC led L'Amour to offer me my own nights (as a way to give me more money instead of a raise).

At the time I had a catchphrase that was catching on.

I would say "Ah Yes Indeed" a lot without realizing it.

My buddy and back-up DJ Alex Kayne (who still DJ's metal in large venues and concert halls) brought it to my attention one night and I said I will call my new promotion company "AYI Entertainment" (Ah Yes Indeed)

I eventually promoted close to 60 nights a year and on the nights, I promoted, I ran the ' club.

Rarely was an owner present.

The amount of respect the club gave me was huge and I didn't take that responsibility lightly.

I hired Dave Gizzo, who gained notoriety on WSOU to DJ (so I can be free to run the night) and Pete Lomenzo to work the box-office.

I trusted both immensely

Representing the owners, were two of Frank Failace (owner) sons in Mike (RIP) and Frank Jr.

My nights gained popularity and along with my numerous press appearances (KRock, WSOU, MTV, VH1, Details, Faces, Hit Parader, New Yorker, etc.) I was the voice and face of the biggest metal venue in the world.

I guess Mike Tramp saw the future when he told the owners to "give me the keys", because eventually I had actual keys and cemented I was "more than a DJ"

So much so they he nicknamed me "The Roar of L'Amour".

Chuck Kaye

Ah Yes Indeed

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