I think you’ll agree with me that Valpo is a town that loves its live music. Whether it’s a solo acoustic act while dining el fresco, jamming out at Radius, or catching a great band at Central Park Plaza…. Valpo loves its music scene. Today, you’ll learn Valpo’s top music venues.
If you didn’t catch our first two segments of this three-part series, this might be a good time to do it. Here are the links…. pure entertainment! Make sure you’re connected to a good sound system.
Cool Car…No Boundaries
For today’s blog, we welcome back our talented local musicians, Marco Villarreal, Steve Ball, and Chad Clifford. They perform live while cruising Valpo’s downtown. You’ll also hear them discuss Valpo’s past, present and future… hang on!
Just watch our musical guest perform a Beatles classic… while driving in Valpo.
You’ll take a drive with our musicians as they cover the Beatles while driving around Valpo in a 2019 Ram Truck. The video is as fun as it is entertaining.
When the music stops, a spirited conversation takes over. This trio discusses Valpo’s music heritage and why Valparaiso’s past musicians and promoters set the stage for Valpo’s cool music scene.
We finish the blog with a little love for our sponsor, Griegers Motors in Valparaiso. We’ll review the remarkable Alpine sound system that came in the 2019 Ram Truck our musicians drove.
Steve Ball chimes in and shares his thoughts of the Ram’s over-the-top sound system. More on that later.
Discover the best joints for live music, food, wine and beer…
People from Northwest Indiana and Chicago love coming to Valpo for its culture and entertainment. For people that love listening to live music while enjoying innovative cuisine, Valparaiso is the place to be.
On any given Friday, you might walk into Don Quijote for authentic Spanish cuisine and wine…and catch guitar virtuoso Marco Villarreal performing in this intimate setting.
Call me biased, but that’s extraordinary! A world-class restaurant and a world-class musician, I’ll put Valpo’s culture up against any large cultural center, including Indianapolis, Chicago, and New York.
Central Park Plaza…Big time stage for big-time bands.
Every year, Valpo Events team attracts national acts that perform at the Central Park Plaza. Perhaps equally impressive is the list of chart-topping bands Valpo attracts to Northwest Indiana. Just look at the long list of impressive bands that have booked recently, including Soul Asylum, Cracker, the Bodines and the Spin Doctors.
Valparaiso’s Top Music Venues
Radius-Valpo
Duffys
Don Quijote Restaurante
Blue Point Oyster & Sushi Bar
Meditrina Cafe
Furin Japanese Restaurant & Grill
Summer Concert Series
Franklin House
Popcorn Festival
Elements Wine Bar
Lincoln Flats
Aftermath
Martini’s
Front Porch Music
Tommy B’s Clubhouse
Zao Island
Tall Tree-Blues Project
Jazz Festival- Harre Union
Duesenberg Recital Hall -Valparaiso University
Valpo Velvet
Parea
Setting the stage for our music video
We let our musicians decide which vehicle would work best for our music video.
When we asked Marco Villarreal and Steve Ball if they had a preference of which Griegers vehicle they wanted to use for the Valpo music video, Ball mentioned they would need something big, with strong acoustic values. Grieger’s digital manager, Justin Carlson, recommended the Ram Truck with the Alpine sound system.
The 2019 Ram 1500 definitely fits Steve’s criteria. The new Ram 1500 is huge. You would never know how much interior room this truck has by looking at it.
Back in November, we reviewed the 2019 Ram 1500 with Kevin Pazour from the Porter County Museum. Kevin was amazed by the Ram’s spacious back seat. Kevin is a big guy. He was in awe by the legroom of the newly designed Ram.
The 2019 Ram 1500 was certainly big enough for the video, but would it be too loud? After all, we were using the interior of the truck as a moving sound studio?
Let’s face it, despite all the refinements and comforts, the new Ram is still a rugged, American truck–known for toughness, powerful engines and do anything, go-anywhere attitude. Would the throaty-sound of a powerful Hemi V-8 drown-out our musician’s guitars and voices?
To my surprise, the acoustic treatments developed by Ram’s sound engineers absorbed exterior noise, while enhancing the wide frequency of the guitars and voices of our musicians. The acoustics were impressive and made the Ram a great choice for our music video.
The real question– Can the Ram’s sound system and acoustics recreate the feeling of attending a live concert in Central Park… Valpo’s ultimate music venue?
The ultimate music venue? A 2019 Ram Truck?
I think you will agree with me when I say that people spend more time listening to music in their cars, SUVs, and trucks than they do at home. Between commuting and driving the kids around, a music fan needs a good sound system.
Is it a stretch to say a vehicle’s sound system is a music venue? Maybe! But when a sound system creates the authentic sound of a live concert, it just might deserve consideration.
To review the Ram’s Alpine sound system, we turn to our guest musician, Steve Ball. Steve is uniquely qualified to review sound and can be counted on to make anything entertaining.
Asking Steve Ball to review a sound system gets as authentic as it gets.
When you ask Steve Ball his honest opinion, you get it! Good or bad, Steve doesn’t pull punches.
I know Steve has an appreciation for Griegers support for the music community, but his endorsement for the Ram’s Alpine sound system would need to be earned.
I knew Steve was impressed by the Ram’s comfort and acoustic design, but when it comes to making claims that this sound system can replicate a live music venue, it would need to be remarkable.
When you ask Steve Ball his honest opinion, you get it!
As a musician known for his ability to play nearly every instrument, Steve is uniquely qualified to judge sound. As a studio mixer, he knows what to look for in acoustics and sound reproduction.
Will the Ram 1500 Pickup’s sound system replicate the authenticity of live music performance?
As a sound enthusiast, I knew Alpine was one of the best sound-systems available. But I was still concerned a big American truck would be too loud. I mentioned my concerns to Justin Carlson.
Carlson pinged me a recent Motor Trend Truck of the Year review.
According to Motor Trend, The single greatest improvement in how the Ram 1500 drives on the road are in the way it rides, which was already comfortable. The Ram 1500 now rides like a big SUV in the best way possible. Even without the optional air suspension, the Ram floats over bumps big and small without any impact harshness or gut jiggle. Only on the biggest bumps do you get secondary body motions, but even those are dispatched fairly quickly.
APLINE® premium sound system
The Alpine system was custom built for the Ram Truck. The 7.1 Surround Sound Systems audio performance really impressed Ball.
The Ram design philosophy allows engineers to factor in the known acoustics of the vehicle and the location of the listeners’ ears. This creates a highly controlled sonic experience.
As a music and sound fanatic, I’ve come to learn that acoustics and speaker placement can be as significant as the equipment itself.
According to “Top10 Reviews“, the Alpine’s frequency accuracy tests is overall the best.
Steve Ball agreed and said the system delivered music similar to a musician’s original mix. The sound reproduction was impressive. High praise indeed!
The 2019 Ram’s Alpine sound-system. Our musician puts it to the test!
So it’s showtime! It’s the finale! I asked Steve to give me his honest opinion, what sounds better than a Ram 1500 with the Alpine sound-system? Steve’s response, “a 2019 Ram 1500 with the Alpine sound-system… parked inside my garage”
I should have known!
Encore Performance! The Alpine is also available on select Jeep Wranglers.
Visit Grieger’s for an Alpine sound test- Ask for select models of 2019 Ram and Jeep Wrangler.
To learn more or schedule your Griegers evaluation- click here.
That’s a wrap!
So there you have it. Valpo’s top music venues. On behalf of our musical guests, we hope you had fun taking a look at our cool music scene, bands, musicians, and venues. Special thanks to Griegers Motors in Valpo for providing the 2019 Ram Truck and 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We couldn’t have been more impressed.
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By Jim Jano Janesheski
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