With over a dozen years of experience in marketing and event planning local music fan, Vincent Do is bringing his passion for EDM and Hip Hop to the OC with a new concept for a music-themed bar/restaurant known as the Audio Bar.
However, this won’t just be your average music oriented dive bar. According to Do, the Audio Bar will set itself apart from other supposed music themed bars, with its structure and set up. It will be home to future record release parties, meet and greets, secret shows, DJ sets from major artists, and even music trivia nights. Do says that the concept for the Audio Bar is based on a newer version of the Hard Rock Cafe for millennials and fans of EDM and Hip-Hop. “We want the Audio to be a place that feels like a bar, and a club at the same time, but for true music fans,” Do says.
Not only with patrons get to hang out over adult beverages and food, but the Audio Bar will contain special interactive music listening stations. “Just like record stores back in the day, the Audio Bar is inspired by a place I used to go to a lot, called CD listening Bar in Irvine,” Do says. “The listening stations will be movable on wheels, with I-Pad interfaces. We will curate the playlist of all types of genres every few months to change the music up.”
Do says the Audio Bar will feature memorabilia from some EDM and Hip-Hop artists like Daft Punk, Steve Aoki and Lil Wayne on its walls, and will require staff members to be well versed in all genres of music, but especially EDM and Hip Hop. “We want the Audio Bar to be a place where people not only congregate to listen to music but also to socialize with other music fans,” Do says. “We want people to come in, hang out and order food or drinks and listen to music and meet other people into the same music.”
Plans are projected to open The Audio Bar in or near Costa Mesa, by 2019. But, the project is in its initial stage, a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. “It’s not going to be cheap to open this bar,” Do says. “ Our target is to raise between 450,000 and 600,000 dollars, every dollar raised will go to opening costs, this is all about funding.”
So far, over $20,000 dollars have been raised, but the first stage goes until June 20th, so there’s still time to contribute, and the funding will go in phases. Do says that there are some cool perks for various donations, including shirts, beer mugs, VIP Passes for opening night and other swag.
In terms of the menu and food the Audio Bar will offer, according to Do, this is also in the planning stages. But Do assures the food will surpass the typical bar food, adding that there is a possibility of collaboration with a Hip-Hop legend. “ The rapper Coolio is a personal friend, but one thing people don’t know is that while music is his first passion, cooking is his second passion,” Do says. “He has his own online cooking show called Cooking with Coolio. He really believes in our concept, and he’s hinted he might want to be involved in our menu.”
Do says that his passion for music, marketing events, and the nightlife are what keep him going. “I am bringing home everything I learned in this industry, I appreciate everyone in the OC who has donated and helped me along the way. We look forward to the opening of the Audio Bar.”
For more information, visit www.audiobaroc.com, or search Audio Bar OC on Facebook and Instagram. To donate to the Crowdfunding Campaign, click here.
Alex Distefano is an established freelance writer and music blogger from the Los Angeles area. With over a dozen years under his belt as a published Journalist, he covers the worlds of heavy metal music, punk rock, current events, cannabis culture, comedy, radio, food, tattoos, the paranormal, and ‘conspiracy theories.’ He graduated from California State University Long Beach in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in both Journalism and Ancient History. Aside from his professional writing endeavors, Distefano works as an Educator, and delivery/rideshare driver.