As a reference for touring bands we are attempting to create a library of reviews of the venues we have played. Most of these venues are in and around the Baltimore area. We attempt to review the venues from the perspective of a performing band (sound, environment, staff, money situation, etc.) For more specific information CONTACT US

Sinix Rock Club reviewed by Nikc Miller
525 Eastern Blvd
Essex, MD 21221
sinixrox.com

Listen To DMFS Live at Sinix

Pros: Good chance you will be playing music for people who appreciate seeing new live music. Big stage, decent sound system.

Cons: No bar tab. You might have an inexperienced soundguy.

Sinix (formerly Mac’s) is the kind of venue that you hate to book because it’s not in the city. But once you play the show you rethink your whole approach to booking gigs. The venue is an enigma. City media outlets won’t report on your show because it’s out of their jurisdiction (or because they’re just snobs, who knows?) Yet there is a dedicated built-in crowd on the weekends, and a pretty decent amount of people stroll through on the weekdays too. The built-in crowd is not something that comes naturally to Baltimore. Most popular music venues in the city will be completely empty on nights where there is not a major act on stage. But once you get out into the working class neighborhoods, the spot is the spot, no matter who is playing.The added bonuses of Sinix are the huge stage, the great sound system, and the feeling that you stepped into a time machine and landed at some cool rock club called “The Emporium” in the late 1980′s.

While the PA is great for the level of venue, the sound can be a little bit spotty. At the time of this review, we’ve played Sinix three times (twice when it was still Mac’s). Twice it sounded awesome, and the soundguys were very responsive to what we were doing. The other time we had a soundguy who for some reason didn’t turn up our lead guitar at all, despite explaining our setup beforehand and repeated requests during the set.

The times we’ve played at Sinix there was no band tab (pretty cheap if you ask me), but they were fair and gave us all of the door money. Odds are, a show at Sinix is not going to be a great payday. But if you believe in “respect-bucks” you can expect the locals to get pretty excited if you do something original. They will come up and tell you how awesome you are if they like you. I imagine they will tell you how much they hate you if they think you suck. At a place like Sinix neither response translates into very much in merch sales but it is a great feeling to play for a responsive crowd.