When Offering74 started out, we reached out to the owner Brian and let him know we could be available on short notice. He ended up doing that, if he had a band cancel for a show- he'd call us on a few hours notice and we'd show up. That built up some trust which eventually let us doing weekends with bands like Buzz Bomber and The M80's, who I loved.

I started at Cricket in the early 90’s doing open mics all the way to the last night in 08’. I also worked the door there, got stabbed at a Denver Joe show in 1999 and almost died!

The Cricket was the ultimate musical melting pot. You could get folk music one night, then King Rat and Wanker's punk rock act would take the stage the next night. On Sunday nights, they had an open stage hosted by Baggs Patrick who had a song called "Don't take my penis when you're gone". One particular Sunday night there was a guy who played simple notes on a keyboard kind of like the theme from "The Young And The Restless" and just screamed one thing "AH-AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!". On monday nights, they had a guy named Denver Joe. I only saw him once, and I'm sure others around here can offer a much more informed opinion regarding what he meant to that place.

The Cricket to me, was Denver's version of Mos Eisley. If you remember Star Wars, you'll get the refrence point.

The Cricket was in a time before the state of Colorado enacted it's ban on indoor smoking. They were exhibit A on why it passed.

I moved here from Sacramento and my first order of business was to find an open stage which was The Cricket. I also met alot of people who helped get my CD going through there.

This is what rock and roll was all about. A true dive bar classic, complete with sticky floors, stale cigarette aroma, darken interior, and even an 8 channel Peavy (only 4 channels worked) PA, installed in the wall, for bands to utilize. This was Joe C. Wails first stomping ground, lots of great shows with Offering74, Dame’s Rocket, etc… And who could forget the ending night announcement. “If you are not in the band or f*cking the band, you need to leave”. The sounds and memories still reverberate!

We were entering a major metal lull in Denver. Many of the old venues had shut down (I was told from mismanagement, such as owners snorting up their profits). And nationally metal music as a genre was still pushed underground by grunge and alternative music. Bands like Metallica and Pantera were outliers. We were a thrash metal band with some hardcore and death metal influences. There was no place for us in the scene, especially as outsiders. I had never lived in Colorado before, our guitarist had only lived in Denver since mid-'95, and our drummer was an 18-year-old from the Lyons area (we thought he was 21). I put promo packs together and sent them out, but nothing happened for many months. The only local metal bands I remember even playing at the time were Corruption and Skull Flux (who were more similar to a band like Tool than more traditional metal genres). Without a reputation and relationship with promoters, we didn't have a chance.

     It wasn't until February of 1997 that we had our first offer to perform, and it wasn't even in Denver. The best venue for metal music in the state until The Blitz Room opened was in Colorado Springs: Pure Energy Nightclub. We played our first two shows there, and met more Colorado metal bands through that venue than we did in Denver for the first two years we lived there. They actually had a metal scene. Denver did not. The previous one had pretty much dried up. It wasn't until mid-March of '97 that Denver offered us a show, and that was courtesy of Cricket On The Hill. It was a Tuesday night in a so-called battle of the bands, and we were the opener. It was a horrible day of the week, no one knew us, and we only had two friends in attendance. This was more of a glorified rehearsal for us than actually playing for anyone.

The Cricket was the most awesome little venue!! The majority of shows I played there was with Assassin. Brian the manager of the cricket was an absolute gem! If you did good and I mean bring in good numbers to the club it was probably the best paying gig in town! He treated us all very well! And he knew how to pour a shot, a shot at the cricket was a highball glass filled half full!

I slam danced to punk bands, swayed to Pink Floyd cover bands and moshed to straight up metal! Everyone who was anyone in the 80s and 90s Denver music scene played the Cricket.

Peace Love and Destruction had a gig there one spring evening, sometime in the mid 90s. Our crowd, known to be large and rowdy, showed up in force and filled the place, eagerly awaiting our set.

We loaded in, but the new guitar player showed up with no gear. (What would you expect, it's the Cricket!) He has pawned his gear earlier in the day. I was blown away. With years of experience under our belt, this has never happened. We called our ex-guitar player, Kenny Heil, to borrow his gear. Lucky for us, Kenny is a real good dude, and he brought his gear for our show.

We set up, blew the doors off the bar, and proceeded to get shitty drunk with our people after the set. What a night to remember! Needless to say, we began auditioning for a new guitar player the next day.

I got so drunk there one night I walked home half naked(no pants or underwear). I didn't realize I had no pants until I got home and looked for my keys.

I ran The "Barracuda Club" there, mid 90s featuring bands like Babihed, Buzz Bomber and the M-80's and Jeff Dahl. Those were some great times and let's not forget Dave Delacroix either!

Denver Joe stopped a guy from stealing my guitar once, kicked him out the front door and didn't spill a drop of his beer.

That, toilet cover.