Bill Wood has been around casinos and music most of his career. When he took over management of the Crystal Bay Casino in 2004, he had a vision. He wanted to bring talent that was different from what other casinos were offering. He wanted to move away from the casino lounge act scene and create an updated music scene. He connected with Brent Harding who was living in Truckee at the time and had booked bands in Memphis, Tenn. They created a partnership that would forever change Tahoe’s music scene.
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“I believe our audience wants to hear bands that haven’t hit it big yet. Many of the bands we book are free shows and smaller bands that have broken out yet and touring bands that are a more well known.”
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Passionate about music since he was a kid, Wood managed a bar during college and booked its talent. He eventually found himself in the gaming industry.
“Our first show in 2004 was Jon Cleary who was Bonnie Raitt’s keyboard player,” says Wood. He also mentions greats like Leon Russell and Dicky Betts who have passed through the doors of the Crystal Bay Casino in those early days of reinventing the CBC’s music scene.
Harding and Wood continue to book talent. In addition to many well-known bands and musicians that perform, the CBC tends to book bands no one has heard of.
“Jackie Green and Avett Brothers were free shows at CBC and now play to large audiences,” explains Wood. “Trombone Shorty, Gary C. Clarke, Lake Street Dive and The Suffers played the CBC before they broke out,” he adds.
“I am a fan of jam bands. I am a fan of Grace Potter. I tried to get her for years and when we did, she blew the roof off the place,” adds Wood.
CBC to expand Crown Room
The Crown Room currently has a capacity of 160 people. That’s about to change during the first two weeks of June when the Crown Room gets a makeover, the booths will be removed, as well as the small satellite bar, and new floors are being installed. This will open up the space and increase the Crown Room’s capacity to 750. This move will enable the CBC to draw bands that require more space while still retaining their intimacy and quality of sound.
“A lot of it has to do with the changing music industry. We’ve moved from vinyl to eight track, and cassettes, to CDs, downloads and now streaming. Artists are making hardly anything in the way of money from streaming, so they need to tour more and sell merchandise,” explains Wood.
The Red Room and Crown Room offer both free and ticketed shows.
“I believe our audience wants to hear bands that haven’t hit it big yet. Many of the bands we book are free shows and smaller bands that have broken out yet and touring bands that are a more well known,” he adds.
Harding and Wood are constantly searching for new and upcoming music and what’s going on around the country. Harding keeps tabs on Memphis while Wood has his pulse on his Texas connections. In addition, agents approach them about bands they manage coming through the area.
Fundraiser features food, music
On July 8 and 9 the Crystal Bay Casino is hosting a charity fundraiser for pediatric brain cancer. A team of chefs from New Orleans will take over the steak house on Friday night and Saturday the party rolls out to the parking lot where the chefs will prepare a Cochon de Lait (marinated pig roasted in a pit and served in numerous ways such as on a platter or in a po-boy). In addition, a host of local bands will perform, and stay tuned as plans for a well-known funk band to headline the event will be announced soon.
Passionate about music, Wood continues to help the Tahoe music scene evolve and grow.
If you love good music and want to get your groove on, CBC is one of the hot spots to hear new music.
For more information about entertainment, visit crystalbaycasino.com.
May 13 | The Magic Beans
May 14 | The Last Revel
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May 21 | Drop Theory, Groove Foundry & Disco Terrorist
