JT's Limelight Comin' Down the Mountain

“The City of Escondido had their concerns, but I got verbal blessing from the city council and we’ll start with live music as soon as we finish work on the building,” says promoter Joe Troutman, whose Escondido nightclub, JT’s Limelight, is expected to open within the next few weeks. “They were worried about traffic and security.... I had an event booked for May 13, but it’s taking a while to transfer the liquor license from the Truly Yours [Family Restaurant] that was there for around 30 years. The license is still in escrow.”

Working with an Asian-based investor, this is Troutman’s first time operating his own venue, having previously run the Jumping Turtle (whose contentious history with San Marcos was frequent fodder for local press) and the Ramona Mainstage, which he booked from 2009 through last December. “It was tough to climb up the mountain to get there [Ramona], and the owner wasn’t giving me the support I needed to make it work,” says Troutman. “I wasn’t making any money.”

Troutman hopes to avoid past controversies, such as “pay-to-play” policies he’s been publicly criticized over. “That was mostly local punk bands who crucified me, but we’ll only do that for bands who open for national headliners. The main reason we require [opening acts] to sell tickets is so they actually push the show. That exposure, there’s a price for that. Any band that complains doesn’t deserve to be on the bill.”

Located at 2045 East Valley Parkway with a capacity of around 350 people, the Limelight’s stage is being built with a Carvin P.A. system and a 40-channel Crest mixing console purchased from the defunct Knitting Factory, while the bar and kitchen areas undergo remodeling. “The city was concerned about parking; there’s never enough, but most of their worries stem from hip-hop shows, which I’m not doing.”

Troutman plans karaoke one night a week, an open jam night, a locals-only band night, and headline acts every weekend. “My bartenders are Carnifex drummer Shawn Cameron and Hellsott singer Eric Dell. For music, I’ve already booked Iron Maiden’s former singer Paul Di’Anno, Green Jellÿ, Forbidden, Pagan Fest, Pat Travers, David Allan Coe, and local bands such as As I Lay Dying, Chaotic Order, and Cage.”

The venue is unrelated to the Limelight chain that once thrived in NYC and elsewhere. “From what I read on Wikipedia, they had some drug issues or something going on, and they all ended up closing.”