Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Marsh.
Hi Chris, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I opened my first honky-tonk, the Mean Eyed Cat in the fall of 2004. It was/and still is, completely dedicated to the “Man in Black” Johnny Cash and to Cut-Rite Chainsaws, the chainsaw repair shop for 62 years prior. My love for classic-country music (particularly Johnny Cash) started when I was a little boy. My dad would play my twin brother and I Johnny Cash records all the time. The “Mean Eyed Cat” song was his version of a dinner bell. When he wanted my brother and I to come in and eat, he would crank “Mean Eyed Cat” and that was our signal to get on home. After my father passed years later, it seemed only fitting that “Mean Eyed Cat” would somehow be the starting point to opening my first business in Austin, Texas. After a decade of slinging Lone Stars and country music every night, I sold Mean Eyed Cat in 2013 to some great Austin folks and decided to go “feral” and create a traveling version of my now legendary venue. With an idea of re-creating authentic Texas honky-tonkin’ all over the great state of Texas, I focused my attention on the fantastic country icon Buck Owens, specifically on my favorite song of his called “Hello Trouble.” I bought a brand new 20-foot deckover trailer, collected as much reclaimed lumber as I could find, scooped up gallons of red, white, and blue paint, and dipped deeply into my 1970s collection of classic-country memorabilia, and created “Hello Trouble Hall,” the world’s one and only Travelin’ Honky-Tonk.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve taken Hello Trouble Hall to every corner of Texas in the past five years. Yes, there have been some smooth roads, bumpy roads, dirt roads (lots of dirt roads), and vast highways, but every event I un-hitch at is an adventure full of fun, great people, and talented musicians.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Although its main job is a mobile honky-tonk venue, Hello Trouble Hall is first and foremost a piece of my art. Just like the Mean Eyed Cat, I had a deep-down urge to show people what my version of Texas honky-tonking looks and sounds like. I crave authenticity, down to the bumperstickers on the front door. I also crave uniqueness, something that people have never seen before. That is the ultimate compliment.
Any big plans?
Hello Trouble Hall is still relatively a new business. So many people have yet to experience walking up the front steps and bellying up to the bar for a drink and a Charlie Rich song. My goal for the future is to pull it to as many cool events, festivals, and parties as I can, and to get as many people to experience a night of proper honky-tonkin’ in a location that they never imagined. Maybe a fleet of honky-tonks? Who knows!
Pricing:
- Range: $2400-3000/4 hrs
Contact Info:
- Website: hellotroublehall.com
- Instagram: hellotroublehall
