Note-worthy in Plymouth: Hollywood East Promotions

Beyond the Guru Grille restaurant’s neat rows of candle-lit tables is a small concert venue, packed with people of all ages who are enjoying the local sounds provided by Hollywood East Promotions.

The Plymouth-based booking and promotions company was founded by four local musicians in 2009. Not long after its establishment, the entrepreneurs formed a partnership with Guru, seeing its 2,500 square foot concert area as a way to reach a local audience that previously had to travel to Boston for similar entertainment.

Now, two years later, Dan Maloney, Hollywood East’s booking manager, said his company recruits local bands and musicians to play in the Guru Room Friday and Saturday nights. While the style of the bands covers everything from reggae to rock to bluegrass, Maloney said the unique entertainment is nothing like what a Plymouth resident would typically see around town.

“We provide original entertainment to the community, which is different from cover bands or acoustics acts, which you normally see at a bar,” he said. “That is fine, but if you’re looking to see a smaller venue, almost like a Boston-type venue, which is going to bring you original entertainment, we are going to be able to do that for you.”

However, Maloney stresses that Guru’s entertainment is different from many Boston locations in that it is not a “potpourri venue.” In other words, a music-seeker is not going to come to a Guru show and see a heavy metal band, followed by a reggae artist.

In order to give bands the maximum exposure as well as give fans the best show possible, Maloney said the booking company pairs three to five bands per night that complement each other’s musical styles.

“The shows I put together here are basically one type of music that’s going to flow through the evening,” he said. “It gives bands the opportunity to network through each other and make fans off each other. That’s what it’s all about.”

Andy Allerdt, a musician from the band Manifest Tomorrow, said the ability to perform for fans of bands with similar sounds is why he has come back to play at Guru twice.

“It’s cool because there are a lot of different bands and you get the crowd from those four different bands,” he said before last weekend’s show. “People tend to hang around so you get to see other people who have never heard your music before and whether they are into it or not.”

More than anything, the music-lovers who founded Hollywood East want to give the community access to local sounds, but also provide musicians with the means to showcase their talents and passions.

Kevin Schmidt, the bass player for Beggars Would Ride, which performed at Guru last weekend, says the venue was a much needed change from the dive bars where he and his band usually play. Like a true passionate musician, all Schmidt wanted from the night was to see people dance.

“We play some blues music and we’re trying to get people’s feet moving, so as long as we see feet tapping and people enjoying the music we’re happy,” he said. “That’s all we go for.”