Ottawa Tavern to host a ‘takeover’

Rob Courtney, left, and Brian Gross-Bias of Little Elephant Recording.

The folks at Little Elephant Recording will invade Ottawa Tavern this weekend but it's not a hostile takeover.

The Friday and Saturday event hosted by the 1817 Adams St. club is a way for the Rossford recording and video studio to showcase bands and draw attention to it's unique business model.

For about two years the studio operated by Rob Courtney and Brian Gross-Bias has recorded local and national bands. But the owners had a realization that led to a change in their approach: Due to the low cost of recording technology, studios like theirs are ubiquitous not only in Toledo, but all over the country.

Looking for a different niche, they started Little Elephant Live, which provides high-end performance videos for bands at their studio, where they still record various acts. The result is unadorned professional-quality glimpses of bands doing what they do best -- playing music. An additional plus is that the sound of the recordings is top-notch and far better than a standard Youtube clip.

Their Web site is Littleelephantlive.com.

Friday and Saturday's "Little Elephant Takeover" of the Ottawa Tavern will feature three bands Friday night, including The Fight Within and Throw it to Erie. Saturday's show will include the Miracle Vitamins and This Severe Lifestyle. The bar opens at 5 p.m. and music starts at about 10. There is no cover charge.