Nothing small about the Little Fox

'Quality of music'

"What I'm most proud of is not just the quality of music that I bring in here but more so the variety of music that plays here," said Tom Miller, concert programmer for the Little Fox Theater. "There can be a Celtic band one night and the next night a Cajun band and the next night maybe a blues band. All the talent is world class, we have pretty high standards, but it's important to reflect the entire community of the Peninsula and the South Bay through the variety of acts that come in here."

Miller has been booking acts at various venues in Northern California for 25 years. He began working for the Little Fox in 2001, when the venue was built, and said he no longer scouts for talent, they come to him.

After a CD is sent to Miller, he researches the band or artist to find out where they played before and if they've had any airplay.

"This is usually a good indication of how good they are," Miller said.

Publicity begins after the research is done and Miller decides to book an act.

Publicity consists of reaching out to local radio stations, primarily public radio stations because of the voice they give lesser-known artists from around the world. He makes sure that the band has sent their CD to all the right places then follows up with the stations to make sure they are not only playing the music, but are also talking about the upcoming gig.

"When you're booking bands that are Celtic or even a blues band it goes beyond just informing the radio stations," Miller said. "There are a lot of societies of music genres to inform as well. You have Celtic societies around the bay, blues societies and Web sites to alert."

Miller also spends much of his day on the phone addressing miscellaneous questions about the types of equipment and sound systems used for the bands. Miller answers these questions with pride because the building itself was engineered with acoustics in mind.

Built for musicians

"Anything that makes a noise, even the soda gun at the bar, has its compressor outside the venue in the side alleyway," he said. "The initial building of the Little Fox was so thoughtful that when musicians play here they realize that it was built for them and the audience alike, and a lot of the time it leads to return dates."

Even the sound system itself is not typical for a 240-seat venue. Miller said that a typical venue of that size would have somewhere around two speakers on each end of the stage. The Little Fox boasts 12.

"When you come and spend an evening at the Little Fox the only thing I can tell you for sure is that every night is a completely different experience than the one before," said Miller. " It's like a surprise and we pride ourselves in always delivering something fresh and different."