hot stuff
Local man grills to feed the music-starved teens of Topeka.
BY NEIL MULKA
SPECIAL TO JAYPLAY
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN NOWAK
BEHIND A SEA OF FASHIONABLE
hipsters, giant skinheads and skinny rockers, Bob Cutler flips hot dogs on a grill in the beer garden of the Replay Lounge, 946 Massachusetts St. Throughout the evening, intoxicated customers shell out a few bucks for a greasywiener to absorb the Pabst Blue Ribbons or whiskey sloshing in their stomachs.
Little do they know the hot dog money is for a noble cause: to open an all-ages club in Topeka where underage music fans can watch local music acts.
"Opening an all-ages club is always a good idea," says Cutler, a Topeka resident. "Doing it in Topeka is stupid but people who are under 21 need a place to socialize in a safe environment."
What started off as a bucket at the door has evolved into a $100-a-weekend venture to fund an endeavor that has not been successful in the past. "It was an opportunity that kind of fell in my lap," Cutler says. He has been hanging around the Replay Lounge since it opened.
"I have been sitting at the door with a bucket begging for change and that was getting tiring." Cutler explains.
Replay manager Matt Sullivan offered Cutler the hot dog position and a cut of the profits.
Topeka has produced some well-known local acts like Danny Pound, the Billions and the Rayguns, but its all-ages music venues have had little staying power.
thursday, September 11, 2003
When musician Danny Pound was growing up in
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